Green Options

This post was originally published on Eco-Libris blog on October 27.

We’re back with our beloved Monday’s green books series, and today we’re celebrating! Our book today is:

“Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family” by Corey Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell

Few weeks ago we announced here on our collaboration with the authors (buyers of the book on the Celebrate Green! website are offered to plant a tree with their copy of Celebrate Green!) and today we’re happy to review the book and to give away one copy of it.

I read quite a few guides for green living in the last year or so, but this is the first guide I know that is focused on holidays and celebrations. Why? the authors explain: “the reason it’s important to green up our celebrations is that holidays and special days are plentiful…holidays and special days don’t happen on one day only in one place; they occur throughout the year in homes, schools, and places of work across the globe.” (p. 20)

For years now I have been thinking about ways to lessen the excess and mass marketing culture that has been a trademark of the American Christmas season. Last Christmas, I wrote about ways to green your Christmas, and buy less stuff. When you think about the facts, it is truly appalling: Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Americans produce an extra 2 billion pounds of garbage PER WEEK. And how about this one (I am guilty as charged-) enough holiday cards are sold every Christmas season to fill a ten story football stadium. And one of my favorite ones, which lets me know how important purchasing natural, U.S. made wooden toys is: If every child under six received a quality wood toy instead of a plastic one, 17 million tons of plastic in the landfill would be spared.

You’ll find those facts in the new book, Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season by Jennifer Basye Sander and Peter Sander with Anne Basye. This little book is packed with ideas for how to have a less stressful, more meaningful and altogether greener holiday this year.

Two Washington State women — Corey Colwell-Lipson and her mom, Lynn Colwell — have come out with a great new green guide that’s just in time for (dare I say it?) the holiday season.

Titled Celebrate Green!: Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family (2008, The Green Year), their book offers a wealth of tips, resources and background on how (and why) to make your celebrations eco-friendly, whether it’s a house-full-of-guests Thanksgiving feast, a gathering of friends at a baby shower, an office party or a Halloween gathering for the neighborhood kids.

I must admit I get consumer google eyes around Halloween time. Those pre-made brand new costumes from Pottery Barn, Target, or any other retailer for babies and toddlers are tempting. They are cute. They require no sewing (yes, I have no skill in that department). But they are expensive and more of the consumer glut that I have a goal of avoiding (or at least limiting).

So, what does a non-crafty, super busy parent to do try and to have a Green Halloween?

*Think Simple: The costume does not have to be huge and extraordinary. Kids will just love dressing up. Find your dress up bin, or old clothes bin, and see what you have.

A wand, poofy skirt, and a leotard? You have a fairy. Just add some sort of crown (throw colorful ribbon on a headband–even I can do this!), sparkles in her hair, and layers of frothy, gauzy, magical clothes. Do you have a hardhat, tool belt and a small toy tool? There’s your builder. Grab a striped shirt, eye patch, and make a hook out of foil for your little pirate. Check out what already exists in your house. Better yet, do it with your child and have them pick out what they want to be. The ideas are endless.