An Eco-Friendly Holiday Season

Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:07PM EST

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'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.

Related:

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  • 6 Posted by sw4usc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    great article but the article is missing the best lighting site on the web...www.ECO-LIGHTS.com. It's Awesome!

  • 7 Posted by aaritari on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    In the Netherlands, there are LED lights for sale by OXXIO, these lights last for 50 years and use no more then 10% energy compared to an old fashion light bulp. www.oxxio.nl

  • 8 Posted by daduvthree on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    Check out what California did last year with the state tree 6500 LED lights. they are doing it again this year but I hear rumor it will be powered by a Hydrogen fuel cell. the EPA building used a similar system last year.

  • 9 Posted by daduvthree on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    oppps i forgot to post the link http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_htmldisplay.jsp?sFilePath=/govsite/press_release/2005_12/20051207_GAAS57305_Christmas_Tree_Lighting.html&sCatTitle=Press%20Release

  • 10 Posted by auntb93@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    What a great idea to collect eco-friendly ideas for the holidays! Keep the ideas coming. Don't neglect the old folks who remember when lots of people did crafts from recycled materials, especially scouts and Sunday School holiday projects. Many of those ideas were thought merely thrifty then, are acknowledged to be much more important now. And never forget the quilters and other traditional users of scraps.

  • 11 Posted by erasethepastmdhc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    i bought some LED 'mini-lights'.. they are brighter and cooler than the traditional lights... i love em

  • 12 Posted by punk_luver07 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    i think that every one should get a fake tree instead of a real one. yes they do get turned into wood chips in the end but, we are still cutting them down so we can decorate our houses for only about two weeks. we should get a fake one because not only does it help the enviroment and save oxygen it also adds cute decor to yuor house b/c the fake trees come in other colors besides green.[they have white and blue].and you also wouldnt have to spend the extra money every year on a new tree. just take it apart and stick it in your attic! and even if you dont have an attic it is easier storage.

  • 13 Posted by noxoso2003 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:41PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have two strands of those exact type of lights up at my house. There quite nice.

  • 15 Posted by natureutt78 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    I just bought LED Christmas lights a few weeks back. They definately are very bright! They don't replicate the look of traditional lights but I think it's SO awesome how much energy they save! If only they were more affordable!

  • 16 Posted by ggsloth on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    Does everyone know that there are environmentally responsible ways to dispose of your Christmas tree? Find out about "treecycling" here: http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=misc&a=misc/xmas/treecycle.html And I urge everyone to give green gifts! Make a donation in someone's name, adopt a species, give a personal coupon (home-cooked meal, babysitting) or restaurant gift certificate, use Sunday comics to wrap a gift, buy local instead of online... Many other ideas are available: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/how_to_green_your_gifts.php http://grist.org/news/maindish/2006/11/21/gifts/index.html http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/GreenTeam/

  • 18 Posted by sheldon_laird on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    Some people like artificial trees, but check out this website... http://www.scchristmastrees.org/christmastreebenefits.html Artificial trees-most of which are manufactured overseas from petroleum and plastics - cannot be recycled and provide no benefits to the environment.

  • 19 Posted by whatz_upchuck on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    If being eco-friendly is the big thing, how come Al Gore hasn't put incandescent or LEDs in any of his three mansions? Or John Kerry's five mansions? I'll start being eco-friendly when those hypocritical politicians set the example, but not before.

  • 20 Posted by lawkler on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    Artificial v. real? How about skipping an indoor tree and decorating a tree (ANY kind) outdoors and then everyone can enjoy it? LOVE the LED idea! Also, we re-use gift bags and boxes over and over. Or you can use newspaper for wrapping paper.

  • 21 Posted by ital_mex on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    "If everyone switches to LED lights..." What is to become of the old lights? Crafts for kids at elementary schools? How many responsible, ... or, rather... How many people would have the incentive (knowing they were doing something helpful) to actually PUT them into their vehicle(s) and transport them to...

  • 22 Posted by lars_p_jorgensen on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you are interested in a company making recycled picture frames, you should check out www.recycledframes.com They make beautiful picture frames from reclaimed wood

  • 23 Posted by gretchenmahn on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:13PM EDT Report Abuse

    Don't eat meat. That will really save energy and the planet!

  • 24 Posted by mavieboheme on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    You might want to correct the spelling in your lead sentence - it should read LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

  • 25 Posted by jess2974@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you really want to know "what electricity has to do with 'harmiing the environment'" then I suggest you watch a film called: An Inconvenient Truth, or check out the web site: www.climatecrisis.net...and thanks for the excellent, environmentally safe x-mas ideas.

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