There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read through it ... however, if you don't have the time right now, you might find the following quick-click links helpful:
What happens when you combine creative, artistic ideas with a love for the earth? You get fabulous Eco-friendly decorating ideas from the participants of last week's challenge. And wow ... such wonderful ideas ... ideas which honor "Mother Nature" and bring true beauty to our homes. Let's take a look ...
The Honor Society are those people who help us spread the "green" word by writing a post about our challenges and/or leaving pertinent comments. Let's see what they had to say this week:
EcoGrrl keeps decorating pretty simple. In her words "i am not a huge decorator - i do a tree every few years but not regularly, and i keep it simple with a few candles. my house is more simple/zen than anything, with just photographs that i've taken on the wall. i've had the simple black frames and mats from utrecht for over 15 years and rather than glue them down, i use tape on the edges so that way, whenever i want to change pictures on the wall, i just slip a new one in. so i'm constantly reusing the same frames. i've never been a fan of knick knacks as i think they clutter up most spaces, but i do have a few of my grandmother's brownie cameras and the seashells i've gathered since i was a kid in a big bowl. books and photos, what else does one really need?" Your space sounds lovely and peaceful, EcoGrrl!
Argentum Vulgaris furnishes his home with found treasures. In this POST you can take a peek into his home and read all about it. I love the brick holding utensils ... great idea!
La Alicia is an artisan and creates beautiful handmade items. I was browsing her Etsy shop and found these: Decor by La Alicia.
Jennifer chooses items which have meaning, such as photos which she and her husband have taken ... or photos taken by friends. She says "Frequent redecorating, like wardrobe overhauls, seem wasteful and unnecessary." Nicely put, Jennifer!
Cindy (aka @cinbrad on twitter) is making a stunning wreath. Want to see it? Click HERE. Wow, I am in awe of the talent (and work) required to finish that piece ... it's going to be beautiful! I hope you'll come back with a picture of the completed project, Cindy!
In this POST Cinella says that she and her girls are busy creating something special. Hm ... I wonder what it will be. I guess I'll just have to wait until it's finished because Cinella isn't giving out hints. She promises, however, to post pictures when it's finished.
Early in the week Katie said that her goal is to NOT buy anything but rather make it herself. And then, later in the week I saw this ARTICLE. Wow ... she's come up with some lovely handmade decorations. My favorites are the door adornments ... simply elegant! She promises to put up tutorials soon. By the way, don't forget that Katie runs a series called Green Motivation Monday ... this week's tip is one of my favorites!
Ann posted our banner in this POST where she also talks about chicken and animal cruelty. From our previous challenge on winterizing our homes, she suggests that we winterize our diet by making large quantities of vegetable soup and then freezing appropriate portions for use during the cold months ahead.
Rachel uses evergreens to decorate her home. She prefers holly and ivy, which she's lucky enough to have in her yard, but says that any evergreen works. Once the holidays are over, she takes her decorations and spreads them around the peas in her garden to protect them from mice.
Michele's local farmer's market offers live, potted Christmas trees for sale. After the holidays, one can plant the tree in the yard. But here's the unique part ... for those people who aren't able to plant the tree, the market will buy it back and replant it. It's like "borrowing" a live tree for the holidays. What a brilliant idea!
CL Beck stopped in. So nice to see you Cindy ... hope you'll drop by again!
Mrs. Green and her family celebrate "Yule". Her ornaments are a true celebration of the season and honor the earth. I was particularly impressed with what she does with these ornaments after the holidays. You can find out HERE. And in this ARTICLE, she gives us an update on the energy challenge. I'm sorry to hear that you injured your hand, Mrs. Green ... hope it is much better by this posting!
Alicia has so many wonderful ideas for us. Well ... here ... let's let her tell us: "I like to use greenery and grapevines from our yard for table centerpieces. We like to get Christmas trees that can be planted after the holidays also. Instead of a lot of wrapping paper I use all kinds of cute baskets that the person receiving the gift can use for other things. Instead of bows I use things like pine cones, dried apples, dried cranberries and cedar pieces and glue that to the front of the packages, not only does it look pretty it smells wonderful. The best part is it doesn't go to the landfill! Also small pine cones make great place card holders to set out in front of your place settings so your guests will know where to set." Great ideas, Alicia ... I particularly like the place card holders.
Welcome back to Rewinn ... we've missed you and your always-entertaining posts! In this ARTICLE his first tip begins like this: "Say it loud and say it proud: you do not NEED to buy holiday ornaments." He follows that up with several wonderful ideas. Be sure to check out the picture of Rewinn with Santa. :-) He also suggests that we check out this article entitled Guerilla Gardening at Occupy Wall Street where we'll find some Eco-friendly ideas appropriate for any time of year. Thanks, Rewinn!
Kris says that her lack of decorating makes her "Eco-Friendly". In this POST you'll learn all about it. Towards the end of her article, she talks about new window coverings in the master bedroom. While reading it, I was reminded that beautiful decor can also be functional ... and that it's wise to consider the use of a room when choosing adornments. Thanks, Kris!
In the debate about Christmas Trees (real vs. fake ... cut vs. potted), where do you stand? In this ARTICLE, Stephanie shares information (including some great links) and her thoughts. She not only touches on the tree itself but talks about how it is farmed and the amount of CO2 that one single tree can absorb. And here's a hint about her choice ... she likes Charlie Brown's tree.
Once again this week, Twitter was alive with tips and ideas:
From @upcycledlove
-Turn your old T-shirt into framed art :D
From @peopletowels
-http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10031606&N=&Ntt=baking
From @noteasy2begreen
-I try to live by Wm Morris quote: "Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." I don't always succeed!
From @earthcjewelry
-Earth is where our Maker has placed us. We need to be better stewards to our environment and stop the abuse.
-Make a comittment to give only Eco friendly gifts this year. It shows that you care for Earth and the person receiving the gift.
-Eco Friendly and Fair Trade are both trustworthy. Will you make an effort to consider Eco Friendly and Fair Trade products?
From @givetreegifts
-Eco-Friendly Decorating...Add color & texture w/natural fabrics such as hemp, cotton, canvas, muslin, ramie, silk, linen & wool.
-Choose a mattress of organic cotton or wool so you aren't sleeping with harmful chemicals. 4 the mattress core look 4 natural latex
-Carpeting or rugs can add warmth comfort & texture to a room. Wool fibers or recycled materials are the best eco-friendly choices.
-Sea Grass: soft silky texture when woven that's smoother than some other natural fibers. Gr8 choice of floor mat & stain resistant
-Eco Wood furniture cleaner: 1 tsp olive oil, 1 Cup white vinegar, mix, dip soft rag & wipe lightly over furniture to dust & polish
-When buying wood furniture or accessories, look for the FSC label, to ensure the wood was grown & harvested in sustainable manner
-Furniture from reclaimed wood typically has unique characteristics. Look for the "SmartWood Rediscovered" label (Rainforest Alliance)
-Bring nature into your home with live flowers and plants. They improve air quality, are visually appealing, uplifting & ALIVE!
-Fruits & Vegetables are a simple way to add seasonal color to your home
-Found Art:: A walk in the woods or a stroll down the beach are perfect to gather small treasures to add a personal touch at home
-Earth Tones - colors from nature: Green is comfortable, healing & nature's ultimate neutral color. Found in warm or cool shades
-Furniture that is always in style! Eco-friendly décorating for the abode: The Navy chair shar.es/oH3w6
-Recycling or restoring your furniture Eco-friendly tips while designing your... is.gd/DfgTWM
-10 cool ideas for eco-friendly furniture & decor. ht.ly/7uBYb
-eco-friendly lounge at CTIA! Wood furniture made from reclaimed wood; living succulents yfrog.com/j2c1gg
-How The Latest Tech Is Finally Affecting Furniture Design: The FlatMate Secretary bit.ly/u3rWxO
-Redecorate Your Living Room the Eco-Friendly Way tinyurl.com/5tfvlhm
-Trivet featured in this houzz.com article about reusing wine corks! Sweet!... fb.me/uaJpUUg6
-10 useful Tips how to Green your Lighting shar.es/bMEZw
The #CTWW Gang are those folks who share our challenges on twitter using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're a Twitter member, I highly recommend following them ... they have a lot of great things to say. Let's meet them:
My Final Thoughts: When I was a child, I asked my Grandmother how she and her parents decorated their Christmas tree when she was growing up in Italy. She described how they would hang fresh fruit and nuts on their tree ... items which would then be shared with visitors. They weren't trying to be Eco-friendly ... they simply used what they had. With all of the holiday items on the shelves today, we sometimes forget that there is great beauty in nature ... beauty that we can thoughtfully bring indoors to adorn our homes.
Great job, everyone! If you wrote an article, I have Stumbled, Tweeted, Facebooked and posted it on Google +. You can help spread the "green" word by using the share feature at the bottom of this post.
This Week's Challenge:
This week's challenge is inspired by an article which I recently read (you can read it HERE). It's from the Worldwatch Institute, "an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues". It discusses food waste and hunger in the world ... the numbers are staggering. With Thanksgiving and the holidays coming up, I think we could make a huge difference by accomplishing this activity. Here you go:
WEEK-LONG CHALLENGE: This week make a conscious effort to waste no food. If you need some ideas on how to accomplish this, please read the article referenced in the previous paragraph.
Or ...
If you never, ever waste even a morsel of food ... WOW ... you are a hero. Pat yourself on the back and then sit back and relax in the knowledge that you are doing a great thing for the earth!
If you never, ever waste even a morsel of food ... WOW ... you are a hero. Pat yourself on the back and then sit back and relax in the knowledge that you are doing a great thing for the earth!
We have one more week to accomplish the first part of our electricity challenge so, if you haven't started ... get busy! Here it is:
MONTH-LONG CHALLENGE: This month make note of the electricity (Kilowatts) used in your home (find this number on your electric bill, by reading the meter, by using a home electricity monitor, etc.). Then, spend one month reducing that number by 10%. In December we'll come back and report on our success including the actions we've taken to reduce our usage.
MONTH-LONG CHALLENGE: This month make note of the electricity (Kilowatts) used in your home (find this number on your electric bill, by reading the meter, by using a home electricity monitor, etc.). Then, spend one month reducing that number by 10%. In December we'll come back and report on our success including the actions we've taken to reduce our usage.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
Happy Thanksgiving, first of all! OK, so I'm assuming composting means that no food is wasted, right? Now that Portland has curbside composting, absolutely no food ever gets thrown away. Ironically, since I have a backyard composter, it's interesting to see what does go curbside. In two weeks? 1) Shrimp shells from me, and 2) chicken bones from my roommate. Yes, meat & dairy can go into our curbside program as special facilities are hot enough to do it - cool :)
ReplyDeleteBTW you'd love Prasad here in P-town (google it!). Just opened near my work and allows me more veganizing opportunities :)
Up and running on:
ReplyDeletehttp://ecocrap.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/change-the-world-wednesday-23rd-nov/
Comment to EcoGrrl, shrimp shells go in my compost heap along with chicken bones, egg shells and coffee grounds.
Have a good weekend everybody.
AV
Hi EcoGrrl - yep, composting is part of the no-waste campaign. That being said, there's composting and then there's composting ... composting things like peelings and food scraps is great ... composting food because too much was prepared and not eaten isn't really the intention. So I'm hoping that everyone will plan their meals wisely. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat challenge! We've been throwing away some food lately, but not always. I will try to be more conscious. We always have the freezer if we've made too much and can't eat it now.
ReplyDeleteI've actually been working on this for a few months now from a budgeting perspective, I hate waste and I hate losing my hard-earned dollars.
ReplyDeleteI had to toss a couple items the other day, but I noticed a pattern of what items I'm doing this with so I'm just not going to buy them anymore to save money & waste.
For the hydro, our furnace broke down about a week ago and when the repair guy was in he noticed that our heat was turned up way too high, probably from the previous owners years ago and we never knew. He turned it down and we should see a savings from it. I'm also getting out the window films again to save on heat. We used them last year and I cannot get over the difference, HUGE!
There's an excellent book about food waste called American Wasteland that explores waste in all facets of our food system. I had to read it for a grad course I'm taking and I wrote a little blurb about food waste not too long ago...
ReplyDeletehttp://cookingrut.blogspot.com/2011/10/waste-not-want-not.html
LOVE this challenge as it's one of my all time top passions! You can't get rid of me that easily though ;) I won't be taking a week off to rest on my laurels, I shall be sharing my top tips on Monday to help others reduce waste and I'm looking forward to learning some more new tips. I'm especially interested in learning about using the freezer wisely as this is something I don't do enough of...
ReplyDeleteNice challenge! I'm finding that a lot of the veggies that we are tempted to toss because they are a little tired are actually fine for pies or soups. I shared this tip along with one that fit more with last week's challenge in a blogpost about how I made a decoration with home-grown, organic materials!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great challenge!! I really try hard in this area but sometimes fall short. We are blessed to have a freezer and I really use it a lot.This helps because if I see that we aren't going to use some of our leftover veggies I freeze them so that they can be used at a later time. If I want to fix soups or stews all I have to do is go to the freezer dump everything in a pot and let it simmer several hours and we have have a wonderful meal that we only have to add a salad or bread to. Not only is this saving food from being wasted but saves a lot of money. Double Savings!!
ReplyDeletegreat to hear on the shrimp shells - just looked up and found this great '163 things you can compost' - http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm - awesome! however i'd only recommend composting meat/bones if you have a BIG pile and can bury it deep, or are really good at picking it clean of any semblance of meat - not for stink as much as for attracting li'l diggers (my pile is flush on the ground, not a tumbler). since it's just me it's not worth it since we have curbside compost pickup with our yard waste :)
ReplyDeleteone thing to add to the other posts is make sure you're using veggie scraps to make veggie broth and freeze it!
Just a note to Ecogrrl, that was a great compost link, I used it as a post this morning on Eco-Crap
ReplyDeleteAV
I can't wait to see how everyone else did with this one.
ReplyDeletehttp://outwardlypleasant.blogspot.com/2011/11/change-world-wednesday-food-waste.html
I found soooo many uses for food scraps that we would normally throw out. Too many for one post! I concentrated this one on lemon peels and juiced lemons. http://thegreeningofwestford.blogspot.com/2011/11/change-world-wednesday-lemons.html
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what others come up with. The amount of waste boggles my mind!
I like to think I'm pretty good at using every scrap of food, but when I thought about it...
ReplyDeleteMe waste food?
As it happens, our Mutant Turkey Thanksgiving saved us from the usual problem of how not to waste the turkey carcass. We just got the "Good Parts Edition" of the turkey (...and I'm confident the Other Bits were used by the butcher in other products).
ReplyDelete