Our Greener Christmas

My dreams of a green Christmas came true!

So I had to share some of the delightful gifts I received from the Betty Lou's in my life (my mom and mother-in-law) this morning.

Above, you can see my mom (aka Betty Lou) made a corkboard out of wine bottle corks she saved throughout the year. This corkboard can be used for posting notes, pictures, artwork, or even used a giant hotpad. The funny part: I made her the same thing! Us Bettys think alike.

You also see that my mother-in-law sewed crazy-cool crayon packs for my two boys and the 30+ other grandkids! The crayons may not be soy-based, but aren't they beautiful?! They'll be perfect for taking on trips and to restaurants. Mom friends, beware. Craft project.

My mom also gave our family a set of reusable organic cotton napkins and ironed on all our names! So cute. Second-hand shoppers, step off. I'm going to be collecting napkins all year long for this great idea next year.

Most of you know this Christmas was especially challenging for me with my no-new-purchase buying pledge. So here's the scoop. I caved slightly, but managed with less than a handful of purchases which included a microphone for my musical son and Star Wars lego pack for hours and hours of fun building space ships.

Overall, I feel this Christmas was a grand success on many levels.

1. No electronics or batteries were given or received!
2. The kids made their gifts
3. We used things from around the house for wrapping and for giving (old picture frames from the attic for example)
4. I saved tons of paper by foregoing Christmas cards this year (Sorry everyone!)
5. It was a measured, mindful Christmas, rather than consumptive and overdone.
6. We recycled nearly all the packaging/paper wrapping for a virtual zero-waste affair!

I'm ready to turn our VA farm tree into mulch and get on with a brand new year!! Are you?

Best,
BWB

[Personal note on wine: I don't have it in me to eliminate this yummy, beautiful, nuanced, art in a bottle called wine, so make mine Virginia wine or I buy organic, "eco-frinedly" varieties, though I am skeptical as to how they get that classification. And as for the cork, the staff at Marketstreet Wineshop espoused the use of cork as opposed to rubber and twist caps, siting cork as a renewable resource.]

p.s. (Betty had to leave the kitchen temporarily as she attended to family duties that required immediate attention so blogs have and will be sporadic :-))

On the Fourth Day... an easy, earthy craft for the birds

Instead of a plateful of refined sugar cookies this year, think beyond the belly (do we really need another sweet temptation this season?) in favor of a plateful of decorative and tastey bird treats.

Easy Ornament for your outside tree (prep time: 15-25 minutes):

1. Take a piece of Mission Home sandwhich bread (or other local variety) and using cookie cutters, cut it in the shape of a tree or a snowflake or snowman.

2. Paint one side with egg white (or a thin layer of peanut butter).

3. Sprinkle bird seed, sunflower seeds, cloves (even tri-colored corn - found in the Whole Foods bulk bin) in a random or symmetrical design.

4. Let dry overnight

5. Poke a small hole through the center and string a ribbon to hang.

6. Hang on your favorite backyard tree for the whole family to bird-watch!

Easy Hanging bird feeder (prep time: 30-40 minutes)

1. Cut one side of a medium or large cardboard milk carton 2/3 of the way down.

2. Decorate the outside by gluing comic strip newspaperlippings cor colorful paper scraps or old wrapping paper.

3. Paint hodge-podge on it to give it that shiny, finished look.

4. Fill the bottom with one rock (for a weight) and sunflower seeds from the local shop Wildbirds Unlimited. Poke a stick through the sides for easy perching.

Voila! Fun for the fowl as well as family.

Best,
BWB

On the third day... another green gift-giving idea!

Tip #3: Giving of your time.

When making your list and checking it twice, Betty encourages you to ever expand your definition of gift-giving to include the gift of your time and service. (My what?! Who has more time at this time of year, right?)

Aye, there's the rub.

Simplifying and re-thinking the holidays without the consumer centerpiece may take a little more time. But it doesn't HAVE to. It could possibly be a matter of re-allocating your time and prioritizing. Which will in turn give you a more meaningful, heartfelt experience.

True. This may mean that you don't get your myriad of holiday cards out the door by December 1st. (Maybe not even before Christmas - we're thinking about a New Year's note this year). This may mean that your coworkers don't receive their annual low-cost doo-dad. It may mean that just because Aunt Thelma sent your a Harry and David holiday gift box that she might receive only a thank you note in return.

Here are some ideas Betty came up with:

Friends or Family
*Give a friend with small children a few hours of free time by offering to babysit
*Offer to complete an errand or task at home or at work for a busy working parent
*Make dinner for your friend who is working overtime this season
*Are you a handy-man or woman? Ask a friend to make a list and spend an afternoon spiffing things up (even Bettier: change air filters, repair leaks, install more energy-efficient appliances for him/her)
*Take your single friend out to eat local food and listen to local music

Community
*Donate your time to hosting or cooking for the homeless men or women in our area through PACEM
*Volunteer to ring the Salvation Army bell outside a local retailer
*Sign up to deliver Meals on Wheels
*Offer to read books to kids in our city and county Bright Star programs (a headstart for pre-k age kids who need more time and attention)
*Pick your favorite local park, business, coffee shop and do something nice for them: clean up the area, renew the books and toys with your own, offer a small toy basket for their small visitors if they don't already have one.
*Give Betty an hour or two of your time to implement community green ideas

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Kwanzaa or Hannukah or the Winter Solstice or none of the above this season, I do believe there is an opportunity to participate in the joy of giving. Giving generously, giving authentically, giving with an open heart feels good. And giving your time (which can seem scarce in the hussle and bustle) can be green to!

BWB

On the second day of Christmas...a Bettier way to send gifts

Welcome to the second installment of Betty's green holiday ideas! Today Betty brings you ideas for greener packing for those of you who will be sending gifts this holiday season. Sure it's what's inside that counts, but don't forget to eco-fy the outside.

Reuse

*Save the boxes and polystyrene packing peanuts or foam wrapping or "plastic pillows" you may already have lying around the house or patronize one of the local mailing businesses that use recycled peanuts (see Betty's directory).

Eco-friendly Materials:

*Staples does have reusable natural starch-based foam peanuts ($43.00 for a 7 cubic foot bag). They are water soluable (dissolve in water or compost after use)

*The Container Store's Padding Paper is recycled and recyclable ($15 for 30 sheets)

*Use good-old-fashioned wadded up newspaper

Recycling Tips:

*What to do with more polystyrene peanuts that any Better World Betty could handle? Call the Plastic Loose Fill Council Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214 (hey, you know you want a job there!) to find businesses that will gladly take them for you.

*Flatten your corrugated cardboard and recycle it.

*Phone your favorite local business to find out if they could use packaging items for reuse.

*And remember, when Betty cannot answer your LOCAL SOLUTION to recycling, call www.earth911.com to find a recycling center.

Hope that helps!
BWB

On the first day of Christmas her true love gave to Betty...

A copy of Unplug the Christmas Machine in a local apple tree...

Welcome to the first in a series of Betty blogs dedicated to helping you make this giving season the greeniest yet (or at least greener than the last). Our motto will be LESS (AND LOCAL) IS MORE when it comes to the holidays. Betty will scour the town for the best local spots for eco-gifts, but also give you some out of the box (couldn't resist), creative gift-giving alternatives.

But first, a primer. A copy of the book, Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season (Paperback) by Jo Robinson and Jean C. Staeheli from a local bookstore, (check Betty's directory for the used book locations and store hours and call first), is a great start.

This book will come in very handy as you tactfully regift and kindly resist the temptation to run out to the nearest Pier One for that obligatory gift. More than removing the over-consumerism of the holidays, this book offers ideas for infusing authenticity and genuineness back into the holidays. I came across it about ten years ago and still like to return to it.

Happy reading,
BWB

Betty's version of Cyber Monday

Imagine my surprise this morning when I walked into Cville Coffee to catch up on work, when the smiling face of a CBS reporter asked me if I was going to participate in Cyber Monday. It was the first I had heard of it (I promise I don't live under a rock), but I quickly surmised that it was the online equivalent of Black Friday.

Oddly enough, item number five on my agenda: Write a blog about local vs online shopping.

"I think I'm the last person you want to talk to about this - I took a no-new-purchases pledge, so I won't be participating." Her ears perked up, "Well, I definitely want to talk to you!" So the bright lights of a news camera were shinning on me before I could even say "Better World Betty."

Online shopping may be convenient, as you avoid crowded malls and parking lots, but, my green friends, online shopping is not the Bettiest thing to do.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not eschewing the internet entirely. After all, Betty and the rest of the internet is a marvelous, modern-day, one-click resource connection to green living. It is the number one way I align my values with my lifestyle. Whether I'm looking up the latest environmental policies or searching for a green product alternative or looking up the environmental track record of certain brands, the internet is invaluable in my quest to be mindful.

So here are my suggestions/tips for on and off-line shopping this season:

*According the Organic Consumer's Association: Buying in-store is better because bulk shipping cuts down on fuel costs and emissions.

*Keeping your money here, rather than pay-palling it to a faraway place, allows your money to STAY in your community and feed the local economy.

*Mark Lorenzoni, local business owner of Ragged Moutain Running Shop, told me that is one of his pet peeves: people shopping on line in their living room instead of maintaining a personal relationship with their local vendors and supporting the people and businesses in their community.

*However, if your eco-friendly products (ex the snow boots my mom just purchased for my birthday) are not available in stores, I would recommend going online. But, next time you are in the local shoe store or retailer, mention that you would like to see more green products.

*If you want the convenience of online shopping, while shopping local, try www.retailrelay.com. Here you can online shop at numerous local stores in the morning, click and pay, and pick it up on your way home from work (they have a downtown location and a pantops location), saving on gas and emissions!

*Also keep it close to home by searching products at www.locallecctual.com

*Search for local artists who have home-made wares (clothing, jewelry, art, gifts) in virtual shops at www.etsy.com. This is one of my absolute favorite solutions for mindful gift-giving. You can even search by recycled materials.

Keep it local, keep it green with Betty's help!
BWB