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I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas is a fabulous book full of tips, expert advice, crafts, recipes, decorating ideas and directions and pretty much everything you need to make the holidays more eco-friendly.

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What counts for 25% of most households’ electricity consumption? Your refrigerator. So, of course, you are going to want to make sure you are running it the most efficient way that you can!

1. Be Organized–You waste time and energy with keeping the door open while trying to find something in your messy fridge. I have to admit that I am horrible with this, which is why I tidy up my fridge one day a week.  If I didn’t, it would be scary! Up to 30% of the cool air in the fridge escapes every time you open the door, which is quite a bit!  Be quick when you get something out!

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According to the title of an article published in The City of Lancaster’s Outlook (Fall 2009) magazine “The Future Looks Bright for Solar Power in Lancaster”.

My small town,  all 475,000 of us, are at the forefront of solar energy! On August 5, 2009, eSolar unveiled the 5 MW (mega watt) demonstration plant known as Sierra SunTower. The solar power plant has 24,000 mirrors and two giant tower house boilers. The boilers create what’s known as “thermal solar” which is said to be more cost-effective than the standard photovoltaic approach used in solar cells. The process creates steam to drive the turbine generators. The project was completed in 14 month time frame and has already begun to distribute power to Southern California Edison.

eSolar’s site says “Sierra SunTower will supply 5 MW of clean, renewable energy to the grid. This full-scale power plant, the only one of its kind in the U.S., produces electricity for Southern California Edison (SCE) and will power up to 4,000 homes.”

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Their “water-based epoxy liner”, long rumoured (but never confirmed) to contain BPA, indeed had BPA all along.

SIGG kept this cozy little secret by constantly releasing reassuring statements that their proprietary formula had been extensively tested and was never found to leach BPA.

The subtle truth hidden in their messages was that they never said there was no BPA in there to begin with.  But now, one entire year after changing their liner to a new “EcoCare”, BPA-free formula, they are now admitting what so many have suspected all along.

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(image via ci.wixom.mi.us)

Mapping out your errands with your kids can turn into a fun activity to plan and execute. Make a game of running errands by mapping out the shortest route. Grab an old map of your city or use an online map service to draw your own. Involving your children will help deepen their respect for reducing the pollutant they put in the air to run their errands now and as they grow older. You can also point out that since you took the time to bunch all your errands together you have more time to do things you really enjoy.

To live green means to live a sustainable lifestyle that won’t deplete or pollute the earth’s natural resources–and to find ways to replenish or recycle these resources and materials. To be green means to preserve and to protect our environments and our planet. Even small things like mapping out your errands teaches your children this important concept.

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You can simply and easily reduce your carbon footprint, save money on your power bill and teach your kids through example how to help the earth just by tweaking your cooking techniques a bit!

Did you know:

• Choose the right size pan for cooking and keep the lid on for most of the cooking process to reduce energy use by up to 90%.

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There, while we discussed good resources for product ingredient lists and standards, an audience member dropped what sounded like a bomb to all of us in the natural parenting, green cleaning and organic living world:

On January 1, 2010, all household products will have full ingredient lists on their labeling.

How did this amazing change in chem-laden products come about? Blame Thank Canada.

Here are the deets on these requirements.

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Cuisinart has a new line of non-stick cookware that is non-stick while being  PTFE and PFOA free, which means it has none of the nasty chemicals that Teflon (and similar coatings have).

The Cuisinart GreenGourmet pans are petroleum free, they have a hard anodized interior, an aluminum alloy core, and a Cuisinart Ceramica (TM) interior that makes the pan non-stick.

So what does all this mean, you may be thinking? Keep reading to find out.

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For over twenty years they have offered a well rounded selection of handmade products from around the world. They have searched all over so each piece in their line has a very artisan feel. Everything you buy helps the world locally and globally. The owners Doug and Susan have a “Kids Foundation” where they support, give service and are very involved in four different charities. The fund they raise help provide medical care, education, food and shelter for children in Haiti, Colombia and Honduras.

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was to learn this part of their company, which they don’t push in your face. It took a bit of digging to understand how awesome they really are. For Father’s Day I bought my husband a recycled fire pit that he promptly announced was the best present he ever received from me. My office is full of furniture, magazine racks, mirrors, driftwood balls and coat racks from their catalog.

My home is now FULL of decor items from At West End, all high quality and which represent a mission I truly support and believe in.

The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference by Jodi Helmer is a great book full of simple suggestions to green your life any and every day of the year. You don’t have to start at January 1 either. Pick up the book and start any today, start today.

The suggestion for July 21 is put garbage where it belongs…in the trash can and not the toilet. It says to not flush things like cigarette butts and dead bugs down the toilet. Simple enough for those who need a reminder. Tomorrow’s tip is turn the lights off when you leave a room. See, it really is the small stuff that can make a difference.

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Conventional mattresses, though? Yikes! Mother Jones writes about the petrochemicals, formaldehyde, and flame retardants that conventional mattresses are chock-full of. And you don’t have to only be interested in living a chemical-free life to be freaked out–you know how new conventional mattresses smell funky? Off-gassing–if you smell it, you’re breathing it in.

Again, yikes.

The mattress that our girls sleep on is much too old to off-gass, but, although it’s still in pretty good condition, it’s certainly exceeded its reported mattress lifespan, and thus now we get to worry about gradual deterioration releasing even more chemicals into our daughters’ lungs and open pores while they sleep for ten hours at a time.

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Most people would love to buy “green” or “organic” foods, but choosing organic foods can be a pricey proposition. If you think your budget cannot afford 100% organic, here is some simple advice on making the most of your GREEN GROCERY dollar:

Eat organic at the top of the food chain: Livestock eat pesticide-laden feed and are dosed with antibiotics and hormones. This all of this ends up in the package at the super market. There is no way to remove or reduce the contaminants. Purchasing organic dairy, egg and meat products is a great place to begin.

Avoid the following unless they are organic: Pesticides levels vary in produce. The Environmental Workers Union found that you can reduce risks of pesticide exposure by as much as 90 percent by avoiding what they call “the dirty dozen”. Here is the list: Apples, Bell peppers, Celery, Cherries, Grapes (imported), Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Potatoes, Red Raspberries, Spinach, and Strawberries.

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Part of that is my fault for buying a light colored silver/cream sofa and love seat. But my carpet is dark colored and that gets stained too. I have well water which always leave cellulosic browning spots when I try to clean up a mess with water but Eco Mist’s carpet and upholstery cleaning spray works wonders without leaving any brown spots.

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Until now. A few months ago we decided to ditch the microwave.  It was a decision that I thought would be difficult although we only used it to boil water, pop corn and rarely to reheat leftovers.  My husband was all “we don’t need a microwave, we never use it anyway.”  Since then, I’ve become more anti-microwave and he’s wondering if we do need one. But, we’ve discovered that its not all that difficult to live without.  (Stay with us after the jump for tips on unchaining your home from the microwave.)

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Keep reading for a breakdown of which eco-bugsprays work the best.

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I just read that San Francisco, in another moment of environmental health leadership (brilliance, I would call it), just launched the most ambitious recycling program in the nation. For a city that already diverts 72 percent of its trash from landfills, San Francisco didn’t sit on its laurels. Mayor Gavin Newsom promoted the law that adds mandatory composting to the program and forwards the goal of achieving 75 percent diversion and zero waste by 2020.

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I learned a tremendous amount in this book, had many “ah ha!” moments and patted myself on the back a couple times.

For instance, Sara writes a lot about nurseries (maybe she was baby hungry while writing this book; now she would have the cutest baby!) and how to make sure they don’t have harmful chemicals. She writes about how important it is to watch what chemicals we put into, rub on, put around our new babies and that their bodies are so tiny and fragile you need to be even more aware and careful of everything.

For a healthy environment, do any redecorating, furnishing, and cleaning at least one month before you bring your baby home. If that’s impossible, let your baby sleep in a bassinet in your room while the new furnishings for her room off-gas elsewhere.

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This seems to be a hard question to get answered because I am not finding much info…anywhere.

Bubbles and kids go hand in hand. They are one of those childhood joys like balloons and balls, but balloons are not so eco-friendly and balls…I guess that depends on how they are made.

But bubbles…they are just soap and water right? How dangerous can that be?

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They have recently added organic terrycloth bath mits. This cute Solar Polar Cub hand mitten  is going to be a hit with my kids. One more thing to make bath time even more fun.

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