Archive for December, 2008

Can you decorate your tree with eco-friendly ornamentation?  This year I’m making it a point to use anything and everything that I have at home.  My garland is a recycled paper chain draped around the tree.  Another option for easy garland is to pop some popcorn and string it with cranberries to create a beautiful biodegradable garland.  The paper chain can be recycled and the popcorn can be set out for the birds for a winter snack.

I’ve used fresh organic local fruit and ribbon to make ornaments.  My favorite is the orange/clove ball.  The smell is one from my childhood that everyone will enjoy.  Of course, I’ve pulled out all of the ornaments I’ve collected over the years, along with some from my childhood that my mother gave me.  If you need more sustainable holiday décor, try cutting snowflakes out of paper and hanging them in your windows.  There are so many fun and easy eco-friendly ways to decorate for the holidays you just have to think like a child again, but isn’t that the whole point?

Step 1: Cut 1”thick strips out of recycled paper.
Step 2: Take the ends of one strip of paper, put them together to form a circle and staple or glue the ends.
Step 3: Take another strip of paper and thread it through the middle of the first paper ring, put the ends of that paper together forming an interlocking ring and staple or glue together.
Step 4: Repeat steps 2 & 3 until you have a chain long enough to drape around the Christmas tree.
Step 5: Drape your fabulous garland around your tree.

Thinking about Christmas in a sustainable way has been driving me up a wall. My dilemma this year is the proverbial tree. As an icon of the holiday season, the Christmas tree is a symbol that everyone celebrating the holiday recognizes and brings into their homes. However, the Christmas tree has caused debates throughout the years. It comes down to the one and only question: Real or Fake????????????? Weighing all of my options, I like to put it all on the table.

• Put up my hand-me-down artificial PVC laden tree, off-gassing through the holiday season, but saving a tree from the lumberjack’s ax?
• Buy a cut tree that smells fantastic and can be replaced by a sapling in the intent to re-populate the tree farm and recycled into mulch, but the growth rate will take years?
• Buy a living tree comes with the root ball attached so I can plant it after the holiday, but will it fit in my bungalow living room and do I have the yard space?
• I could buy a PVC-free tree, but what would become of my current artificial tree?

So many things to consider, what’s a girl to do? I finally made a decision that I think I can live with this year. I decided to put up my hand-me-down tree in the spirit of the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. I figure that my sister got good use out of it and now I’m reusing it to its fullest extent, while reducing land fill waste and recycling it as my tree.

That said, if you’re looking for a PVC-free tree, this one is as close as you’ll get. I’ve seen it in person (see left) and it’s fabulous!

I had a friend ask me recently, if I knew what the most eco-friendly way of cooking was. My response of course was an organic raw food diet, which caused us both to bust out laughing. But then I took a moment to actually think about that question. What is the best way to cook when trying to live a sustainable lifestyle? Being the cook that I am (or think I am), I can’t imagine living without an oven. I started thinking of ideas on how to cook while being green. I came up with the notion that gathered wood from the ground that had fallen naturally (No cutting) would be the most environmentally conscious fuel. Then would it be better to cook over a bonfire/campfire, in a fireplace or wood burning stove? I have a friend that is always talking about making hot chocolate on his wood burning stove. Is he ahead of the game as aCool Cuisine sustainable cook? I headed out to my local library branch and started to do some research on the subject. I found that between the refrigerator, oven and (shutter) the microwave 3,975 pounds of carbon emissions are released annually per household. Wrap your head around that! This is just the beginning when it comes to the costs of food with regards to global warming. I happened upon an exciting cookbook which addresses this question and my growing concern for the environment. I’m still reading the cookbook and becoming more and more aware of not only what I put into my body but where it comes from and how it’s prepared. If you have any interest in taking your green lifestyle a step further, I recommend “Cool Cuisine: Taking a Bite Out of Global Warming” by Laura Stec. To purchase your copy of this sustainable cookbook click here!