Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season

This was a great little book; lots of ideas, not all new, but fresh in light of today's world, without being preachy.

It is no secret that the holidays are stressful. Buying gifts, traveling, cooking, decorating, chilly weather, the flu - it's enough to drive a person bonkers. Trying to maintain a sustainable mindset during such busy times adds its own unique challenge. Can you have a sane, eco-holiday? Of course! Authors Jennifer Basye Sander, Peter Sander, and Anne Basye had the foresight to write Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season for this exact purpose. Any questions you have about holiday entertaining, travel, gifts, decorating, and waste are answered in intelligent, easy-to-understand detail. Green Christmas offers some very sobering details about our holidays' impact on the environment: * Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Americans produce an extra 2 billion pounds of garbage per week. (Imaging that on a world-wide scale!) * Every Christmas season, enough holiday cards are sold to fill a 10-story football stadium. * If every child under the age of 6 received a quality wood toy instead of a plastic one, we'd avoid 17 million tons of plastic landfill. Getting the whole family involved and focusing on what particularly about the holidays makes you happy (I bet it isn't spending hours trapped in shopping mall crowds.) are key to enjoy a sustainable holiday. By simply consuming less and enjoying the company of others more, you will be on your way to the greenest holiday season ever. According to Green Christmas, enjoying the holidays sustainably doesn't mean you will be sacrificing any joy or merriment. In fact, 75-90% of people report that they feel stressed and depressed during the holidays. Instead of focusing on enormous credit card bills or silly family feuds, you can create new and positive experiences by cooking together and enjoying the outdoors. The holidays will never be the same again, thanks to Green Christmas. Create a warm, low-pollution fire; find (or make) sustainable, affordable gifts; choose an eco-friendly tree; feed family and friends without going broke (or hungry) - you learn how to do all this and more, thanks to Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season. Give it a read and you'll soon be saying, "HO HO ECO!"

From: www.BasilAndSpice.com Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life! Book Review: Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season (Adams Media, 2008) by Jennifer Bayse Sander and Peter Sander with Anne Basye Considering that many Americans have been or are about to be laid off this holiday season with no relief in sight, parents are wondering about what they can still afford to do for their children this year. Think back to when you were a kid. Do you really remember all the different toys you received each year? My fondest memory is of my dad taking us sledding down a neighbor's hill. These kind of memories are what your children will recall too. Green Christmas focuses on how we can have a green Christmas by giving more (of ourselves), and consuming less (of what's wasteful). "The cost of conforming in the United States is great. Every year between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, Americans generate 25 million extra tons of garbage (about 25% more than during the rest of the year) and spend billions of dollars on purchases that may trigger an uptick on Wall Street but leave consumers burdened with more debt." A Green Christmas is not just environment-friendly, but is completely suitable in times of economic need. Green Christmas calls for: Family involvement--include children, who are probably already aware of global warming and environmental issues; volunteer your time; visit national parks; go on an eco-tourism trip; focus on your time together rather than the gifts received. Entertaining without waste--consider a local foods Christmas party or an organic wine tasting; invite and get to know your neighbors. Reducing spending--give organic items, books and DVDs about green living, products made from recycled materials; make your own presents; give a donation on behalf of another; other gift items could include event tickets, gift cards, subscriptions, or membership to a green organization. The concepts presented here were very good. For example, give a gift the whole family could enjoy together. Cutting energy use and lowering your carbon footprint--suggestions made apply to year round usage. The authors state that we may say goodbye to a white Christmas in the Northern United States. "Already, the local forest preserve toboggan slopes, beloved by three generations of Chicagoans, have closed." The authors believe that global warming exists, is harming the Earth, and humans can make changes to lessen the impact. Preserving the environment--avoid holiday yard blow ups, buying new ornaments and balloons; send fewer cards (1.9 million are sold each year--Hallmark); reuse old gift wrap or use a red material gift bag over and over; use Christmas lights with LED bulbs; decorate with candy kisses, cranberries, and popcorn; use a potted tree that will live on after the holiday; reduce your fireplace usage. Supporting local businesses--keeps money in your neighborhood; you'll receive better service; helps create and keep j

This is a great book. If you want simple suggestions to help you green the holiday season this book is it. It covers everything from energy savings to how to shop (or not shop) in green. You'll learn how to decorate in eco-friendly ways, throw green parties and have a simpler, more sustainable holiday season without missing out on a thing.