Roses are Red, Valentine's Day is Green

While Valentine's Day often involves a lot of shopping, I think there's something to be said for the holiday in terms of sustainability. After all, the gifts are often of the small and personal type. Plus, there's all that organic chocolate, and who can complain about that? If you're looking for something unique for your sweetheart, try the Lover's Essential Oil Sampler from Mountain Rose Herbs, featuring fragrant organic Ylang Ylang, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Palmarosa, Clary Sage, and Rose oils ($55). Jewelry is another great Valentine's Day tradition. If you're in the market for a diamond, take a look at Brilliant Earth, a Canadian jeweler that guarantees ethically and sustainably produced stones. For something a little funkier, check out some of Etsy's hand-crafted Valentine's Day offerings. Looking for something simple? Almost everyone loves chocolate, especially if it's organic and fair trade. Organic Bouquet has plenty of options for a variety of tastes. If it's down to the wire, consider Veriflora certified flowers from flowerbud.com. These flowers are sustainably and ethically grown, and prices (starting at around $70) include overnight shipping.

Green Resolutions for 2009

Happy New Year; it's time to break out the organic champagne!  Looking for a way to go greener in the coming months?  Here are a few resolutions to consider:

1. Eat local.  Join the movement popularized by books such as The Omnivore's Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and do what you can to buy and eat local foods.  Eating locally also means eating seasonally, since the produce of any region varies throughout the year.  For some help planning menus, check out the cookbook Simply in Season, (although even better resources are probably available in your own area). 

2. Offset your carbon emissions.  Use a carbon emission calculator like this one to calculate the yearly emissions of your family or business, then purchase offsets from a reputable seller such as Native Energy.  Offset companies should use your funds to clean up environmental problems or create alternative sources of energy.

 

3. Replace your light bulbs with LEDs.  These super-efficient bulbs fit in normal fixtures, consume a negligible amount of electricity, and should last over a decade with normal use.

4. Freecycle.  When you do your spring cleaning, what happens to things you don't need anymore?  If you don't donate them already, consider using Freecycle to find them new homes.  Freecycle helps connect people with used items they need, reducing the demand for new products.  

5. Go for a year (or more) of zero waste.  It sounds almost impossible, but pioneers like No Impact Man have shown us that it can be done, even if you have a family and live in New York City!  If that's a little too extreme, do what you can to reduce, recycle, reuse, and compost your way through the new year.

creative commons image by Gaetan Lee

Buy Handmade This Holiday Season

Gift giving can be a tricky topic around this time of year, particularly in environmentally conscious circles. For some people it's a treasured holiday tradition, while for others gift shopping is a task to put off as long as possible if not avoid altogether. If you do choose to shop for gifts this year, one eco-friendly option to consider is supporting independent crafters and buying unique handmade items for the folks on your list. According to the Pledge Handmade site, The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production. Last year, over 10,000 people took the pledge to "buy handmade this holiday season, and request that others do the same for me." You can go here to sign the pledge, and here to learn more and get resources for handmade gifting. Not sure where to start? Etsy is a great place to find beautiful gifts made by thousands of independent crafters. If you're more of a DIY type yourself, check out some bonus green craft tips at Sew Green (and then you'd better get off the internet and start crafting). (Creative Commons image by Sabrina Eras)

Vegan Tofu-Nut (Cheese) Ball

If you're looking for a festive snack suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike, try this take on the traditional holiday cheese ball. It's not exactly like cheese, but I've never had any complaints. 1 block extra firm, refrigerated tofu (not silken) 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes 1 cup cashews and/or almonds 1 cup whole pecans 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon cider vinegar 1 teaspoon salt Grind the cashews and/or almonds as finely as possible in a food processor. Add the tofu, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic powder, lemon juice, vinegar and salt, and blend until well combined. Chop the pecans roughly and spread on a plate or cutting board. Form the tofu-nut paste into a ball or log, and roll in the pecans until the outside is thoroughly coated. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Variation: add a small splash of red wine or a few drops of liquid smoke during the blending phase for a slightly different flavor. Note: nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast cultured on molasses. It is frequently used in vegan recipes because it has a somewhat cheesy flavor, and is often supplemented with vitamin B12. Nutritional yeast flakes can be found at almost any health food store.