greenspace

I try to embrace all seasons but sometimes it gets hard to embrace winter. I miss going on my walks, being at the park, and walking outside without a coat. But, I need to adjust. This is winter. And this is only December.

Much has been said about the tranquility of snowfall and using winter as a time of inner reflection. I can see positives about winter but it’s just so hard to find things to do. In Ohio, we don’t have winter activities like skiing or snow tubing. There are some ski trails, but nothing serious (of course, we lack the hills).

I like winter–I just don’t know how to properly celebrate it. Especially since I’m living with a baby.

I’m a festive person. I like celebrating holidays in my own way–I take the best qualities of Christmas (like giving personalized gifts, spending a day with the family, and feeling a special kindness toward humanity) and ditch the rest (the capitalist race for gifts, malls, and religious aspects).

Holidays are a way to pass time and celebrate what the season has to offer. As festive as I want to be, I have to stay connected to my eco-warrior roots.

I’m dreaming of a green Christmas. The greener, the better.

I’m looking at every aspect of this holiday and deciding how my family can lessen our impact on the Earth. I always wonder what to do about the tree. Artificial trees are generally worse than cutting down a live tree because they contain non-biodegradable plastics and nasty toxins like PVC. And they look bad.

But getting a live tree is better than buying one from a tree lot. Live trees are potted and can be planted in your yard rather than killed and left to wither on the street. But, if you have to get a cut tree, it can be recycled. Many communities will make mulch out of old trees.

I’ll be posting more about my quest for the greenest Christmas ever, so be sure to stop back. And let me know if you have any suggestions for trees. I’ll be doing my research…

This year, forget the mall. Ditch those chain stores (which most likely follow the unsustainable practice of importing products from China) and go local. Support your fellow neighbor rather than some CEO who you’ll never meet.

In Cleveland and other cities you can check out Bazaar Bizarre, a craft fair of locally-made, DIY goods for sale. Vendors sell hip, artsy crafts–not your typical doilie and crocheted watermelon craft fair goods.

According to Bazaar Bizarre Cleveland, the festival began in Boston in 2001 as just a group of friends pushing their DIY goods and listening to music. Now the fair has spread to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and my beloved Cleveland.

Think outside the big box and buy something unique. Support your local starving artist (or knitter…) and get your goods made in the USA, right in your own backyard. Top that, China.

Let’s face it–the holidays are right around the corner. If you’re anything like me, you’ll do anything to avoid the consumer bandwagon. But you still want to give gifts to friends and family. It would be rude not to.

“Green Living” magazine has published a gift guide that can be accessed here. It’s a full magazine free to download. The publication is from Toronto but you can find most of the items in the U.S. You’ll find all sorts of gifts for every type of price range.

Hmmm… I’m loving those Simple Shoes. Maybe I’ll email this magazine to a few of my friends as a little “hint hint.”

You don’t have to set down your green eco-warrior cape just because there’s snow on the ground. Sure, you need to use resources to heat your home and you need to the heating to run continuously. You can still conserve, though.

Save money and reduce energy consumption by following a few tips:

-Dress in layers and keep your heat lower. Many people complain of being cold in their house while dressed in a short-sleeved tee-shirt. No way–not in my house. Grab a sweater and wait a minute. Are you still shivering? If yes, then you can turn the heat up. For each degree you lower the heating, you lower your bill by three to five percent. Keep the thermostat down at night and invest in warm comforters.

-  Winterize your home. See if you can get quality windows that block out the cold. Make sure your house is properly insulated.

- Open the door of your dishwasher when it reaches the drying cycle. Let this air warm your kitchen. As an added bonus, the warm air will double as a humidifier and add moisture to your home.

- Turn ceiling fans clockwise and set them on to push warmer air down.

- Get a programmable thermostat that turns itself down when you’re at work and gets the house nice and toasty when your ready to come home.

Winter can be a tough time for conservation, but it’s not impossible. After all, heating is expensive and, like most things, being eco-friendly will save you money.

Do you dream of becoming an organic farmer? Maybe, while you’re wasting the day in a cubicle, you dream of quitting your corporate life and spending all day outside digging in dirt. If only you could find a way to support yourself…

WWOOF stands for Word Wide Opportunities on  Organic Farms. It is a program that links volunteer farmers to organic farms looking for labor. Volunteers–called WWOOFers–are paid with accommodation and food at the farm, not money. They also get extensive, first-hand knowledge on organic farming techniques. Volunteers typically work half a day and pitch in with any chores as needed. Potential WWOOFers choose from more than 700 host farms in the U.S.

If you’re looking for a way to escape the cube, or maybe you want to vacation and help local farmers at the same time, consider being a WWOOFer.

Last week was thrilling. Even if you supported McCain, you can’t deny that last Tuesday was a night for the history books. Finally the U.S. is instilled with hope and a sense of unity (somewhat). Everything may become drastically different in the U.S. and it’s all for the better.

In this green rage we finally have a President-Elect who recognizes that global warming actually exists and pledges to do something about it. Hopefully, our hope isn’t misplaced and Obama makes good on his word.

If you’ve been living in a cave for the past six months, here are some key points Obama has pledged to address. And even if you’ve been keeping up with politics, it’s a good idea to remind ourselves of all the promises and make sure they’re followed through.

The Obama-Biden administration plans to…

- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

- Have one million plug-in cars on the road by 2015 (they get up to 150 miles per gallon–and you thought Prius’ were eco-friendly!)

- Create millions of green jobs.

- Ensure that 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.

And that’s just for starters. Let us hope these promises are kept.

Do you cry out when a bagger puts your groceries in a plastic bag? Do you reject coffee if it means you have to drink it from a disposable cup? Are you a parent who’s in love with cloth diapers?

I’m a YES to all of these. I don’t care about being *that* girl, the one who hates plastic bags and gets excited about using cloth wipes on her baby. I’m used to baggers giving me strange looks when I say “no bag please.”

Whatever. I can deal with it.

A few years ago it was unpopular to be green and you’d get more dirty looks. But today, in these green trendy times, it’s all the rage. Funny how times have changed.

Or maybe I’m just hanging out with the right people who make me seem less weird.

I live in a dirty, dirrrty county.

According to Environmental Scorecard, my county (Cuyahoga County, Ohio) is filthy. It’s rated in the:

- 80 to 90th percentile of the worst counties in the US for total environmental releases.

- 90 to 100th percentile of the dirtiest counties in the US for cancer risk score, noncancer risk score, air releases of recognized carcinogens, air releases of recognized developmental toxicants, and air releases of reproductive toxicants, respectively.

Ouch. I mean, cough cough *gasp* wheeze.

The Scorecard looks at toxic chemical releases, air quality, water quality, animal waste, and other health hazards. It also lists the top polluters in the US, many of which are mining companies.

So go at it, see how your community stacks up and breathe easily (or not so easily).

Here is a new site that rates ads based on their level of greenwashing, or their sincerity in caring for the environment. Green living is big business right now and most corporations want a piece of the action. But how can you tell if they are actually being eco-friendly or just chasing your dollar? The Greenwashing Index can help.

Users can rate ads from 1 to 5, the higher the score, the deeper the BS. Upload your own ads and see how they compare.

I always get a kick out of green living ads from car companies, especially Chevy or Ford who have done the bare minimum to improve gas mileage. Or ads encouraging people to shop to save the environment. Yes, you heard it right–go out and consume resources to save resources. Whatever.

This site is fun, somewhat sad, and is a great way to hold corporations accountable.