Eco-Holidays 
Written by Nevada EcoNet
Monday, 03 November 2008
If you’d like to incorporate some eco-friendly practices this holiday
season, start by revamping your holiday decorations. Instead of buying
plastic décor, look to nature for inspiration, using real leaves, dried
gourds and squash to give your home a fall feeling. Or use squash and
other vegetables that can be used in cooking later.
To add a personal touch to your home, try making your own decorations. For some great ideas about homemade recycled ornament ideas, try eco-artware.com. Learn how to make holiday wreaths at the River School on December 17 with materials collected from their garden at www.riverschool.info/River_School/Classes.html. Next, look to buy local food for your special feast. Check out the Great Basin Co-Op and order a CSA Thanksgiving food basket, stocked with all you need to serve eight people, including mixed greens; five pounds of freshly dug potatoes with homemade ketchup; gourds for decoration; honey; local, freshly ground cornmeal; pumpkins plus pumpkin pie; relish; jam; olive oil from Placerville, California; seasonal fruit; and spice rubs for turkey. Just add the turkey. To order a basket, visit www.greatbasinbasket.com and click on Thanksgiving Basket. When it comes to shopping for a Christmas tree, buy a live tree in a pot. After Christmas, you can put it outside to enjoy all year and use the next year, cutting back the waste and saving you from buying another tree. For expert information about living Christmas trees, check out “Caring for a Live Christmas Tree” on page 38 or go to LivingChristmasTrees.org. To cut out paper waste, wrap gifts in reusable materials such as newspaper, sheets, or towels. But if that is too casual, shop for post-consumer, recycled wrapping paper. To light the house and tree, think energy efficient, using LED holiday lights. Also put them on timers to help keep your power bill down. LED lights save up to 80 percent of the energy consumed by regular mini-bulbs and can be found at most stores in town, such as Home Depot and Brookstone. If you can’t find the right style of LED holiday lights in town, there are plenty of Websites to find the LED lights right for you at www.holidayleds.com. On December 6, join the celebration of the opening of the West Street Market. The holiday event is sponsored by the Food Bank of Northern Nevada in collaboration with Reno Redevelopment Agency and Nevada EcoNet. Your entire family will enjoy a pancake feed, recycled holiday card workshop, wreath making, and a ski fashion show. You can order a Christmas tree and taste all the amazing flavors of the West Street Market vendors. Check out the Nevada EcoNet Website for details at NevadaEcoNet.org. a Nevada EcoNet is the center for environmental information and education in Northern Nevada. For more information or to volunteer: 323-3433 or www.nevadaeconet.org. |