An Eco-Friendly Holiday Season
Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:07PM EST
See Comments (52)
'Tis the season for giving, but some of us are too concerned with environmental issues. If you think it's a waste to give someone who has it all a gift that'll wind up in the closet, why not just give them something more environmentally friendly? Sure you're laughing now, but the reality is the environment is paying a high price for our way of life. I'll spare you the rant, but in the meantime, I'll encourage you to be nice to Mother Earth this Christmas and try these eco-friendly ideas:
Pictures of You: The gals over at Photojojo have a nice video tutorial that'll teach you how to turn CD jewel cases into photo frames. This is a great way to save money when decorating your pad for that Christmas party. You can also create some cubicle decorations for your coworkers for the gift exchange this year.
Luggable Bike: I used to be able to walk to work, but a bike would have been a lot nicer. It might've encouraged me to leave the car at home more often. Treehugger highlighted the Mobiky today, which is a bike that "folds into hand luggage." It's so cool how it fits in the trunk of your car and comes in handy if you live in big city such as New York or San Francisco. It would also be a great way to get the blood pumping during your lunch hour.
Go Solar: Battery power always drains, even when you're not using your gadgets. I'm so frustrated by gadgets that run out of juice quickly, and I'm sure you are too. It's time gadgets went solar, don't you agree? Until then, we'll have to settle for solar chargers such as the Nova Solar Camera bag or the Scotty Personal Solar Charger. Here are more awesome solar battery charger alternatives.
Low-Energy Lights: Switching to LED (light-emitting diodes) Christmas lights will help you save money and energy. One study by the U.S. Department of Energy concluded that if everyone replaced their light strings with LED lights, we would save enough energy to power 200,000 homes a year. That's a lot of energy! You can find LED lights online at Holiday Creations.
Do you have any eco-friendly ideas to share? Tell me what works for you.
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Comments on An Eco-Friendly Holiday Season
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27 Posted by questassemblies on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:24PM EDT Report Abuse
Thanks for this article. I would love more suggestions of eco-friendly gift ideas for the holidays.
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28 Posted by kentuckyangelwoman@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:49PM EDT Report Abuse
these lights are not worth 2 cents,as I had bought them and friends and other relatives did too and thenext day we all ended up taking them back.and we all got our money back.and i will agree all the way on getting fake trees as the real ones maybe pretty but they are very dangerous and have causef alot of fires.I bought a 4 inch white one at family dollar for only 10.00 and different colored ornaments for it for a dollar and the tiny garland that was red and green for 1.00 and as since i live in a one bedroom apartment with my husband this is really all i need.So advice to all don't buy these lights at all as they are no good.as i bought colored lights from the dollar store and they are lasting longer then these are.
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29 Posted by courtneyrapier on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:30PM EDT Report Abuse
This is the first time I've read this blog, and I found this pretty helpful. Thanks Gina!
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30 Posted by j22kat on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:26PM EDT Report Abuse
When a typhoon hit the Phillipines, all yahoo can talk about is christmas lights
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31 Posted by mcduff102000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:13PM EDT Report Abuse
To those of you who are getting a warm fuzzy feeling from some of these actions, I want to remind you that being ecologically responsible is not about saving money, although it usually does. It is about not using more than we need, thereby conserving energy, resources and not polluting our earth. This means giving up a lot of our frivolous gadgets, conveniences and specialized cleaning products altogether, not just trying to find a feel-good way to have it all. Space prevents me from giving you a ton of suggestions, but I haven't had outdoor Christmas lights since 1966, nor a tree of any type since 1992. Yes, I miss my tree, and perhaps one year before I die, I'll go berserk and put up enough lights to rival Las Vegas, just to be able to enjoy them one last time. By the way, most quilters do not use scraps(as they should),they buy new fabric for each quilt and most use poly batting.
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32 Posted by carlytucci on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:18PM EDT Report Abuse
this is so cool lol
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33 Posted by wmquan on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:49PM EDT Report Abuse
Unfortunately, some LED lights fall short of traditional lights. We bought two strings of the "C-7"-sized lights at Costco. They are significantly dimmer than our older strings of C-7's, and they are even a little dimmer than our traditional mini-lights. The LED lights also don't have the same "warm" look to them. Buyer beware.
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34 Posted by wmquan on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:49PM EDT Report Abuse
Unfortunately, some LED lights fall short of traditional lights. We bought two strings of the "C-7"-sized lights at Costco. They are significantly dimmer than our older strings of C-7's, and they are even a little dimmer than our traditional mini-lights. The LED lights also don't have the same "warm" look to them. Buyer beware.
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35 Posted by alwaysadamselindistress on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:51PM EDT Report Abuse
AS A CONSCIOUS CONSUMER I HAVE ALWAYS PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO PRODUCTS THAT HELP PRESERVE OUR PLANETS' ENVIRONMENT AND HAVE TAKEN A GENUINE INTEREST IN ARTICLES OR NEWS TO PROMOTE AWARENESS. I SINCERELY APPRE-CIATE ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO ME SO THAT I MAY BE REMINDED OF MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRE-VENTION AND NOT THE CAUSE. THANK-YOU FOR THE CHRISTMAS DECORATION LIGHTS AS I HAD NO IDEA OF THE COST THAT I WILL HELP IN SAVING AS A CONTRIBUTOR. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! JULIE
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36 Posted by jwo_aoa on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:45PM EDT Report Abuse
LED is becoming the future. With them being used in flash lights to them being used in tv displays and now christmas lights and other decorations
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37 Posted by magicianshands on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:03PM EDT Report Abuse
Electricity itself doesn't harm the earth, but the production of electricity harms the atmosphere. The vast majority of electricity is generated by burning coal, oil, and natural gas. In other words, when we use electricity, we burn these fossil fuels. Anytime we burn these fuels it results in carbon dioxide polluting the air. There has been a sharp increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the last 100 years, and it is increasing. More carbon dioxide = climate change = massive disruption for all species... More effective ideas: 1: Buy your electricity from a Green power company, don't know how? check this out http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml 2: Make a donation to a group that does good work. I like the NRDC (Natural Resources Defence Council) 3: Yes! get a bike and ride it instead of driving 4: Be aware of how your food is grown, and where it comes from. Support small sustainable farms 5: Plant trees Gina's ideas are kinda cute, but minimally effective as positive contributions to the ecology of this planet. "Eco" comes the Greek word for home. The third planet from the sun is a really special place to live - don't let your life degrade it - take responsibility for your place on the earth, and take actions to conserve and restore your lovely home. :)
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38 Posted by timxx114 on Sun Dec 3, 2006 2:41PM EST Report Abuse
I've had Christmas LED strings for the past 3 years with no problems at all and they look great. I've also replaced the bulbs in my cars with LED's, the advantage there is they will not kill the battery if they are mistakenly left on or if a door is ajar.
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39 Posted by edgkearns on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:52PM EDT Report Abuse
Our website, www.justliving.net provides organic cotton, pure grow woolTM and 100% natural latex mattresses and bedding, as well as organic cotton sheets and towels, etc. Check us out and find out if we can deliver in time for your eco-friendly holiday gift giving.
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40 Posted by yellowpoetrygirl on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:56PM EDT Report Abuse
j22kat...unless you are unfamiliar with how reporters do thier jobs, they actually write things before they post them....thier thoughts do not just beam onto the page wihtout any help from typing, researching or writing. It is no one's fault that Gina wrote a story before this tragedy hit, and that yahoo originally kept to thier schedule for what is posted. Don't complain to the author, call yahoo! or e-mail them...
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41 Posted by vicstryker on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:34PM EDT Report Abuse
There are tons of different ways we can utilize all of the too much redundant "stuff" in our now tragicaly disrespected enviroment on our Spacecrafe Earth home. How about a clock that uses no batts or electricity or wind up ? I can show you how to make SUNdials out of CD Jewell cases ! astronomer Vic Stryker - The Olde Stargeezer
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42 Posted by animal_lover0012 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:55PM EDT Report Abuse
i think this is very cool and i'm going to get some LED lights for my tree, also the pic frames are awsome!!!
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43 Posted by wljohnso on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:49PM EDT Report Abuse
What a waste of bandwidth.
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44 Posted by ctisteven on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:32PM EDT Report Abuse
I have found that www.christmas-treasures.com has the best selection, shape and sizes in stock of the LED christmas lights. You can purchase them at the link below! http://www.christmas-treasures.com/AboutUs/ChristmasTree/PurchaseLED.htm
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45 Posted by alnayaa on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:51PM EDT Report Abuse
These comments are heavily censored and violate our constitutional right to free speech.
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26 Posted by ox0steffie0xo on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:47PM EDT Report Abuse
you know how your sapose to flush everytime you go to the toilet... well you can now save quite abit of water .... just get an empty bottle of water and filll it with sand.... open the toilet tank and stick the bottle in there... youll save that amount of water everytime you flush :)