I’m a total sucker for Chritmas! I love all parts of it. Cookies, music, lights, etc.

So, with that in mind I was going to do a post about buying presents that are better for the environment. But then I felt like we’re bombarded with that info all the time. Make presents, get presents that mean something instead of costing a lot, etc. We’ve heard this for a few years now, you’ve either started doing this already or you’re way too much of a hard sell for me to convert in one blog post. Some people just need to give!

So instead this Christmas find another aspect you can change that will make a difference.

- serve fair trade, organic coffee on Christmas morning

- consciously buy food items with less packaging (may not seem realted to Christmas but we sure buy extra food over Christmas in my house)

- don’t buy presents at Wal-Mart (I’m sorry, I just really don’t like Wal-Mart…will be the topic of a future post)

- shop at local shops that you can walk to instead of drive to

- make a list of errends and stores you need to go to so you can make one trip instead of a bunch of little ones

- flying over Christmas? Think about buying carbon offsets, it was cheaper than I thought it would be

So there’s some ideas just to get you thinking about all the parts of Christmas, not just presents. There is so much going on this time of year, those little changes are a big help.

Travel posts are going to start to enter the mix here soon. Now that I’m done my thesis defense I’ll be doing a little bit more research into my upcoming travels. Just over a month left!

Happy Buy Nothing Day!

Well, it’s officially tomorrow, but I think some people really needed it today.

I am very upset about this. A Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death as customers swarmed the store the day after American Thanksgiving, Black Friday I think it’s called. I was going to rant about it here, but it got a little rant-y…so please just think about this event and what it says about our culture.

If you too are disturbed by this event, please participate in Buy Nothing Day, Saturday November 29th.

Now, if you run out of milk or toilet paper, I think it’s ok to go re-stock. But avoid buying Christmas presents, fashion accessories, new shoes, that must-have kitchen gadget, etc. Just take a break from it all!

Please take the time to think about each thing you buy, not just Saturday but each time you enter a store. Ask yourself:

- why are you buying it?

- where did it come from?

- who made it?

- what raw materials were used?

- what does it mean to you or the person you’re buying it for?

- what will happen to it when you’re done with it?

Now, what else can you do if you’re not shopping? Well, if it’s a nice day go outside. Invite a friend over for tea. Clean out your closet (look at all the stuff you bought and didn’t need!). Just relax.

I’m sure most of you were very excited with the results of the American elections. At least someone’s country is getting a new government.

The Democrats just seem to be much more friendly to the environment than the alternative. They made real efforts this year to green-up the Democratic convention. Good job guys!

Well, this post is to fuel the flames lit under George W Bush’s butt to get him the heck out of here.

Some of the executive orders he’s working on getting put through before he leaves:

- Lessen the endangered species laws

- Take factory farms’ word for it that they’re not polluting water; no forms, no inspections, no fines (Honest Mr. President, those deformed babies down river from our farm aren’t our fault!)

- Put a large chunk of Utah and Alaska for sale for oil and gas drilling

- Getting rid of the stream buffer zone

WHAT! If you’ve ever taken an ecology course, this is one of the most well studied things you learn! You need a buffer zone of trees/natural habitat around streams or it will over heat, erode, and lose a bunch of species who live both in the stream and around the stream. This one makes me the most mad. Grrr.

When I heard about these I just couldn’t belive it. Polluting the water his people have to drink! Reversing years of positive environmental legislation that protect his people from nasty toxins! Makes you wonder if he sees them as ‘his people’ at all.

There is some hope. Obama has said he’ll be reviewing all of these executive orders shortly after he takes the throne and will overturn ones he doens’t like. Yay!

Now, just to give credit where credit is due, I got all this information from More Hip Than Hippie, a great podcoast I listen to. Two hilarious ladies get together over beer and chocolate and spread all kinds of good environmental tips, news and information twice a week. And they do it in a realistic, non-judgemental kind of way. Check them out. They keep me company on the bus.

Have you heard of One Million Acts of Green? I heard about it on The Hour. George is getting all his Canadian guests to participate (including David Suzuki!)

It’s a program through the CBC. You create a profile, and then you can pick from lists of green acts that will lower the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) that you create. So far they’re only at 220,786. Workin’ on it.

I signed up but had a hard time finding acts that I a) wasn’t already doing or b) could reasonably do while renting/not owning a car/moving in two months. But after reading some of the site I feel it’s ok to add things you’ve already made a part of your lifestyle. You’re already making a difference, so feel good about it by having the site tell you how much GHG’s you’ve not made. Wee!

One that I wasn’t already doing and will now be doing is always running the washer on the shortest setting. I usually try and gauge how dirty that load of clothes is to decide but come on, I’m not that dirty anyway.

So log on and find at least one that you aren’t doing yet. Even the little ones make a huge difference, like using a refillable coffee cup. Have you ever looked around to see how many people are holding a disposable, in-the-landfill-forever cup? It’s gross really. Plus reusable cups keep your coffee warm longer!

If you end up making a profile and start a new act of green leave me a comment…because getting someone else to sign up is one of the acts! haha

I saw a very informative, yet upsetting, documentary on CBC the other week. It looked at the recycling of electronics. Now if I were to get a new iPod/cell phone/laptop and found no one who wanted the old ones I would be a responsible consumer and take it to an electronics recycling company so they could take out all the valuable and/or hazardous materials and save them from the evil landfill. And I probably would have found said recycler via an internet search along the lines of “vancouver electronics recycler”. Done.

BUT…

Had I gone to Techno Trash (a company featured in the documentary), my item would have been placed in a container and shipped to Hong Kong, despite the fact that it is ILLEGAL to ship electronic waste from Canada to China. Once over there workers trying to make a living would be exposed to dangerous conditions involving harmful chemicals and materials in order to salvage the valuable pieces.

Other companies the documentary visited also followed the same path. Distraught and confused about what to do with my electronics, I was told about Geep, a company that actually recycles electronics right here in Canada like all the others say they do. Whew, I didn’t want to have to use my same laptop for the next 30 years to avoid throwing it away. Close call.

This really showed me that you can’t always trust what companies say they do, even ‘green’ companies, although I often do. Why would a company concerned with the environment lie to consumer? Cuz’ you can make a buck at the expense of the environment. Take the time to do a little research for your self and find the companies that do it right, in all areas. This is a case of green-washing to the extreme.