The Lazy Environmentalist » Green Gifts

Dreaming of a Green Christmas? Anna Getty’s New Book Can Help

Josh Dorfman — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:50:58 +0000

Christmas time rocks. I love candy canes. I really like Christmas Carols. I’m mostly over Santa Claus. And I’m fairly indifferent to Christmas light decorations even when they’re comprised of Energy-efficient multicolor XMas LEDs. Mostly what I like about the Holiday Season is the time it affords us to hang out with friends and family to share old memories and create new ones. Granted, there’s a home or two of old friends where I’m not exactly welcome any longer because my Christmas Eve antics were a tad, let’s say, theatric (who hasn’t partaken in too much Square One Organic Vodka or Orange V on festive occasions?), but I know that it would run counter to Christmas spirit if I were to let the past prevent me from continuing to enjoy this wonderful time of year.

This year, a new book is available to boost our holiday cheer by helping us instill new traditions, get back to basics, and recognize that sometimes the most meaningful thing about the holidays is not who gets the coolest gadget (hello, family members, I would love a new Kindle DX) or throws back the most free-range egg nog shots, but rather how we cultivate the moments when we take the time to really slow down and appreciate each other. The book is I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas by Anna Getty. It’s filled with recipes, decoration ideas, and gift giving strategies designed to foster a deeper connection to each other while reducing our impact on the planet. Much of Anna’s advice will help save you money too.

Anna is a friend. She lives the advice she offers. This holiday season I know that my family and I will be enriched for having implemented many of her suggestions.

Get the book I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas.

Happy Holidays.

The Good-For-You Candle From Natural Beeswax

Marisa Belger — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:04:52 +0000

Candles aren’t good for you? What?! How can the soft, gentle light and sweet scent of a candle be anything but beneficial? Easily, it turns out. Many conventional candles are loaded with all sorts of synthetic fragrance and color, petroleum by-products, even lead and metal wicks that can lead to toxic soot landing in your home and in your lungs. No good. That’s why I seek out safe candles made from either soy or beeswax and scented with nothing but plant essential oils. These healthy lights are more expensive for sure, but they usually last a long time and fill your space with a clean, fresh scent. These days, I’m partial to Simply Organic’s Humble Lavender Beeswax candle, the ultimate accompaniment to a soak in the tub or while enjoying a quiet evening with a book. Or, if you’re a hyperactive, multi-tasking working urban mama like me, while jamming out in front of the computer. Lavender is prized for its calming affects. Give it a shot.

Best Green Gifts for Green Gadget-Lovers

Pete Stacker — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:07:53 +0000

It’s a common misconception that environmentalists are opposed to electronic technology. Looking as far into the science-fiction-future as possible, it’s apparent that technology will be essential to righting climate change and bringing an abundant lifestyle in line with what’s best for the planet. It should go without saying that many gadgets don’t start out green in nature; the primary function of a gadget is to make the impossible possible, the difficult easy, or the mundane exciting.

While shopping green gifts for the tech-lover in your life, don’t miss out on these exciting green gadgets:

The Amazon Kindle has a lot going for it in the eyes of a gadget-loving green consumer: It’s lean, attractive, and immediate. It’s lean in the sense that it’s approximately as thick as a pencil. It’s attractive in its Apple-esque sleekness. And it’s immediate in the sense that you can browse your favorite books, publications, and blogs anywhere (the airport, the beach, waiting in line) and download them instantaneously — books come in under 60 seconds, $9.99 or less. The Kindle stands alone, no need to plug into a computer or connect to a wireless internet connection — it’s 3G like an iPhone. Unlike an iPhone, the charge lasts days.

The Cyber-Rain Sprinkler Controller automatically updates itself via the internet and adjusts accordingly for local weather conditions including precipitation, humidity, and temperature. You can also isolate up to eight different zones in your yard, decidedly cool if you or your gadget-lover are also interested in gardening. Maybe you’re just looking to save 30-70% of the cost and water you use to hydrate the lawn. Imagine taking something as normal as watering the yard and automating a hyper-sensitive, weather-reactive, self-adjusting system… hmmm, green gadget goodness.

No green gadget list would be complete without the total-package 60-Watt solar kit from Sunforce. The applications for this kit are nearly endless: RVs, cabins, boats, greening the ultimate man-cave, and everything else under the sun. It’s tough to imagine a cooler gadget feature than this: Able to withstand impacts from 50 mph hail. Not to be confused with the timelessly cool: Able to turn sunlight into power. And: Able to power all your other gadgets and toys. It’s like the Superman of green gadgets, plus you get to clean it with a hose. Hose sold separately.

Scented Soy Wax Candles Shed the Best Natural Light on the Situation

Melanie McGee Bianchi — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:22:49 +0000

Paraffin candles had their day in the dark, but soy-wax alternatives are so far past novelty status at this point that they just may eclipse their petroleum-based brethren. And why shouldn’t soy candles be popular? Not only are they environmentally friendly, but they burn longer and smell stronger than traditional tapers. Let there be light!

Vanilla bean? Holiday spice? So pre-millennium. Why not just bring back M.C. Hammer pants? Today’s candle culture insists upon more sophisticated scents. The vibe must be Eden-pure or else darkly exotic, such as the Paddywax Eco 5.5 Ounce Poured Glass Soy Candle ($17), scented with Vetiver (extracted from a rare grass found in India) and Bordeaux Fig. Despite the foreign flavor, the candle—which burns for an impressive 60 hours—was made in the U.S.A.

Dirt Candles ($15) blaze a trail on two counts. Not only are they thoroughly eco-conscious, complete with cotton wicks and recycled packaging, but the company’s 10-oz. jar candle comes in two-dozen intuitively named scents. Get a whiff of Beach Bum, Old Faithful and A Fresh Start. Got an occasion coming up? Consider Bah Humbug or Wedded Bliss (gift wrapping is available). Or melt with Fountain of Youth, Mother Love and Sugar Rush. So sweet.

The Mrs. Meyer’s label has made shiny happy consumers out of many former doubters with an eponymous line of all-natural home cleansers, and candles seem like the logical next step. The good lady’s Clean Day Soy Candle ($51.43 for the set) is bundled as a six-pack, and the empty 7.2-oz. jars are designed to be reused as juice glasses. Go for Geranium–it’s subtler than Lemon Verbena and less ubiquitous than Lavender.

Monthly Wall Calendars – Large, Picturesque, Erasable & Recycled

Melanie McGee Bianchi — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:51:14 +0000

If NASA, Nostradamus and the ancient Mayans prove correct, the world will end in 2012 and you can officially cross “wall calendar” off your shopping list (along with dog food, deodorant, and other former necessities). To mark time while it’s at its most precious, consider one of these classy calendars that also happen to be eco-friendly. Bonus: If the world keeps on ticking, you can frame the prettiest prints and recycle them as home décor.

Graphique de France’s Lifestyle line of 2010 calendars ($14) features flowers as high art. While a few selections, like “Flowers of Friendship” and “Live Love Laugh,” are a bit cloying, others sing with cultural richness. “Garden,” “Garden Bouquets” and “The Art of Zen Flowers” showcase primo botanical photography. But “ZoZo the Magic Queen,” a fantasy-decoupage tableau, is the freshest of the bunch. Graphique de France uses soy-based inks and papers that are culled from trees harvested from responsibly managed forests.

Sick of Sponge Bob’s deranged grin and Dora the Explorer’s relentless energy? Graphique de France’s The Kid in All of Us calendar ($14) line includes spreads of retro cartoon pals Curious George, Fred Flintstone, old-school Snoopy and even those buoyant mid-century tots Dick & Jane. Twelve months of low-tech lollygagging ahead.

This subtly toned 15″ by 12″ all-business wall calendar ($10.09) is a timely alternative to overly “officey” appointment keepers in boring black and white. Every part of the calendar is made of recycled material, even the wire binding. Tips for more-sustainable living are featured each month, as well as plenty of room for notes.

PlanetSafe’s Erasable/Reversible Wall Calendar/Planner ($25.95) optimistically goes through 2011: that means an extra year free of charge. Made of 100% biodegradable, non-plastic film laminate, the calendar is oversized (38″ by 24″)—the better to outline your end-of-the-world party plans in full detail!

Green Gift Ideas for Women by Red Flower

Marisa Belger — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:44:02 +0000

The Ultimate I’ll Never Forget Your Birthday Again-Of Course-I-Know-Today-Is-Our-Anniversary Gift. Men: if you’ve messed up, don’t mess around. Head straight to Red Flower and make things right with a loving green gift. Each gorgeous, organic product — think candles and body wash and lotion — is overflowing with flowers and essential oils and all sorts of I-love-you goodness that will show your lady that you’re not the dimwit she thinks you are. That you’re sensitive and aware and want only the finest all natural, wild-crafted botanicals to touch her skin; that you would never allow a synthetic ingredient to cross her path; and that she is, of course, meant to be enveloped in a cloud of Indian Jasmine, Spanish Gardenia or Icelandic Moonflower. Of course.