Happy Holidays to all!  I wanted to share a few Earth and Human Friendly ideas to make this season a little brighter.  By now, many of you may already have a wall or mantle filled with holiday cards from loved ones.  Instead of storing them away for decades, or tossing them after the holidays, why not donate them to a wonderful cause?  St. Jude's  Ranch for Children accepts many types of donated card fronts.  This is one of my favorite holiday traditions…  See below for details.                                          

GREETING CARD RECYCLING:

• Only the card front can be used (please check to be sure the backside of the front of the card is clear of any writing, etc.)
• They can not accept Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards ( For these brands, cut up cards to be used as gift tags, bookmarks, greeting cards, place mats, or decorations. Used cards, especially those with large pictures to cut out, can also be used as decorations. Just put a hole at the top of the card and knot a piece of string or lace through the hole to hang on next year’s Christmas tree, door handles, etc.)

• 5″ x 7″ size or smaller is preferred
• To mail large quantities in the least expensive way, use a USPS (United States Post Office) Flat Rate Box (available at your local Post Office), which holds up to 70 pounds
• Mail donations to:
  St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
  Recycled Card Program
  100 St. Jude’s Street
  Boulder City, NV 89005

- See more at: https://stjudesranch.org/about-us/recycled-card-program/#sthash.XeeuvLPf.dpuf

RECYCLE PACKAGING MATERIALS: 
For the packages arriving at home, no need to throw the packing materials away-UPS accepts all types of packing materials to reuse for shipping.  You can also check with local postal shipping stores to see if they will accept foam peanuts for recycling. Call “The Peanut Hotline” at 800-828-2214 to find the nearest location, or check the Plastic Loose Fill Council website for a drop-off location near your home. Keep the cycle going!!

GREEN WRAPPING IDEAS:
Shop for recycled-content holiday wrapping paper, or wrapping paper sold by charity groups that raise funds to preserve rain-forests. Thrift shops often have good prices on leftover holiday wrapping paper.   Save and reuse gift wrapping paper from previous years (if it's not salvageable, recycle it in the paper bin) or make some from butcher paper, reused brown paper bags, newspapers, and fabric.  
Using an old shirt before donating to Goodwill is the most Green Choice! 

Shirt Wrapping

Shirt Wrapping Mini Style

Hand Made Wrapping Paper

Study: Unprecedented heat will reach U.S. in 30 years

According to a report by CBS News, "By 2047, the coldest temperatures would be warmer than the past hottest temperatures, the scientists say. If greenhouse gas emissions are stabilized, they estimate the date could be pushed back to 2069." 


"We are pushing the ecosystems of the world out of the environment in which they evolved into wholly new conditions that they may not be able to cope with. Extinctions are likely to result, " says Ken Caldeira of the Carnagie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology. " Some ecosystems may be able to adapt, but for others, such as coral reefs, complete loss of not only individual species but their entire integrity is likely."

We can make a difference NOW. If we wait for the tipping point, it will be too late.  We can do simple things everyday to help slow Earth's rising temperatures.  It may not seem like much, but if the Earth's entire population- a whopping 7,183,840,474 people-made simple changes, I truly believe we can help prevent catastrophe.  
Here are 12 EASY things you can do at home. . . 

1. Change five lights- Replace your five most frequently used light fixtures or the lightbulbs in them withENERGY STAR® qualified products and you will help the environment while saving $70 a year on energy bills. ENERGY STAR lighting provides bright, warm light; generates 75% less heat; uses about 75% less energy than standard lighting; and lasts from 10 to 50 times longer.

2. Look for ENERGY STAR- When buying new products for your home, look for EPA's ENERGY STAR label to help you make the most energy-efficient decision. You can find the ENERGY STARlabel on more than 60 kinds of products, including appliances, lighting, heating and cooling equipment, electronics, and office equipment. Over their lifetime, products in your home that have earned the ENERGY STAR label can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 130,000 pounds and save you $11,000 on energy bills.

3. Heat and cool smartly- Heating and cooling accounts for almost half your energy bill--about $1,000 a year! There is a lot you can do to drive down this cost. Simple steps like changing air filters regularly, properly using a programmable thermostat, and having your heating and cooling equipment maintained annually by a licensed contractor can save energy and increase comfort, while helping to protect the environment. Depending on where you live, you can cut your annual energy bill by more than $200 by replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR-qualified equipment.

4. Seal and insulate your home- Reduce air leaks and stop drafts by using caulk, weather stripping, and insulation to seal your home's envelope and add more insulation to your attic to block out heat and cold. A knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs and significantly enhance home comfort with comprehensive sealing and insulating measures.

5. Reduce, reuse, recycle-Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your home helps conserve energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal. If there is a recycling program in your community, recycle your newspapers, beverage containers, paper, and other goods. Also, composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Visit EPA's Individual WAste Reduction Model (iWARM) to learn about the energy benefits of recycling, rather than landfilling, common waste products.

6. Use water efficiently-It takes lots of energy to pump, treat, and heat water, so saving water reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Saving water around the home is simple. Three percent of the nation's energy is used to pump and treat water so conserving water conserves energy that reduces greenhouse gas pollution. Reduce the amount of waste you generate and the water you consume whenever possible. Pursue simple water-saving actions such as not letting the water run while shaving or brushing teeth and save money while conserving water by using products with the WaterSense label. Did you know a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day? Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away. Running your dishwasher only with a full load can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide and $40 per year. Be smart when irrigating your lawn or landscape. Only water when needed, and do it during the coolest part of the day; early morning is best. See EPA's WaterSense site for more water saving tips.

7. Be green in your yard- Composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. EPA's GreenScapes program provides tips on how to improve your lawn or garden while also helping the environment.

8. Purchase green power- Power your home by purchasing green power. Green power is environmentally friendly electricity that is generated from renewable energy sources such as wind and the sun. There are two ways to use green power: You can buy green power, or you can modify your house to generate your own green power. Buying green power is easy. It offers a number of environmental and economic benefits over conventional electricity, including lower greenhouse gas emissions, and it helps increase clean energy supply. There are a number of steps you can take to create a greener home  , including installing solar panels  and researching incentives for renewable energy in your state .

9. Calculate your household's carbon footprintUse EPA's- Household Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator to estimate your household greenhouse gas emissions resulting from energy use, transportation, and waste disposal. This tool helps you understand where your emissions come from and identify ways to reduce them.

10. Eat Less Red Meat- Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that cutting back on red meat consumption could decrease the number of cases of chronic disease by 3-12 percent, and make the carbo footprint nearly 28 million tons smaller per year by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions" Choose high protein, low carbon footprint foods like beans, legumes, and organic leafy green vegetables to replace red meat in the majority of meals.  If you must have a red meat dish, choose from grass-fed, humanely raised cows. 

11. Shut Off ALL Unused Lights and Unplug Unused Electronics- "The moment a light is turned off, it stops using energy, so your savings add up by the minute. If every household in B.C. turned off a 100-watt incandescent light for four hours each day, each bulb could save 3.3 cents a day. It would also save the province 227 Watts per hour, which could power Whistler for 12 years." "According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 75 percent of the electricity that powers home electronics is consumed while these devices are turned off!  Most home electronics use ‘standby power’ even when they’re switched off." Best advice is a smart strip power strip. Visit http://eartheasy.com/bits-smart-strip-power-strip for more information. 


12. Spread the word- Tell family and friends that energy efficiency is good for their homes and good for the environment because it lowers greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Tell five people and together we can help our homes help us all.

Visit for more information: Basic InformationGreenhouse Gas EmissionsScienceWhat EPA is DoingWhat You Can Do

The buy local movement is more prevalent than ever. 
Farmer's Markets, CSAs, Boutiques...  It is all the rage today.   
So, why buy local, you ask? 
Whenever I buy local, it makes me smile on the inside...and here is why:    
       
10 reasons why buying local is a really awesome for our Earth:
                                                           

1. Supports You: Money you spend locally helps promote more local business.
   
2. Supports Community Groups: 250% more non profit support comes from small business than large national chains.
   
3. Keeps Your Community Unique: One of a kind shops give our neighborhoods character and distinction.
4. Reduces Environmental Impact: The enormous amount of transport it takes for national chain distribution contributes to pollution, congestion and habitat loss. 
5. Creates More Awesome Jobs: Local business employs locally!!  Due to the national mega store chains, so much of our retail products are outsourced.  The more we buy locally, the more we can try to break that cycle and keep/create more jobs here.  
6. Better Service: Businesses hire people with more knowledge about their products which creates a more personal interaction with customers.
7. Invests in Your Community: Keeps money flowing within our country, strengthening our overall economy and the economic health of our communities. 
8. Your Taxes:  Local business makes more efficient use of public services.
9. Buy What You Want, Not What Someone Else is Telling You to Buy: Local business that supplies according to the needs of the local consumer and community, guarantees a larger variety of products.
10. Encourages Local Prosperity: Entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to settle in neighborhoods that preserve small business... thus perpetuating an even stronger local business community. 

*sourced from sustainableconnections.org

                       To love one another is to love our planet. . . 

Today I challenge you to simply be kind. . . 
Kind to yourselves.  
Kind to your neighbor.  
Kind to a stranger.  
It's as easy as a  smile to brighten a day.  A helping hand for the struggling.  Food for the hungry.  

Today is a day forever emblazoned on our hearts.  
Let us never forget the precious, beautiful, innocent lives taken much too quickly from this Earth.  

 Let us honor those we have lost by treating each other with kindness today and always.  

BRING YOUR OWN BAG: BYOB

I dare you, just dare you, to place a reusable cloth bag in your backpack, satchel, purse, fannypack or briefcase before leaving home today.   You never know when spontaneous shopping may strike. 

Say no thank you to the plastic bag at the checkout counter and whip out your nifty reusable bag. 

You're gonna look really cool.  I promise. 

BUT.....If you do somehow find yourself sans reusable bag and have no choice but to use plastic, there is a way to pay it forward:

Large stores and shopping malls along with medium to large chain stores (ie: Whole Foods, Duane Reade, Rite Aid, etc.) that provide plastic bags ALSO take them back.  You can usually find the bins in the entrance or near the check out counters. Woohoo!

For more info on Bag Recycling in NYC check out: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/stuff/takeback_plasticbaglaw.shtml

Think back to a time where you may have deliberately stepped over a plastic bag, accidentally kicked an empty milk jug or detoured around a box of half eaten fried chicken en route to your destination.  

Maybe you thought of picking it up, but decided, “I didn’t put it there, it’s not mine to pick up.”   I totally understand that sentiment.  But a couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to change that kind of thinking.  If I was troubled by the trash, I needed to take action, plain and simple.  So......

In comes in The Bend and Reach Technique: 

Before you leave home, arm yourself with an antibacterial product. 

When you spot a piece of trash on the sidewalk, beach or park,  simply engage your core, bend down, reach for the said item and toss it in the nearest trash bin.  If you are lucky enough to live in a city where you have recycling options...Even Better!!!  

It’s a win win situation really. You burn a couple extra calories while making a shared space a little nicer for everyone.  Best part is, someone might see you do it and decide to do it themselves!  

The chain reaction of goodness you could set off is endless.   

Oh, and Mama Earth will be proud too.