I have three things I think everyone should do this week. Happy holidays!
1.Wrapping gifts (Ideas from MPR)
My husband’s wrapping
Despite its name, you actually can’t recycle most wrapping paper. It contains too much foil and glitter.
The only types of wrapping paper that are recyclable are the ones that are one hundred percent made out of paper. This will most likely be the plain brown paper you’ve seen packages wrapped in. You can get creative and decorate the paper with drawings to spruce up the present.
Gifts in reusable cloth bags
You can get even more creative by using materials that you already have to wrap your presents. You could use old newspapers and compost them or cloth bags and ribbon and reuse them next year.
Gifts
You can give gifts to your friends, family and the environment all at once. You could give to a cause the person is passionate about, or plan a clothing swap all while creating zero waste.
You also may want to consider supporting small businesses this year by shopping locally rather than getting things delivered.
2. Don’t Waste food.
Wasting food wastes water, energy and labor!
Wasted food is a huge contributor to global warming and climate change. It is a waste of energy, labor, and water, often contributing to air and water pollution. Rotting food in landfills contributes more air and water pollution. In the United States we waste 40% of our food, and we can all do better. Read about it at Save The Food
Cook only what you need and have a plan for using leftovers.
3. Take an AWE walk
Find beauty in your neighborhood!
Take a healthy mindful walk and pay attention! Leave your phone and headphones at home. Look at the beauty of the trees, the sunshine and landscape. Listen for the wind and birds. Find something you love and something that surprises you. Unwind and enjoy!
“If everyone does a little bit, it adds up to a whole lot!” health4earth
What can you do?
We all need to take some personal responsibility to make ourselves and our planet healthier. Below are some of the things I work for everyday, and I hope you will add a few of them to your 2016 agenda. Please respond with your clean climate ideas.
My series #31daysoflesswaste continues:
1. Buy less stuff, reuse, reuse and reuse the things you have.
2. Stop idling your car, bundle your car trips together to drive less, and carpool more! Or take the bus!
3. How can Iuse less electricity?
4. How can I prepare for drought and inundation? Save water run-off by planning and building a rain garden with native plants. http://bluethumb.org/raingardens/
6. Recycle and donate your unwanted stuff “More and more people understand that there is no “away” in the finite system that is planet Earth and that we can’t keep using our precious air, water and land to dump the stuff we no longer want. If something can’t be reused, repaired, refurbished or otherwise repurposed, the next best thing is to recycle it.” David Suzuki www.earth911.com or donate to your local donation non-profit
7. How can I reduce single-use consumption of plastic bottles/containers, and reduce my consumption of plastic bags?
What do you do for our planet and yourself to be healthier?
From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, household waste increases by more than 25%. Added food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills. (Source: EPA)
We can all do something about this tremendous influx of trash and I will be posting ideas for 31 days on how to reduce trash and waste:
Day 31, Set new goals to help the environment for the new year. Suggestions: Be more vigilant about recycling, start a compost bin, recycle all shampoo and cosmetic plastic, use less chemicals, and make a commitment to get outside and appreciate our beautiful earth.
Day 30, Recycle, recycle, recycle Instead of throwing everything in the landfill trash recycle all plastic including plastic wrap and bags. Many communities recycle wrapping paper without glitter. Compost your food waste, and re-gift(give to someone who would enjoy) any gift you will not use. Take your electronics to Best Buy for recycling.
Day 29, Never purchase or use Styrofoam. Styrofoam breaks down in tiny pieces and much of it ends up in our waterways lasting for hundreds of years. Complain to businesses that still use Styrofoam food take-out container or cups, and bring your own container.
Never use Styrofoam
Day 28, More on reusable wrappings. This is a great list from earth911.com http://www.earth911.com/living-well-being/reusable-gift-wrap-ideas/?mc_cid=41d9271137&mc_eid=9f2a2b2b71
Gifts in reusable shopping bags
Day 27,Use gift wrapping that can be reused or recycled.
My husband’s gift wrapping
Day 26, Reduce the amount of paper towels you use. Use real towels and always
Made from recycled materials
purchase paper towels from recycled materials.
Day 25, last minute, easy gift ideas from the Minnesota Pollution Control:
Lessons. A lot of people would like to try new things, but won’t spend the money on themselves. A gift certificate might be just the item for someone who would like to begin a new hobby or polish the skills they have already learned. Perhaps you have can even teach them one of your special talents, like how to cook a family recipe.
Time and energy. Friends or relatives may value help with snow shoveling, vacuuming, or organizing as a gift. Try our downloadable gift certificates as a way to present your gift.
Reused items. Many gifts can be purchased second-hand. Look at Hennepin County’s Choose to Reuse directory and ReUse Minnesota for a list of shops. To help you find the perfect present, choose a shop that specializes in one type of reuse, like kids stuff or sports gear.
Hand made or up-cycled items. This is a spin on the reused idea, but includes artsy, unique and personal touches. You can tackle your own projects or look to local shops.
Find shops that sell collectibles, vintage wear, or antiques
Gift hand-knit or home-sewn items
Create a book of family recipes
Day 24, More on bulk shopping and no plastic bags. Purchasing exactly the
Bulk purchasing exactly the amount needed for zerowaste
amount of the ingredients for a holiday dish. These paper sacks can be recycled or composted! #zerowaste shopping
Day 23, Creative and clever ways to wrap yourgifts: http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/green-home/10-stylish-sustainable-ways-wrap-gifts/#slide-top
Day 22, How can you reduce plastic produce bags? Plastic produce bags are just as polluting as plastic shopping bags. To keep your produce fresh store it in a crisper in your refrigerator.
Day 20, How can you reduce the amount of plastic bags you use? Instead of using baggies, why don’t you try to use waxed paper bags? These can be composted.
Day 18, Reduce stress by not using your car one or more days this week. Choose to walk, car pool or use public transport to get to work, school or meetings.
Day 17, Strive for quality. Purchase items you know will last and you will reuse, reuse and reuse. Don’t purchase cheap items that will soon end up in the landfill. Sorry, NO to #uglysweaters
Day 16, Get in the habit of using reusable table napkins. Make your own from remnant pieces if cloth, or purchase some from reuse stores. Use your imagination, wash cloths or bandanas also make good napkins. They don’t need to match.
Day 15, Commit to a no waste holiday season. Join one million women
Some co-ops have fabulous selections of soaps and lotions for bottle refills.
Day 14, Refill your glass bottles. My local grocery store has an option to refill bottles
Refilling a bottle of olive oil.
Day 13, Precycle, precycle precycle. Many of my ideas to reduce waste are about precycling. Today’s “less waste” idea is to avoid packaged items that will generate lots of landfill waste. Before you purchase items become aware of the amount of waste it will generate. Purchase items that have the smallest amount of packaging, and packaging that can be recycled.
Day 12, Give your things new life.Donate clothing, coats or housewares you haven’t used in the last few years to a local non-profit that is capable of getting it to people in need such as a local crisis center, to Goodwill or another reuse store. http://www.volunteerguide.org/minutes/service-projects/clothesshoes
Day 11, Say “NO” to straws. Billions of plastic straws are in landfills and will never decompose.
How can we stop getting straws? Simply inform your waiter or waitress that you don’t need one, and make sure to specify this when ordering at a drive-thru. Can’t fathom giving up the convenience of straws? Purchase a reusable stainless steel or glass drinking straw. Restaurants are less likely to bring you a plastic one if they see that you’ve brought your own straw. From: http://www.mnn.com
Avoid plastic, fill your glass or metal bottles with liquid
Day 10, Bring a reusable water bottle to work, school, and for all your adventures.
Day 9, Always bring your reusable shopping bags, and avoid plastic bags. Choose
Shop with your reusable bags
paper if you forget your own bags.
Day 8, Cyber Monday. Purchase green products and items made in the U.S.A. Also, support businesses that provide healthy working conditions and pay a living-wage.
Day 7, Use your leftovers. Make your turkey leftovers into wraps enchiladas or make turkey soup: Brown an onion, add chopped carrots, celery or whatever vegetables you have fresh, frozen or canned. Add salt and lots of chopped turkey. Cook in vegetable broth, season with rosemary, add some rice or noodles and enjoy… Better than a Thanksgiving dinner! Freeze any remaining left overs to pull out on a busy night you need a quick dinner!
Day 6, Keep your community vibrant and walkable. Support your local businesses and walk to them. #smallbusinesssaturday
Day 5, Count your blessings, and avoid retailers.
If you’re looking to avoid impulse buying this year, take time not only to celebrate with your friends and family, but also to count your blessings. You may find that the easiest way to thwart retailers’ enticements as you peruse the shopping aisle isn’t to try to resist what you want; it’s to be thankful for what you have.
Day 4, Be thankful, freeze leftovers and disperse food to your guests.
“The amount of turkey wasted over Thanksgiving—about 204 million pounds—is enough to provide 46 four-ounce servings of turkey for every American household that is food insecure. Forty-six per household! Instead, it lands in our garbage can, as do all the resources it took to grow and nurture those birds: enough water to supply New York City for 100 days and the greenhouse gasequivalent to 800,000 car trips from San Francisco to New York.
This Thanksgiving, I invite you to truly be thankful for the feast before you and to take control of your plate and portions. Stop for a moment and reflect on everything it takes to bring that brilliant feast to your table—the grains that were grown to feed your turkey,the bog that nurtured your cranberries, the land that allowed your pumpkin to spread its big leaves all over, and the hands that worked tirelessly to grow our food. Then fill your plate with just what you can actually eat, and dig in! Dana Gunder, Natural Resources Defense Council
Pecan loaf, vegetarian alternative to turkey. #noGMOs, #glutenfree
Day 3, Purchase food items in the bulk aisle. Buying bulk can save on packaging, and eliminates food waste because you can get only the amount you need. Co-ops will let you bring your own containers to refill, and bulk buying saves you money. Purchasing bulk items is my favorite way to shop!
Day 2, Serve municipal water in real glasses. A new wasteful trend has developed. Often the only water served at parties is water in small plastic bottles. A great way to cut waste and save money is to drink water from public water systems. Run it through a Brita or other water filter and you have water as good or better than bottled water. Water filters can be recycled at Terracycle.com
Day 1, Always use real plates, cups, glasses and silverware. If you lack enough
Use real dishes
for your party or dinner, borrow from a friend or relative. The quality of your party improves 100% even if everything doesn’t match. It will still make your event special.
Health4earth 