Holiday Prep Guide for Eco-Lovers: Festive and Green Home Decor

Do you love the holidays, but also the environment? There are plenty of festive ways to incorporate your green lifestyle into your home for the holidays. The first thing to always keep in mind is to simplify. Making things simple reduces costs, stress, and waste, and also gives us the time to slow down and really connect with others, which is what the holiday season is really all about anyway. Deck the halls with these stylish and eco-friendly ideas!

Christmas Tree Alternatives

You don’t have to go with a traditional tree to pack in the holiday cheer. For an easy to assemble/disassemble option, go with a recycled cardboard Christmas tree, such as this Moderno Christmas tree, this year. They’re attractive right out of the box, but can also be decorated with paper, paint or crayons, and can be displayed in clusters for a unique look. Cardboard trees also cut down on storage space, and are made from strong, 100% recycled material that can be recycled later as well.

Not into the cardboard look? You could also try a potted, living trees, such as an edible one made out of rosemary. These fragrant trees allow you to decorate without killing trees and double as herb gardens to spice up your holiday meals!

Tree Decor

Use recycled ornaments, such as those passed down in the family, or use old light bulbs to create new decorations this year using these three creative ideas. Ideas abound for decorating old bulbs of all shapes and sizes. With a little paint and/or glitter coating the bulbs, your tree will really shine!

And remember that less is more! To cut down on your energy use (and bill), you can use tinsel instead of lights to maximize the shine. But if you’re going to string lights around your tree and home this year, make sure they’re LED lights, which come in a variety of styles and colors and use 90-95% less energy than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs and shine for 200,000 hours of use. While you’re at it, set them on a timer, so they’re only used when you need them. It’s an efficient way to save money and the planet!

Homemade Wreaths

Not all wreaths require cutting branches off of trees, and Inhabitat’s DIY wreath created from recycled fabric scraps is a great example of a more eco-friendly alternative. Follow their easy guide to get started on your own!

Pillows and Other Decor

There are plenty of ideas on Pinterest for home decor, which can be quite overwhelming! But we’ve focused on a couple simple options for your home that won’t break the bank.

Create and toss these festive DIY throw pillows out of old sweaters on your sofa, chair or even in the bedroom for a quick holiday decor staple you can use for years.

For some table topper or bookshelf decor, try upcycling some wine bottles with metallic paint or create winter vases with some dollar store finds for a very cool look that will carry into the new year.

Set the Stage for Dining

Dress up your dining room for sit-down gatherings!

For a simple, yet stunning way to show off your holiday place settings, wrap each set with a wide, pretty ribbon. Save the ribbon for another party or to wrap presents later!

For a festive centerpiece display, use a cylindrical glass vase to display a tall pillar candle and holder surrounded by fruits and nuts, such as a colorful combination of walnuts, cranberries, and kumquats. For a vintage look, you can also create your own table runners and candle holders like these pretty candle holders by wrapping lace around Mason jars.

Besides the obvious use of menorahs that have been passed down for generations, buying or creating your own menorahs made out of reclaimed wood, metal, or glass is another stylish, eco-friendly look. Latkes taste so much better by the glow of the menorah, so light up your living space with these toxin-free, 100% beeswax, hand-dipped Hannukah candles.

During the busy holiday season we need some fast projects, and this DIY table runner requires only a great piece of fabric and some thread. But the best kind might be the “no-sew” variety, and HGTV has rounded up a few awesome table runner options that require zero sewing skills.

Hopefully, these ideas have sparked your imagination for even more eco-friendly possibilities for decorating your home this festive season.

[via Redesign Revolution]

Tips for an Eek-O Friendly Halloween

A green Halloween? Yes, it can be done.  As you’ve probably figured out from walking into any store this October, Halloween has become a bit of a nightmare for the environment.  These days anything short of an entire yard transformed into a lit-up plastic graveyard or petro-chemical-based spider hatchery has come to be considered un-festive.

And here’s a spooky Halloween fact: Last year alone more than 40 million kids went trick-or-treating. All that adds up to a huge amount of consumerism and waste with ghoulish impacts on our environment and wild lands.

That said, I love Halloween and I sure don't want to be the neighborhood curmudgeon who shuts herself in and turns off the lights on Halloween night. So I think I'll balance my guilt by having myself a green Halloween. I invite you to join me in any way you can.

Here are ten ideas for making your own green Halloween:

1. Green Halloween Costumes: Leave the toxic Halloween costumes on the rack: Halloween costumes are supposed to be fun-scary, not scary-scary. Yet, store-bought costumes are often made up of nonrecyclable petro-chemical based plastic and synthetic fibers. Those Halloween costumes can include one of the scariest plastics--polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a soft plastic and known carcinogen that releases harmful toxins in its creation and breakdown. Avoid these toxic Halloween costumes and go for a green Halloween costume made of natural fabrics and materials.

2. Know what's in your Halloween face paint: In their 2009 Pretty Scary report, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent ten kid's make-up sets to a lab and found that all ten contained lead, which can lead to neurological damages in children, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium. Six out of ten contained cobalt and/or chromium at levels far exceeding safety standards. These metals are not listed on product labels. Look for organic, non-toxic face paints that comply with standards set by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics or try these homemade recipes for your green Halloween face paint:

• How to make organic facepaints
• Recipes for homemade facepaint, hair gel and hair spray

3. Concoct your own fake blood: Similar to face paint, fake blood can contain stuff that's not so nice to mother nature. Try making your own fake blood from natural products.

4. Shop the ultimate green Halloween markets: Last year alone 41.2 million kids went trick-or-treating, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a lot of Halloween costumes, not to mention the packaging they come in. Decrease the waste and have some fun sorting through costume selections at local thrift shops. These places have clearly beefed up their Halloween selections over the years, offering an inspiring selection of used costumes and period pieces these days.

5. Hold a green Halloween costume swap: Arrange a Halloween costume swap at your school, church or community center, or do it in your neighborhood.

6. Select not-so-scary Trick-or-treat bags: Avoid the ubiquitous bright orange plastic jack-o-lanterns that have no chance at ever breaking down in a landfill. Instead use reusable shopping bags, canvas totes or the ole pillowcase trick. A funky thriftshop handbag can add a fun twist to a green Halloween costume as well.

7. Choose green Halloween treats with less packaging: Decrease candy packgaging waste by buying in bulk and selecting Halloween candy that uses the least packaging. Candies that come in individual boxes have a chance at getting recycled, whereas those that come in plastic don’t. Other waste-less ideas include pencils made from recycled money, small coins or recyclable items that will find a useful place in a kid's life--as opposed to a home at the bottom of the garbage bin.  One of our staff members reports of a neighbor who hands out books every year. Not a bad idea if you live in a neighborhood with light Halloween traffic.

8. Give organic Halloween candy: Yes, it's a bit pricier but certainly less scarier for the environment. Organic means less environmental damage during production and transportion, as well as healthier ingredients:

• Endangered species chocolate gives ten percent of net profits to fund endangered species and conservation products. 
• Yummy Earth certified organic sells individually wrapped lollipops that can be purchased at Wholefoods, Toys R Us, Vitamin Cottage, Sprouts and others.

 9. Green up your Halloween Pumpkins: Buy organic. Save seeds for roasting with a little oil and light salt. Save the pulp for pies, muffins, soup and other recipes. Yum! Compost your pumpkins so they don’t add to the landfill where they will produce methane gas, a dangerous greenhouse gas.

10. Make your own green Halloween decorations. Halloween is the second biggest decorating holiday of the year, and so many of the decorations being peddled are made of non-recyclable plastics. If you do buy new items, at least choose durable non-petroleum based items that will last for many years. Otherwise, make a dent in the waste by creating your own homemade decorations with recycled household items.

A few green Halloween decorating ideas:

• Giant Spider: Use black trash bags for a giant tarantula (stuff with garden leaves--or newspapers but be sure to recycle the newspapers and trash bags when you’re done). How to here.
• Ghosts: Stuff old bed sheets with leaves or newspaper, tie with a string to form a head and hang  from trees.
• Spiderwebs: Make with shredded black pantyhose or cotton balls, instead of the sythetic messy ones from the store. If you're extra crafty, and want a dramatic look, weave a web of yarn near your entryway. Just select organic cotton or other eco-friendly yarns: Yarn web instructions.
• Eco-friendly Halloween craft ideas
• Halloween craft ideas from recycled items: To make these extra eco-friendly, choose non-toxic paints with low or no VOCs and other kid and earth friendly craft supplies.
• Plastic pumpkin makeovers: If you’ve already got plastic Halloween trick-or-treat pumpkins from yesteryear, the ones the kids have outgrown, but that are too faded or cracked to donate, don’t throw them away. Those pumpkins can be given new life. Just be sure to use non-toxic eco-friendly paint and second-hand props for these ideas Check out these ideas.

[via The Wilderness Society]

Salt Dough Ornaments

Working with salt dough is a fun and very inexpensive way to make some personalized heirloom ornaments this year. There is something so special about handmade ornaments. They give your home a personal feel and create lifelong memories for you and your children. They also make great gifts for friends and loved ones.

Making these heirloom holiday decorations is easier than you think. With this simple recipe you’ll have adorable, handmade (not to mention, non-toxic and eco-friendly) ornaments to show off to your friends and family.

What you'll need:

• 4 cups organic, all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fine sea salt
• 1-1 1/2 cup warm water
• Assorted cookie cutters
• Paint, glitter or embellishments of choice
• Ribbon (for hanging)

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour and salt together well. Incorporate water a little bit at a time until you have a firm ball of dough. If the dough is too sticky, add small amounts of flour until the desired consistency is reached.
2. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes. Make a small hole near the top for hanging. Carve in designs or features with a toothpick. Lift shape carefully when transferring to baking sheet.
3. Bake on parchment lined baking sheet at 325º for 20 to 30 minutes or until completely hardened.
4. Allow to cool, then decorate with paints, fabric scraps, ribbon, etc. or leave them to their natural beauty. Hang with ribbon or hooks anywhere you feel needs a little holiday cheer.

[via Vitacost]

Eco-Friendly Ways to Decorate Your House for Halloween

Hosting a hoard of ghost and goblins for Halloween? No party is complete without spooky decorations, but most of the stuff now crowding the store aisles is made from plastic, toxic paints and synthetic fabrics.

Setting the stage for a scary Halloween party doesn’t require all of this spending and waste. In fact, you can create some truly festive Halloween decorations with stuff you already have lying around the house and have lots of fun doing it!

Invite some friends over for a pre-party craft-making night and bask in the knowledge that most of these 9 eco-friendly Halloween decorations can be recycled or simply dismantled when the holiday is over:

1. Upcycled Egg Carton Bats

If you’re an egg eating family, you probably send an egg carton into the recycling bin every week. Save a few, add some non-toxic paint and ribbon, and you’ll have these adorable upcycled bats from Happy Clippings.

2. Thrift-Store Scarecrow

Scarecrows are the perfect way to dress up your porch or yard, but why spend the money to buy one pre-made? Dig out some unused clothes from your basement (flannel shirts, funny dresses and work jumpers work best) or find some appropriate garments at the local thrift store. Stuff with leaves and other yard waste from your own lawn. Tie off arm and leg openings with string before stuffing into boots and gloves. Once your scarecrow body is properly positioned, top off with a pumpkin head and hat.

3. Upcycled Milk Jug Skeleton

Gather up seven empty plastic milk jugs and you’ll have the perfect materials for this jolly hanging skeleton from Make Zine.

4. Mini Cheesecloth Ghosts

Leave it to Martha Stewart to turn every day waste into adorable table decorations. Layers of starched cheesecloth, some used paper towel rolls and a little wire give these little specters their haunting postures. Tutorial here.
5. DIY Halloween Garland

If you have some cardboard or office paper sitting in the recycling bin, this simple Halloween garland from 6ftMama is the perfect way to give it a second life.

6. Mad Scientist Lab

Use Mason jars or upcycled pickle, olive and baby food jars to create a mad scientist tablescape. Toss food, animals toys or other strange objects into the jars, fill with water and non-toxic food coloring, and you’ll have a shelf full of freakish Halloween experiments. Check out the tutorial at MoneyCrashers for step-by-step instructions.

7. Mini-Pumpkin Wreath

For those who prefer a more classic seasonal look, this mini pumpkin wreath from Armelle Blog is the perfect DIY project. Best of all, it’s easy to disassemble and compost when Halloween’s over.

8. DIY Reusable Halloween Window Decals

All you need is a roll of recycled paper and some eco-friendly paint to make these super-spooky homemade window silhouettes from Inhabitat. Once the holiday’s over, just roll them up and save for next year.

9. Trash Bag Tarantula

With just a few materials you probably have lying around the house, you can create this creepy crawler from Spoonful for a lawn decoration. Use biodegradable garbage bags, or be very careful not to poke holes, and you can reuse them when Halloween is over.

[via care2]