A Joyous Diversion ...

Celebration ... a joyous diversion!

Isn't that a wonderful definition? People, throughout time, have taken brief respites from their lives to celebrate ... to come together and observe something bigger than themselves. We focus on special foods and spending time with friends and family. Often there are traditional ceremonies to observe and sometimes gifts are exchanged. Typically, to further divert our attention to the joyous ... we decorate our homes.

Seasonal decorating is big business. Turn on the television and you're bound to see advertisements for holiday adornments. Walk into any store and you'll be greeted with decorations of all sorts. The trouble is, most of those things aren't very earth friendly. The unfortunate truth is that celebrations, of any kind, typically generate a lot of waste.

So, in preparation for the the upcoming holidays, here are a few ideas for decorating ... in an Eco-friendly way:

• Use cornstalks, pumpkins and bales of hay to create a fall scene.
  
  
• Make a scarecrow (use burlap, straw, old hats and clothes) and let him greet visitors to your home.
  
  
• Collect colorful fall leaves to decorate a table or fill a vase.
  
  
• Display gourds of all sizes, shapes and colors.
  
  
• Use baskets ... fill them or simply display them at odd angles.
  
  
• Make a cornucopia.
  
  
• Use bunches of deep red grapes to decorate a table or place them around bottles of wine on the bar.
  
  
• Pick beautiful apples, arrange them in your nicest bowl and use them as a centerpiece for meals with friends and family.
  
  
• Bring colorful container plants indoors or arrange them around an entry (chrysanthemums, flowering cactus, ornamental kale, flowering cabbage, dusty miller, etc.).
  
  
• Make a wreath from natural products (pine cones, Rosemary, thyme, sage and berries).
  
  
• Decorate a mantle with a natural garland made from evergreens.
  
  
• Don't forget our feathered friends ... fill the nooks and crannies of pine cones with peanut butter, press in bird seed, and hang in a tree. It'll not only make the birds happy, it'll make any tree look festive.
  
  
• Use fresh produce from the farmer's market as decoration. Pomegranates, oranges and walnuts make lovely center pieces.
  
  
• Does Holly grow in your area? Snip a little for mantles or to place around candles.
  
  
• Speaking of candles, opt for soy candles which are much better for the earth.
  
  
• For those who decorate a tree, use strings of popcorn, small pine cones and cranberries for natural beauty.
  
  
• Make a Gingerbread House.
  
  
• Does it snow in your area? Build a snowman.
  
  
• Are holiday lights a must? Use LED lights. And rather than stringing lights, of any kind, on the outside of your house, string them on the inside, around windows. Any heat created by the bulbs won't be lost.
  
  
• Let food be a decoration. Cookies, candies and holiday breads, displayed in festive dishes, add warmth to any celebration.

Being kind to the earth ... now that's truly part of a joyous diversion!

As always ... I would love to hear from you!

Cut Flowers and the Environment ...

For many, beautiful arrangements of fresh cut flowers are a must for a holiday table. Bouquets of unusual flowers make easy gifts ... grab a bundle from most supermarkets or order a bouquet online to be delivered. Whether one needs a hostess gift, something for a special someone or a gift for the "hard to please", cut flowers will accommodate. That's what the $40 billion a year, cut flower industry tells us. What they don't tell us is how bad they are for the environment.

Most cut flowers, approximately 79%, are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They are grown in climate controlled greenhouses using pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides ... including DDT and methyl-bromide which are banned in the U.S. These substances have been linked to health problems such as skin conditions, respiratory problems, impaired vision, and birth defects. Many of the people who staff the greenhouses, and who come in contact with the flowers on a daily basis, are now suffering from these problems.

Not only are workers being hurt ... the environment is suffering as well. Methyl-bromide has been linked to the destruction of the ozone layer. DDT usage has caused serious problems for many animal and bird populations. Small amounts of these chemicals are dangerous ... most greenhouses, however, aren't using just a little ... they are using a lot. It contaminates the ground and water, hurting animal and fish populations and it reduces the amount of drinkable water in many communities.

Once the growing stage is complete, the cut flowers are sent all over the world. They travel far distances, and as we've talked about before ... anything that travels a long distance is causing pollution and using a lot of resources to make the trip. An estimated 500 million make their way into the U.S. In order to pass inspection upon entry, they are often sprayed with more toxic chemicals so that no bugs or insects make the trip ... and so that each and every blossom looks it's best. Florists in this country touch these flowers and are reporting skin rashes and breathing problems.

There's still more ... once the flowers get to a florists shop, they are typically arranged using floral foam which helps to hold them in place. This foam is a petroleum bi-product that off gases formaldehyde when soaked in water. It is also non-biodegradable. A leaf shine product is typically used to shine up the greenery ... this is an aerosol product and aerosol products hurt the environment.

What about the flowers produced in the U.S.? Are they better? While they may not use banned chemicals, many farms and greenhouses use a lot of pesticides. These are harmful ... to the earth and all of her inhabitants.

So ... should one forgo cut flowers as a gift? Not necessarily. Look for organic flowers, grown locally if possible. Make a point of asking about that beautiful bouquet ... is it arranged with floral foam ... is it sprayed with anything. And by the way ... many live plants are grown in the same conditions so ... know where your product comes from. Basically, use the same guidelines buying cut flowers and plants as you would buying food.

As always ... I would love to hear from you!

Seasonal Decorating

In the US, fall seems to signal a time for celebration. There are celebrations to mark the end of the harvest season ... apple festivals, leaf festivals, wine tastings and corn mazes. There are pumpkin patches at Halloween and German food at Oktoberfest. There are state fairs and art festivals. In November there is Thanksgiving and December brings Christmas, Kwanzaa and all kinds of winter festivals. We're not alone in this ... there are celebrations all over the world for all kinds of reasons.

With each of these celebrations, we typically decorate. Decorating, as a matter of fact, has become big business ... so big that we see Christmas decorations in October and Valentine hearts before New Year's Day. Unfortunately, most of the decorations on the market today aren't very kind to the environment.

So ... does that mean that we shouldn't decorate? Not if we green it up. Here are a few suggestions for decorations that won't hurt the environment:

• Use cornstalks, pumpkins and bales of hay to create a fall scene.
• Make a scarecrow (use burlap, straw, old hats and clothes) and let him greet visitors to your home.
  
• Collect colorful fall leaves to decorate a table or fill a vase.
  
• Display gourds of all sizes, shapes and colors.
• Use baskets ... fill them or simply display them at odd angles.
  
• Make a cornucopia.
• Use bunches of deep red grapes to decorate a table or place them around bottles of wine on the bar.
  
• Pick beautiful apples, arrange them in your nicest bowl and use them as a centerpiece for meals with friends and family.
• Bring colorful container plants indoors or arrange them around an entry (chrysanthemums, flowering cactus, ornamental kale, flowering cabbage, dusty miller, etc.).
• Make a wreath from natural products (pine cones, Rosemary, thyme, sage and berries).
• Decorate a mantle with a natural garland made from evergreens.
  
• Don't forget our feathered friends ... fill the nooks and crannies of pine cones with peanut butter, press in bird seed, and hang in a tree. It'll not only make the birds happy, it'll make any tree look festive.
• Use fresh produce from the farmer's market as decoration. Pomegranates, oranges and walnuts make lovely decorations.
  
• Does Holly grow in your area? Snip a little for mantles or to place around candles (natural candles, of course).
• For those who decorate a tree, use strings of popcorn, small pine cones and cranberries for natural beauty.
  
• Make a Gingerbread House.
• Does it snow in your area? Build a snowman.
• Are holiday lights a must? Use LED lights. And rather than string lights, of any kind, on the outside of your house, string them on the inside, around windows. Any heat created by the bulbs won't be lost.
• Let food be a decoration. Cookies, candies and holiday breads, displayed in festive dishes, add warmth to any celebration.

Not only will your decorations be beautiful ... they'll be earth friendly as well. And that's another reason to celebrate.

As Always ... I'd love to hear from you!