Ecotainus

For those who are following the blog (besides my family and few kind friends), stay tuned for a new look and new content coming this January. EcotainUS.com in the revamp stages and looking forward to a fresh face as we kick off 2010.

Just a few things to keep in mind as you celebrate the ringing in of the new year tonight and through the weekend…

• Showcase local fare in your NYE spread
• Use compostable or reusable dishware instead of plastic or Styrofoam plateware
• Turn the lights off and the candles on
• Encourage your guests to carpool or take mass transit to your NYE celebration (not only is it better for the environment but it’s also a safer choice this holiday)
• Make a resolution for 2010 to be more conscious – whatever that tangible goal in your life can be…drive less, turn off your lights & power sources when not in use, turn off your faucet sooner, think more about your food sources and give more back to your community.

The more we know, the more we can do, the less we impact our planet.

Happy 2010!

April Milliken Trigg
ecotainus.com

Say no to Styrofoam as your go-to foundation for creating beautiful wreaths for your front door and fire place mantles this holiday season. What a better start to creating a festive flourish than with a wreath made from mountain raised Noble and Fraser Fir which is an easy to work with base to add seasonal touches to. You can easily tie or pin in glass or fabric ornaments, pinecones and ribbons while getting an added bonus of color and the Christmas smell. The best bonus of choosing an eco option for your festive decor this season is you’re not creating an impossible-to-recycle product of waste. I have even found that Fraser Fir wreaths can last far beyond the holidays if you rework the accents to focus on the overall winter season.

As I pulled out the multiple storage boxes of purchased, procured and passed down ornaments to adorn my Christmas trees, I started sorting out how to repurpose the various sentimental, colorful and ornate baubles to create a new look, with everything old. With the economy in the proverbial toilet, the best way to be eco (economically and egolocially) this year is to find the fab in the drab (or old stuff we pull out from year to year). There’s no better testament to this idea than with our fabulous First Lady who hauled out ghosts of Christmas ornaments past and challenged people from over 60 community groups across the country to renew over 800 of the previously used ornaments with graphical tributes to their favorite local landmarks which tied into her holiday theme of “Reflect. Rejoice. Renew.”

Besides repurposing ornaments from holidays, take the shop swap idea to your tree. Location is everything, as they say, and doing a little trade with your friends to swap ornaments (and even other seasonal decor) is an easy and inexpensive way to add an inspired touch to your trimming. Placing anything in a different setting instantly gives it a fresh look. Host a swap meet with you friends – a little mixing here and a smidge of matching there will turn everything old new again.

So, I’m back from the Thanksgiving respite well-rested, rejuvenated and overjoyed to be in the official midst of the holiday season. With the festive spirit in full gear, I have decided to commit to filling the month of December with ways to make this a sustainable season- 25 tips to make you green this holiday. Starting on now December 2nd, this entry is a double decker.

What better way to stroll into the season than with the quintessential staple – the Christmas tree. My feeling on Christmas trees is this – if you are one of those people who anxiously awaits the evening where you bundle up and head out to your favorite tree place to find the perfect, well-rounded Fraser Fir, the tip is to purchase one from a Christmas tree farm in as close proximity to your home as possible. After going the potted tree route last, I felt the urge to go back to my childhood roots and go big & bushy. So, I did a little checking and found that one of our local Whole Foods had a really nice selection of very lush, mountain grown trees from a family farm in the region. I spent my four day weekend sprucing up (literally) my home to make it holiday-ready complete with the addition of several potted cypress to add the Christmas touch to my mantles, a table top tree for my piano and a larger tree on the porch.  Both our table top tree and our 7ft Fraser Fir came from Bottomley Evergreen Farm in North Carolina. Owned and operated by a father and son team, their farm produces crops from cantaloupes and cabbage to a wide array of greenery including a vast selection of Christmas trees (see their farm below). I really liked that each tree had a tag attached telling the story of the farm – it definitely leaves you with a warm cider smile. Keep in mind your Christmas tree is a renewable resource; it’s biodegradable and can be recycled at your local Home Depot.

On to my second tip…which relates back to tip #1 and to the Home Depot. As pretty as a natural Fir tree is, let’s face it – it’s spectacular when it glows. Beyond an adornment for your tree, Christmas lights seem to sparkle throughout every city I visit and we all have those neighbors who go a little bananas and light everything on their property from their hedges to their rooftops. Well, fortunately for our environment, there are great eco options to help reduce the energy expended on running these and even solar lighting choices that don’t require the cords that have you reworking your string lights over and over so you can successfully reach the top of the tree from the base of the power plug. Home Depot carries both the solar and LED lights that use up to 80% less energy than traditional lights and burn at a cooler temperature which is also a safety measure. The LED lights still offer plenty of bulb shapes and colors so you don’t have to sacrifice look or color – the solar option has a few less choices on shapes but you can find both white and multi color available. So light up the season with a choice you can feel good about.