Top 5 Ways to Green Your Holiday Shopping

December 11, 2009 at 4:58 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Oh, right, I have a blog.

Hope I’m not too late on this one. If you’re like me, you still haven’t done much of your holiday shopping. What? There are still 2 weeks until Christmas, and Hanukkah doesn’t start until, like, tonight.

So, who isn’t tempted around the holidays, with all the great sales and so many people to impress, to buy, buy, buy? I know I’m susceptible. I adore buying gifts for people. It’s one of my favorite feelings to find the perfect gift for someone, something they mentioned off-hand once months ago, and had no idea you remembered.

That being said, I strongly believe there is just way too much stuff in this world. Finding the perfect gift is great, but buying just for the sake of giving something? Not so much. Here are my five best tips for making your holiday gift-giving a little greener, both in terms of the environment, and that extra cash you’ll still have in your wallet.

1. Buy Time
I love to give the gift of time spent together. This is one of my favorite gifts to give children, especially, rather than a plastic toy they’ll just outgrow and cast away. My sister and I like to do this for my little brother, who’s 7 – we’ve taken him on a day-trip to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, and owe him a trip to the Academy of Sciences. He might not like it as much in the moment as another set of Star Wars Legos, but we like to think he’ll remember how his cool older sisters took him places when he was a kid. Beyond kids, this is a great gift for anyone in your life – a concert, a cooking class, even a meal out together at a place they’ve been wanting to try. And it won’t clutter their house or come wrapped in plastic.

Note: If you are forced to gift-give to someone you, ahem, are not the biggest fan of, it is totally acceptable to give them a gift of something to do that you don’t have to participate in!

2. Make – or Buy – Something Homemade
Homemade gifts are all the rage, especially in this economy, and for good reason. I like homemade foodie treats, like hot fudge (this recipe is super delicious), jams and infused alcohols. If I could sew or knit, I’d be all about those kind of hand-crafted gifts, but alas, my high school offered only Foods class, and not Home Ec.

If, like me, you’re not so crafty, turn to Etsy or Foodzie for something adorable or delicious (or both!). Both sites have Buy Local options, which I’ve linked to. Foodie gifts from your local farmers market are another great option. Give jams, olive oils, or whatever your area is known for. If you’re traveling to see your family anyway, bring them a special treat made in your hometown.

3. Buy Used or Secondhand New
Who says a gift has to be brand new? I love scouring Craigslist for gift ideas. Chances are someone has whatever you need, used it once, and decided they didn’t need it. You’ll save money and reduce your impact – what’s not to love about that? Have a friend or family member you just can’t imagine giving a previously-been-owned gift? Craigslist and eBay are full of items I like to call “secondhand new,” those that someone bought, never used, and never got around to returning.

4. Buy One Less
One of my favorite rules for holiday gift giving is to buy “one less.” For example, if you have the idea for 3 perfect gifts for someone, and you’re only able to get 2 of them, they won’t know. All they’ll realize is that they got two fantastic gifts from you, and they’ll never know about that just absolutely perfect gift you had to get them but couldn’t track down in time. This has helped take the pressure off me when I’m looking for “just one more” perfect gift.

5. Ask What They Want
It’s not very romantic or mysterious, but asking what someone wants is a great way to reduce. This is admittedly hard for me, because I do love the surprise-and-delight factor. But so many times what I think is the perfect gift for someone might not be everything they ever dreamed of and more. Asking what someone wants will make the recipient happy, and you won’t have wasted your money on something they’ll never use anyway.

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That about wraps it up, and speaking of wrapping? Remember that while colorful holiday wrapping paper may be cute, it’s not so adorable when you think about it being shipped overseas to be recycled or meeting its untimely death in a landfill. Try newspapers, scraps of cloth, and reusing old gift bags this season!

Are you planning to use any of these tips to “green” your holiday season? What are your best green holiday tips?

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Leggings are NOT Pants

November 23, 2009 at 8:30 am · Filed under Uncategorized

I’ve been trying really hard to find a way to make this a green issue. The only thing I can come up with is that most pairs of leggings are probably made in China. Or made for American Apparel, which I have mixed feelings about. That’s good enough for me. Oh, and this: leggings worn as pants MAKE MOTHER EARTH CRY.

A glimpse at my recent Facebook wall.

I mean, really.

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Lesson Learned

November 19, 2009 at 12:03 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , ,

I sold my car on Sunday. I’m totally thrilled about this – not only is it pretty green, which was my main consideration, but I’m also saying buh-bye (good riddance!) to car payments, car insurance, gas and parking in my neighborhood.

I signed up for Zipcar – which I’ll review once I’ve tried – and am totally digging taking the bus. I love trying new routes and feel like I’m on vacation in my own City whenever I take the underground.

However. There’s one thing I haven’t quite gotten down yet. How do I manage hauling a gym bag, purse, laptop bag and other assorted bags on various days (gym shower stuff! groceries! jacket! change of shoes!) on public transit?

Last night, I tried carrying way too much at once – laptop bag, change of shoes, reusable bag (containing a dress, 2 pairs of knit tights, 1 pair of bright blue tights, a cabbage and an onion – what, that’s normal, right?), and a bag full of groceries. On three buses. Definitely one bus too many. I won’t make that mistake again. Lesson learned!

I don’t have egg on my face, but I do have it all over my coat.

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I Want to… Exchange… An Egg

November 6, 2009 at 10:03 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged ,

I’ve recently moved, and one of the unexpected perks is that with my new cable package, I now have the SOAP network. You know what that means – 90210 reruns. It’s my favorite show of all time, and I was so, so happy to discover that they are currently airing the early seasons (if you don’t have SOAP network, you can watch them on CBS).

So, what does this have to do with being green, or with the title of the post? Well, just yesterday they were airing one of the best episodes ever, U4EA (it’s up there with Donna Martin Graduates and when Kelly and Brenda wear the same dress to the Spring Dance). Anyway, U4EA brought us this infamous scene, where Steve and Ohhndrea try to exchange an egg in exchange for directions to an “underground” club (oh, early 90s TV, how I love you so).

See for yourself:

Well, like Sanders and Zuckerman here, I’d like to exchange an egg as well. For a better, more humane egg.

If you’re ever bought eggs, you know how many options there are, and how confusing they can be. Cage-free, free range, Omega-3, organic. What’s the difference and what does it all mean?

I personally don’t trust a lot of the labels on the cartons. Free-range and cage-free sound great, but just because a chicken doesn’t live in a cage, doesn’t mean it can actually go outside. Can you imagine being cooped up (pun intended) your whole life? Free-range means they have free range of motion, and have access to the outside. The key word being access – it doesn’t actually mean they do, or have the opportunity to, go outside. It says nothing about the quality of the “outside” they are provided.

Your best bet, in my opinion, is to find eggs you can ask questions about. Go to the Farmers Market (find one near you at Local Harvest) and talk to your local egg farmers. Ask them how they raise their chickens – what they eat, what kind of living space they have.

Another option is to find eggs that are Certified Humane. I’m lucky that Glaum Eggs are really easy to find in this area – I can even order them through my CSA. Here’s a list of other providers of Certified Humane products – see if you can find any near you. However, I’ve recently read some conflicting information about Certified Humane eggs – including the fact that beak-cutting may be allowed. I don’t like this one bit! CH says they do it to prevent cannibalism; vegan blogs say it’s cruel and completely inhumane. I’m not sure what the answer is. I would still bet Certified Humane eggs are much better, ethically-speaking, than your generic “cage-free” or “free-range” eggs, but the question is far from simple. You can also find eggs that are American Humane Certified, an organization I need to do a little more research on as well. I have been buying Glaum and Clover eggs for awhile now, but maybe it’s time to ask more questions, and talk to the farmers who raise the chickens. It’s far from an easy or simple solution, but it’s important.

Also, humane eggs are going to be more expensive than your standard eggs from a regular grocery store. I think it’s worth it – don’t you?

Do you eat eggs? Why or why not? What kind do you buy?

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I’m Not Bad, I’m Just Drawn That Way

November 1, 2009 at 1:44 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged

Jessica Rabbit, via Goodwill

jessicarabbit

Dress: $13.99, Goodwill. Proof you don’t need a new costume in a straight-from-China plastic package to have a great Halloween.

What did you go as?

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Dear Hipsters

October 30, 2009 at 6:23 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , ,

Dear Hipsters of the Mission, and other hipster neighborhoods of this great country,

I appreciate your efforts to be green. I really do. I’m certain you save a ton of plastic razors from being made by allowing yourself to grow a scruffy beard or an ironic mustache. You ride a fixie, instead of driving a car. Your vintage clothes? Totally green (though I can’t say I agree with your choice to wear women’s skinny jeans, but to each his own). PBR cans? Totally easy to recycle.

However. Throwing your cigarette butts on the ground? Not green. Please stop it.

xoxo,
pretty green girl

mustache tattoos

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pretty green confession: Plants

October 25, 2009 at 1:59 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged

My mom came down this weekend to help me get settled in my new apartment (thanks, Mom!). We spent a ton of time looking for furniture and discussing organizing projects. I still haven’t done any unpacking… but I’ve thought a lot about it. That counts, right?

Anyway. When talking about my plans for decorating the place, this conversation took place:

Pretty Green Mom: How about a plant?

Me: This is going to sound bad, but do they only come in dark green?

I mean… I love plants. I do. Nature’s great. Outside. I may be pretty green girl, but it just doesn’t work with my color scheme. Is that so wrong?

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Light Green Wine

October 22, 2009 at 8:46 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged ,

I was lucky enough to get to attend an amazing dinner last night, put on by Foodbuzz and Black Box Wines. The dinner was at Spruce, a restaurant I’d been wanting to try since it opened a few years ago. These are the times when I wish I was a better photographer – my little borrowed digital Canon would not have done this meal justice. Luckily, this was a blogger event, in a private room nonetheless, so you can bet there were some fabulous pictures taken that evening. Check out Beer & Nosh and Chez Us (hi, guys!) for photos and much better recaps of the night. I’ll just say this – house-made charcuterie, halibut with fennel and chanterelles, bavette steak, duck fat fries? Um, yum! I also met some lovely people, and a good time was definitely had by all.

IMG_3765
Fill ‘er up!

Anyway, naturally (heh) my angle was taking in the green aspects of the evening, and there were many. First, Spruce buys local, fresh ingredients, uses naturally raised meats (not sure how I feel about that term, but let’s go with it), and line-caught fish. About 80% of their produce (according to their press materials) comes from a partnership with 5-acre SMIP ranch, which uses no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. I love that!

Since the event was sponsored by Black Box, I definitely wanted to find out about the company’s environmentally-conscious policies. I was happy to learn that both the box and the wine pouch are recyclable – you just have to separate them. Also, since the box of wine weighs much less than the equivalent in bottles, it costs much less to ship. While some of the wines come from far-off places, like New Zealand, Italy and Washington State, it will at least take less energy to get to you than the bottles would. Plus, the wine lasts a lot longer- how many times have you opened a bottle for just one glass or a recipe (what, you haven’t made my wine ice cubes?), and the rest has gone to waste? Remember: you’re not just wasting the wine (alcohol abuse!) but using more bottles as well. One box = much less packaging than 4 bottles. Though, I’d like to do a little more research on the manufacturing and recycling processes of the various materials, but that’s another story for another day. Probably one when I shouldn’t be packing instead of blogging. Oh, yes. Moving day tomorrow.

Ok. I hope this isn’t starting to sound like an ad. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to attend, and now I’ve got a box of Cabernet ready to christen my new apartment, after the big move. Wish me luck, guys.

Finally, I was realllly tempted to catch a cab after the dinner, because it was freezing, the bus (first of 2 I needed to take) wasn’t coming for 15 minutes, and, dare I say it, I was a little tipsy. Hey, four courses with wine pairings, whaddya expect? Anyway, I toughed it out and waited for the bus. I got lucky that I only had to wait 2 minutes for my second bus, and I got home with a fatter wallet and a lighter carbon footprint. I’ll drink to that!

How do you “green’ your wine? Buy local, buy organic, buy in a box?

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We Ran (and, ok, Walked a Lot) Like Girls

October 21, 2009 at 1:45 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

In case you were ever thinking about running a half marathon without training, DON’T DO IT. It’s very stupid. Even if you’ve done them in the past, it turns out you still need to train. Who knew? Not that I’m, um, speaking from experience or anything. Ouch.

Also: wearing old sneakers is not green. It’s just stupid. Don’t do that, either.

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We totally took this picture so we could “like” it on Facebook

Socks by American Apparel (can you believe it, Sayer?). About that: I generally dislike American Apparel – I think the owner is way creepy, the clothes are ugly, and am not convinced the working conditions are all that great. But we really wanted some fun pink socks for the race, and these were our best bet: cheap, and at least made-in-America.

What do you think about American Apparel?

PS: Congrats to Elizabeth from Don’t (White) Sugar-Coat It for doing the full marathon in an awesome time!

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The Winning Invite

October 13, 2009 at 1:59 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged ,

So glad to see you guys liked the eco-friendly baby shower invitations. Goes to show you that eco-friendly doesn’t have to equal neutrals and hemp paper – there are lots of “pretty green” choices.

To my delight, many of you picked my invite choice as your favorite! The Mom-to-be received hers in the mail today (and LOVES it, yay), so it’s safe to announce, drumroll please…

babyshower
Patterned Blossoms by Tiny Prints!

An unexpected green bonus of choosing to go with Tiny Prints – they’re a local company! Rick from Tiny Prints found my post and let me know they’re just down the road in Mountain View – how cool is that? The customer service was fabulous, by the way. The order came super quick, and the site has live chat so you can ask any questions you have about your order. Consider this green girl impressed!

Do you like my pick?

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