10 Favorite Green Adventures for 2012

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‘Tis the season for lists and reminiscing, so greenmomster is going to indulge!  Here’s the list of my 10 favorite green activities for 2012.  I’d love to hear about yours too – be sure to post them on Facebook!

10)  Starting out the New Year at our favorite park – Sky Meadows – with our annual New Years Day hike!

9)  Being chosen as a Climate Mama on the Climate Mama website, a website and organization dedicated to reducing human impacts on our climate!

8)  Clamming on Block Island RI!  What a great day – hanging out with our favorite environmental science teacher, raking up clams, and learning about sustainability.

7)  Adopting a stream!  OK, maybe our stream wasn’t quite as healthy as we thought, but it was a great experience and we learned a lot.  And hope springs eternal – we’re checking out our new stream in January 2013!

6)  Goin’ Ape!  Swinging from ropes, practicing our tarzan yells, and zip-lining!

5)  Volunteering at Sky Meadows State Park with the family!  Whether we’re hiking the trails for trail maintenance, designing a calendar, taking pictures at park events, or collecting acorns, any day at Sky Meadows is a great day!

4)  Camping at Bear Creek Lake State Park!  Canoeing, fishing, archery, s’mores, and glamping in my new BIG tent with the family – what could be better than that?

3)  Hiking and biking on Bull Island SC!  We’ve still got that SC beach buzz going as we enjoy our sand dollar Christmas tree ornaments.

2) Attending the anti-fracking rally on the U.S. Capitol grounds this summer! Craft supplies for our protest signs – $3; parking near the rally – $20; sunscreen for the incredibly hot day – $10; hearing my son say “Hey Mom, I never knew there were so many people like you out there!” – priceless.

1)  Definitely one of my favorite green activities every year – watching the baby loggerhead sea turtles dash from their nests to the ocean! 

Happy New Year to all of the greenmomsters out there!  Here’s to a green 2013!

Veggie Chili–a repost!

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It’s an oldie, but a goodie – veggie chili! 

I adapted this recipe from a Cooking Light chili.  Don’t be afraid to fiddle with the spices to make it taste the way you like it.  I made a batch for 70 people this week at our church and everyone loved it!  Check out the accompanying cornbread recipe.

Veggie Chili with Indian spices 

• Cooking spray (I actually use at least 3 tablespoons olive oil, rather than just a layer of cooking spray) 
• ½ tsp salt 
• 1 ½ lbs fake meat, optional (I used the Quorn tenders from the frozen food section; if you’d rather have a “beefy” feel, try Morningstar farms “crumbles”, also in the frozen foods) 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 2 tsp minced garlic 
• 3 tbsp garam masala (see below) 
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon 
• ¼ tsp ground red pepper 
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 
• one 6 oz. can tomato paste 
• 1 cup water 
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained 
• 2 (15.5 oz.) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed, drained 
• 1 (15.5 oz.) can light red kidney beans, rinsed, drained 
• 1 bag frozen corn

Garam masala: I don’t measure out these exact amounts – I just use proportions. So you should have 3 times as much cumin as pepper, etc. 

• 3 tbsp cumin 
• 2 tbsp coriander 
• 1tbsp black peppercorn 
• ½ tbsp cardamom
• ¼ tbsp ground cloves

Instructions:
1) Heat oil and sauté Quorn, onion, garlic, and salt until the onion is close to translucent
2) Add garam masala, cinnamon, red pepper, nutmeg, and tomato paste. Saute until things are well mixed together.
3) Add water, vinegar, and tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes.
4) Add beans and corn and cook for about 20 minutes.

Endangered species who love the cold!

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To ring in the arrival of winter, this week we have an arctic two-for-the-price-of-one deal.  On Friday, two species of seals were added to the U.S. endangered species list, joining the polar bears on the list of species threatened by the loss of sea ice due to climate change.  The ringed seals (Phoca hispida)  (photo from Paul Nicklen at http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/ringed-seal/) and bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus), protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, were this month listed by NOAA as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. 

The ringed seal is the smallest seal (averaging 110-150 lbs and 5 feet in length) in the arctic, feeding on fish and invertebrates.  They are generally solitary animals.  Females reach sexual maturity around 4 years, while males don’t mature until about age 7.   Gestation lasts about 9 months, and the females give birth in ice “lairs” that they build out of the thick ice in their habitat.  These small seals can live 25 to 40 years.  Seal fun fact:  these guys can dive for 45 minutes without a breath!

On the other end of the spectrum, the bearded seal is the largest seal in the arctic, weighing in at a hefty 575 to 800 lbs!  These seals also have a lifespan of about 25 years and are thought to reach breeding age around 6 to 7 years.  These seals are divers, feeding on benthic creatures such as shrimp, cod, crab, octopus, and clams.     For a very cool video of the bearded seal, see this Arkive video!

Seals are an important indicator species regarding the arctic and the effects of climate change.  Just another reason to get involved – write those letters and reduce your carbon footprint!  Here’s a great idea from the Climate Mama blog – climate change holiday cards for our legislators!

Source:

National Geographic.  2012.  “Ringed seal (Phoca hispida)”  Accessed online 12/23/2012.  http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/ringed-seal/

NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources. 2012. “Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus)” December 21, 2012. Accessed online 12/22/2012. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/pinnipeds/beardedseal.htm

NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.  2012.  “Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)”  December 21, 2012.  Accessed online 12/22/2012.  http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/pinnipeds/ringedseal.htm

Merry Christmas!

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I was out at our favorite Sky Meadows State Park yesterday, enjoying the beautiful decorations.  The Mt. Bleak house was adorned in decorations from the Civil War to the 1950s.  Park personnel were cooking in the fireplaces – apple tansy, jambalaya, cornbread, and wassail! Just the right place to get in the mood for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  I wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and green Christmas!

Red-Tails in Love!

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I just finished reading a great book – Red-Tails in Love, by Marie Winn.  If you’re looking for a high-action, violent New York City story, this ain’t the book for you.  On the other hand, if you’re looking for a little romance (not quite as long-lived as When Harry Met Sally), this could be your book!  The story follows the adventures of a male hawk and his mates as they search for nesting sites and raise chicks in New York City.  Ms. Winn, one of a group of dedicated bird watchers in Central Park, skillfully tells the story, from first discovery of the male hawk, through nest construction all the way to the successful rearing of young hawks.  The author also provides fascinating details about other birds in Central Park, both the neo-tropical migrants and the everyday birds like crows and starlings.  But this isn’t a book just for birders; her writing is clear and descriptive, even for non-birders.  She includes stories about gray gulls from Peru, Mary Tyler Moore’s apartment building, and unexpected owl sightings.  I love New York City, all of it’s energy and excitement, and this book provides another angle on a great city.

Zesty Meat-Free Friday–Tex-Mex Quiche!

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This week’s meat-free Friday dish comes to us from Texas!  I adapted this recipe from one I found in Necessities and Temptations by the Junior League of Austin.  As an aside, you can get this cookbook for just 64 cents at the Barnes and Noble website, and I use many of the recipes (like the yummy banana bread recipe) frequently.  So enjoy a little southern zest this Christmas week with some Tex-Mex quiche!

Ingredients:
1 10 inch pie shell,lightly browned
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 – 1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 small can Hatch chilis (hot)
5 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tblsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup red salsa
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:
1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2)  Combine mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions.
3)  In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add mayonnaise, flour, milk, salsa, and Hatch chilis.
4)  Stir vegetables into the egg mixture.
5)  Layer 1/2 of the veggie/egg mixture into the pie shell.  Sprinkle a layer of cheese on top and then add the rest of the veggie/egg mixture.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
6)  Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until firm and a knife stuck in the center comes out without liquid on it. 

Why Recycle?

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In elementary school, we all learned that recycling is a great way to reduce our impact on the environment, but maybe you need a little “refresher” regarding WHY recycling works.  Well, here it is!  A new graphic from Education Database Online blog provides a quick, easy reminder about the positive results of recycling!

 

This week’s endangered species pegs the cute meter!

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The asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea) is the smallest of the world’s 13 otter species, and like most otters, very cute.  If you’ve been lucky enough to see these guys playing at a zoo (or really lucky and seen them in the wild), you know that they’re very entertaining to watch.  These little otters (6 to 12 lbs) get their name from the fact that their feet are not fully webbed to the ends of their toes, which allows them more dexterous movement as they handle their prey, which includes primarily crabs, molluscs, and fish caught in their habitat of freshwater and coastal streams and rivers.  The small clawed otter lives in family groups of up to 12 individuals.  It is found in Indonesia, southern China, southern India, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia.  It is currently listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN due to habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution.   Here’s an interesting fact:  these little otters have over 12 different calls – check out the National Zoo’s recording.   

So why do we care about the asian small-clawed otter?  Because scientists consider this species to be an “indicator” species – if we see this species in decline, we can assume that the decline indicates an overall decline in the health of its ecosystem.  Considering the otters’ large range, this decline could have major implications for the entire region’s ecosystem health.  For more information on otter conservation, see the IUCN Otter Specialist Group.

Check out this video of small clawed otters at feeding time at the London Zoo: 

Sources:

Arkive. 2012.  “Asian short-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea).”  Accessed online 12/18/12.  http://www.arkive.org/asian-short-clawed-otter/aonyx-cinerea/

IUCN Otter Specialist Group.  2011.  “Aonyx cinereus (Illiger, 1815), the Asian Small-Clawed Otter.”  August 9, 2012.  Accessed online 12/18/12.  http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Species/Aonyx_cinereus.html

Monterey Bay Aquarium.  2012.  “Asian small-clawed otter.”  Accessed online 12/18/12.  http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/AnimalDetails.aspx?enc=VsGX+Lst7QZGkQu2utONtw==

Smithsonian National Zoological Park.  nd.  “Asian small-clawed otters.”  Accessed online 12/18/12.  http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsiaTrail/SmallClawedOtters/default.cfm

Big News for a Little Keystone Species!

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The Chesapeake Bay’s menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) (photo from NOAA, 2012) scored a big victory last week, when the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted to reduce the catch of Atlantic menhaden by 20% per year.  The goal is to reduce overfishing of this important species and leave more individuals to mature to year three, when they’ll be ready to reproduce.  Menhaden are a small, oily fish historically used for bait.  Recently, though, menhaden fishing has become a big industry, supplying fish for the booming Omega 3 fatty acid market.  Menhaden are currently fished using spotter planes and huge purse seine nets (the recreational bait fishery also uses cast nets); populations are now only about 8% of their all-time population highs. 

Menhaden are important, because they’re what scientists call a “keystone species.” A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionate impact on its ecosystem, relative to its biomass; like a keystone in an archway, if the keystone species is removed, the arch, or ecosystem, will collapse.  Keystone species include the sea otter population in the Pacific, desert tortoises in the western U.S., and even prairie dogs (many species depend on their burrows for shelter and hunting).  Removal of menhaden will impact species up and down the food chain and will remove a critical link in the ecosystem. Menhaden sit at the center of the Chesapeake Bay food web.  They are a filter feeder, feeding on zooplanton and phytoplankton, and they’re a vital food source for rockfish, weakfish, bluefish, and predatory birds such as osprey.  Without healthy populations of menhaden, ecosystems will suffer, as will the fisheries that depend on these healthy ecosystems.

So score one for the menhaden!  Now it’s time for the Virginia General Assembly to approve the new catch limits.  VA legislatures need to hear from greenmomsters and dads who would like to protect this valuable resource and ensure a healthy Chesapeake Bay for future generations!   Don’t know who your representative is?  Check out the VA General Assembly website.

Sources:

Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  2012.  “Atlantic States Take Action to Protect ‘The Most Important Fish in the Sea’ “  Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Bay Daily Website.  Accessed 12/17/12.    http://cbf.typepad.com/bay_daily/2012/12/in-an-historic-victory-for-conservationists-a-coalition-of-atlantic-coastal-states-today-voted-to-reduce-the-catch-of-menhad.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BayDaily+%28Bay+Daily%29

Maryland Sea Grant.  2011.  “The Case for Fishing Menhaden.”  Chesapeake Quarterly.  October 2011.  Accessed online 12/17/12.  http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/CQ/V10N23/side1/

NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.  2012.  “Menhaden"  NOAA website, January 2012.  Accessed 12/17/12.  http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/fish-facts/menhaden

Illegal Wildlife Trafficking

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I’ve written several posts in the past regarding illegal wildlife trafficking, including a post on ivory, protection of pangolins and lions, as well as reviews of books written about illegal trade of reptiles (plowshare tortoise photo from newyorker.com) and butterflies.  Biodiversity conservation is a critical environmental and social issue.  The illegal trade decimates wildlife populations, but also harms human communities.  As stated by Jim Leape, Director General of World Wildlife International, “It is communities, often the world’s poorest, that lose the most from this illicit trade, while criminal gangs and corrupt officials profit. Frontline rangers are losing their lives and families that depend on natural resources are losing their livelihoods.” (WWF 2012)
This week we have three new sources of information on the topic.  Both are worth watching if you’re interested in the topics of illegal wildlife trade and biodiversity conservation.   60 Minutes this week presented a fascinating piece on reptile conservation.  Arkive also provided a great overview of the illegal trade issue on their blog today.  Additionally, The World Wildlife Fund recently posted all presentations from a symposium on illegal wildlife trade – definitely worth a view to learn more about this important issue.
If you’re interested in helping to stop the international illegal trade in wildlife, check out how you can participate through World Wildlife Fund.
Source:
World Wildlife Fund.  2012.  “Illegal wildlife trade threatens national security, says WWF report”  Accessed 12/12/12.  http://wwf.panda.org/?207054/Illegal-wildlife-trade-threatens-national-security-says-WWF-report

Exotic, exciting eels!

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This week’s endangered species isn’t listed under the ESA yet, but many experts believe the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should consider listing the American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) (photo copyright Garold W. Sneegas)  under the ESA.  Found from Greenland to Brazil, these fish have a fascinating life cycle.  They’re catadromous, which means they do things opposite of the anadromous salmon.  They spawn in the ocean and live most of their lives in estuarine or freshwater.  Here’s how it works (USFWS 2009):

• American eels are hatched from floating eggs in the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean.
• The small, transparent larvae that are shaped like willow leaves float toward the Atlantic coast for about 1 year (photo from Northeast Eel and Elver Company, http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/american_eel.htm).
• By the time they reach the coast, the young fish have developed fins and look like adult eels, except that they’re still transparent.  This stage is called “glass eels”.
• During the second phase of life, the fish are gray to grayish brown and are called “elvers”.
• Juveniles mature to the “yellow” phase, during which the sexually immature fish are yellow-green to olive brown in color.
• Eels can take 3 to 40 years to mature (it’s a faster process in estuarine and marine waters), before they head back out to sea to breed.
• Silver eels, the sexually mature migrants, change from bottom dwelling fish to open ocean swimmers.  They build up fat reserves for the long migration, because they don’t eat on their way to the Sargasso Sea.  Their eyes double in size in order to be able to sea in the ocean!
• Once in the Sargasso Sea, the females lay 20 to 30 million eggs to be fertilized by the males! 

Amazing! 

While the eels are living upstream, they hide under rocks and feed at night eating insects, fish, fish eggs, crabs, worms, clams and frogs, as well as dead animal matter.  And there are even more fascinating facts about eels.  The USFWS (2009) reports, “with their relatively weak jaws and many small teeth, eels have developed an unusual feeding process with food that cannot be consumed whole or readily broken into pieces by jerking or pulling.  Holding on with their mouths, adult eels spin their bodies to break apart food, and have been recorded at six to fourteen spins per second.  In comparison, Olympic ice skaters can spin five times per second.”  Additionally, eels can breath through their skin as well as their gills, making short transits on land possible!

So what’s threatening the eel population? 

• Overfishing.  In some European countries (where eels are eaten regularly), populations are down by 99% of their historical size.
• Dams and other blockages.  Eels have trouble getting to their upstream habitat because of man-made structures.  They are also often killed in the turbines of hydropower plants.
• Parasites.  An Asian parasite (introduced via aquaculture) that affects the eel swim bladder has infected the population.

Here’s one project designed to help with eel conservation:

 

Want to learn more?  Be sure to check out this in-depth and informative report from the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment.

 

Sources:

Blankenship, K.  2012.  “Large number of eels caught at Conowingo give biologists hope.”  Chesapeake Bay Journal, December 2012.  Accessed online 12/9/12.  http://www.bayjournal.com/article/large_number_of_eels_caught_at_conowingo_give_biologists_hope

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Newsroom.  2009.  “The American Eel.” October 20, 2009.   Accessed online 12/9/12.  http://www.fws.gov/northeast/newsroom/facts.html

Virginia Vegetarian Pasta Fazool

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There are roughly a jillion ways to make this dish and everyone claims that theirs is correct.  Most versions are “soupier” than ours, but here’s how we do it at our house and there are rarely any leftovers!


Ingredients:
1 lb ditalini, cooked al dente
2 packages Smart Sausage Italian Style
olive oil
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 25 oz. jar prepared red pasta sauce (or an equivalent amount of your homemade sauce)

Instructions:
1)  Slice “sausage” into 1/2 inch pieces.  Fry in an excess amount of olive oil until brown (you should have some extra liquid olive oil in the pan when you’re finished cooking).
2)  Add “sausage”, cooking oil, kidney beans, and sauce to the pasta and warm through.  Garnish with parmesan cheese and enjoy with a salad!

Bambi’s favorite endangered species

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This week’s endangered species is staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis)(photo from NOAA's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary).  This fast-growing coral can reach lengths of 6.5 feet and can reproduce both asexually (by breaking off pieces of itself) or sexually (through broadcast spawning).  Corals are animals and thus eat other animals caught in their tentacles, but they also have a symbiotic relationship with algae, taking advantage of the products of algae’s photosynthesis – very clever lifestyle indeed!   The staghorn are tropical corals found in the Atlantic ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico.   The biggest threat to this species of coral is disease, but hurricanes, predation, bleaching, temperature and salinity variation, and low genetic diversity (that’s what happens when you reproduce asexually) are also threats.

NOAA has proposed elevating the threat status of the staghorn coral from “threatened” to “endangered”, along with 66 other species of coral – see NOAA’s report.  Want to learn more about coral and coral reefs?  Check out the IMAX movie on coral reefs – reviewed by Greenmomster!  And be sure to check out this video from World Resources Institute:

Source: 

NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.  2012.  Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis).  Accessed 12/5/2012.  http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/invertebrates/staghorncoral.htm

I’m dreaming of a green Christmas….

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Yes, we’re all dreaming of a white Christmas (I’m guessing it’s not going to happen here in northern VA), but what about a green Christmas?  This season includes a few decisions to make our Christmas celebrations a little more eco-friendly:

1)  The wrapping!  Making Christmas gifts festive and fun to unwrap is part of the fun of giving the gifts.  Even the Grinch knew that taking the wrappings might put a damper on things as he left Who-ville:  “he packed up his sled, packed it up with their presents!  The ribbons!  The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel!  The trimmings!  The trappings!” (XMAS FUN 2012).  But then again, according to Earth911, “wrapping paper and shopping bags alone account for about 4 million tons of trash annually in the U.S.”  None of us wants to be a Grinch, so how can we green up the wrappings?

• If you want to wrap gifts in wrapping paper, why not try recycled paper?  And follow your mom and grandma’s lead – reuse that wrapping paper!
• You can always wrap gifts in tissue paper (I use the tissue paper that’s stuck into dry cleaned clothes), fabric, or even the comics.
• Reuseable gift bags can be used year after year (I have some bags that have been through at least 5 Christmases).

2)  The tree!  OK, it’s the age-old debate – should we use a fresh tree?  artificial?  tree in a pot to be planted later?  A few thoughts, then you make your own decision:

• Artificial trees – Here’s a fun fact from Earth911, “a U.S.-based toilet bowl brush manufacturer, the Addis Brush Company, created an artificial tree from brush bristles in the 1930s, acting as the prototype for modern artificial trees.”  I’ll remember that tidbit, as I relax next to my beautiful fake tree that I enjoy year after year.  Here’s the big con to artificial trees – most are made of non-recyclable, non-biodegradable metal and PVC.  Thus, when you throw them away, they’ll sit in the landfill for many generations to come.  Since my family keeps their artificial trees for decades (my mother has had her artificial tree for nearly 50 years), I’m not losing sleep over this con.  A more troublesome issue with artificial trees --  most are produced overseas and must be shipped to the U.S. – think fossil fuels and pollution in production and shipping  (Earth911 2012).  If you’ve decided on a fake tree, GoodHousekeeping has some recommendations regarding brands to try. 
• Real trees – Most experts agree that this is the more eco-friendly option.  Over 30 million Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. each year, and 93% of those trees are recycled into mulch (Earth911 2012).  Additionally, Earth911 (2012) reports that a single farmed tree absorbs more than 1 ton of CO₂ in its lifetime!  The cons?  Since Christmas trees are an agricultural product, we can expect application of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides, unless they’re grown organically.  Additionally, if you don’t live in an area where conifers grow naturally, add the cost of tree transport into your eco-footprint calculation (Earth911 2012).  If you do get a real tree, just say no to the plastic mesh wrapping.
• Real LIVE trees – The most eco-friendly option.  Buy a live, potted tree, which you can keep in your house for about 1 – 1 1/2 weeks and then plant outdoors after the holidays.

3) The cards!  I come from a proud line of Christmas card senders and Christmas letter writers.  So how can we green up this annual tradition?

• Send cards and letters online.  Friends and family can read about your adventures in the past year, and then save, print, or delete!
• Try one of the eco-friendly card companies, using soy inks and recycled paper.
• Send cards that support a green organization, such as the cards made by the National Wildlife Association or World Wildlife Fund. 

4)  The gifts!  There are actually fun green gifts that don’t lead to forced smiles and insincere thank yous! 

• For the animal lovers in your family!  Through many organizations, you can symbolically “adopt” an animal, and receive a plush toy, certificate of adoption, and a poster or photograph.  Young children get a toy and wildlife organizations get badly needed financial support.  Some of the programs I’ve enjoyed in the past include the National Zoo’s “Adopt a Species”, National Wildlife Federation’s Adoption Center,  and World Wildlife Fund’s Species Adoptions. 
• Do you have a bike?  By giving bikes to not just the kids, but also the adults in the family, you’ll be encouraging the option of green transportation for local trips (plus you might lose a few of those Christmas cookie pounds!)
• How about a new set of non-teflon coated cookware?  Have you been wanting to upgrade your cooking utensils?  By trading up for pots and pans that AREN’T coated in teflon, you’ll be reducing your family’s exposure to many harmful chemicals.
• Got an avid gardener in the family, or do you want to become one?  Christmas is the perfect time to set someone up for a successful butterfly or vegetable garden in 2013 – garden tools, seeds, composting equipment, even rainbarrels are gifts that your family can enjoy throughout the year.  Birdfeeders and bird baths are a nice addition to any garden.  If you really want to go all out, how about beekeeping equipment?
• Lifelong learning!  Gift certificates for classes are a waste-free gift that can be enjoyed throughout the year.  Be it cooking, archery, knitting, photography, or architecture classes – you know they’ll love it! 
• How about a gift that lets the receiver enjoy the great outdoors?  Camping equipment was my gift at my last birthday!  Not into camping?  Think “roughing it” is a black and white TV?  Then how about binoculars or a field guide for an aspiring bird or butterfly watcher, or a camera for the budding nature photographer? 

Want more great ideas on how to green your holidays?  Check out EarthEasy’s tips for green gift giving, wrapping, and lighting.

From the greenmomster’s house to yours, we wish you a very merry and GREEN holiday season!

 

Sources:

Earth911.  2012.  Facts About Recycling Wrapping Paper.  Accessed 11/29/12.  http://earth911.com/recycling/paper/wrapping-paper/facts-about-recycling-wrapping-paper/

EarthEasty.  2012.  How to have a ‘green’ Christmas.  Accessed 11/29/12.  http://eartheasy.com/give_sustainchristmas.htm

GoodHousekeeping.  2012.  Getting an Artificial Christmas Tree!  Choose This Type.  You’ll save resources and reduce risk of toxins.  Accessed 11/29/12.  http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/artificial-christmas-trees-buy-american

XMAS FUN.  2012.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.  Accessed 11/29/12.  http://xmasfun.com/stories/Grinch/Text.asp