Have A Happy Green Hanukkah!

Green thinking is everywhere these days, in your appliances, in your favorite movies, in your kid's school, and yes, now in your menorah. There is a movement underway, launched by the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) called Let There Be (Renewable) Light: A New Look At Hanukkah that offers eco-savvy tips to help Green Hanukkah.

Sure, you could argue that Hanukkah, even at it's most elaborately festive, does not even come close to eliciting the same commercial over-consumption and environmental damage as Christmas. But the fact remains that there are a number of things that you can do to celebrate Hanukkah with your family while minimizing your impact on the environment. Here's a few ideas:

1. Raid your recycling bin to make your own "green" menorah
2. Check out The Green Parent Holiday Gift Guide for low-impact, eco-friendly gift ideas.
3. Save paper by sending your holiday cheer via ecards and slideshows instead of by mail.
   
4. Surf over the COEJL website for blessings, energy saving tips, games, and kid-friendly craft ideas to help you celebrate an eco-savvy Festival of Lights.

Spread Some Holiday Eco-Cheer With E-Cards and Slideshows

Get out your address book, it's time to send out your holiday greeting cards. If you are like most Americans, this is the one time of year where you send out cards to family and friends both near and far. In fact, Americans send out almost 3 billion greeting cards over the winter holidays (that's enough cards to fill a football field ten stories high!) But holiday cards generate a mountain of wasted paper in addition to heaps of environmental pollution in their production and shipping. So this year, why not save the planet while saving yourself a fortune in time and cash and spread a little eco-cheer instead. Here's how:

• Choose from one of the 25,000 free e-cards available from Care2. Customize one for each person on your list or send one card to everyone. Each free card you send generates donations to environmental organizations.
  
• Set up a holiday slideshow (complete with music or falling snowflakes) at Photobucket and email the link to family and friends. Photobucket has preset templates for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.
  
• If you simply must go with paper, look for cards printed on recycled paper (try PaperCards.com, Rossetti Designs, or KidBean.)
• Enlist your kids' help in making cards from scratch using newspapers, magazines, and recycled holiday cards that you have around the house.

To Spend or Not To Spend

“The competition for kids’ mind share is intense…
Everything from Disney Princess to That’s So Raven
to Pirates of the Caribbean we position as a lifestyle brand,
and we are able to drive that lifestyle message through product.”
— Jim Fielding, executive vice president of global retail, sales, and marketing,
Disney Consumer Products*

With Thanksgiving over, the winter holiday season has officially begun. Tis the season for caroling, holiday parties, decorations, gingerbread houses, dreidel games, and of course, lots and lots of shopping. My last post, The Green Parent's 2007 Holiday Gift Guide, was aimed at helping you spread the holiday cheer without selling your soul. I hope this list gives you plenty of ideas to get you started on your shopping list. But I also felt it was necessary to mention the deeper issue here, which is whether or not you even need to buy new things in the first place...to spend or not to spend.

As a Green Parent, you may be hoping to curb the consumerism a bit and celebrate the holidays without mounds upon mounds of presents. With the latest toy recall scares, you may also want to steer your children away from certain brands and/or styles of toys that are produced under questionable conditions.

But this can be difficult to do when your child is clamoring for the toys they see advertised on TV, in stores, on their friends, and even in their schools. Because each year, in an effort to grab your attention and earn your dollars, retailers and manufacturers usher in a seemingly endless bombardment of advertising aimed at you (of course) and also at your children. So kids at a younger and younger age are "branded", and drawn to the logos and characters they see on everything from their diapers to their utensils.

Conscious consumerism is the focus of a non-profit agency called The Center For the New American Dream. This year, they have launched a holiday blog called Holiday Parenting Tips in an effort to help parents "navigate the highly commercial holiday season as responsibly as possible." This is a great place to start if you are looking for ways to have a great holiday season without breaking the bank or wreaking havoc on the planet.

You can also check out their brochure, "Tips For Parenting In A Commercial Culture", to better understand the minds of the markerters who are targeting your children and to find tips for teaching your children the ABCs of advertising. (I found the quote at the top of this post, along with many others, in this brochure.)

I don't like to be stressed at the holidays. Nor do I like to feel guilty. I plan to buy both of my children a number of presents this season, but I also vow to start teaching them both the true meaning of the holidays and the true meaning of all of those holiday ads!



*“License! 2005 Industry Annual Report,” (Advanstar Communications, October 2005), 45, www.licensemag.com/licensemag/data/articlestandard/licensemag/ 412005/184293/article.pdf.

The Green Parent Holiday Gift List

Are you worried about your holiday gift list this year? With all of the news about global warming and environmental degradation, let alone sweatshop labor and toxic toys, what's a Green Parent to do? Never fear, there are tons of gifts that you can give to show your spirit without selling your soul. Here, without further ado, is The 2007 Green Parent Holiday Gift List...a list of gifts you can feel good about:

Give The Gift That Gives Back

Charities: Check out The Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) to find a charitable organization to match the interests of anyone on your list. The independent site lists charities by category and gives detailed information about the mission, efficiency, and capacity of thousands of organizations.

For The Little Idealist: Even the youngest recipient will be delighted with a charitable gift that piques her interest. Does the kid on your list love books? Donate her favorite title to the local library. Does he love the outdoors? Give him a gift membership to the Sierra Club (www.sierraclub.org) or the Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org). Or adopt-an-animal from the World Wildlife Fund and your recipient will receive info about the animal as well as a plush version to cuddle. For more ideas check out Idealist.org (www.idealist.org) for a listing of charitable groups that were founded by kids.

Offsets: Help friends and family offset their carbon footprint with a gift of renewable energy credits (RECs) or greentags. The money you spend on carbon offsets will be used to support projects that reduce or sequester carbon emissions. Check out Carbon Neutral (www.carbonneutral.com) or Green Tags USA (www.greentagsusa.org) to calculate carbon emissions and purchase greentags.

No-Waste Gifts

Flowers: Send your loved ones a bouquet you can feel good about from Organic Bouquet (www.organicbouquet.com.) For something unique, try the Fresh Myrtle Wreath Frame; a beautifully lush wreath made from domestically grown myrtle. It can be used as a frame, a wreath, or a centerpiece. $64.95

Chocolates: The holidays just wouldn’t be the same without chocolate. Dagoba Organic Chocolate (www.dagobachocolate.com), Green & Black’s (www.greenandblacks.com), and Newman’s Own Organic Chocolate (www.newmansownorganics.com) all make deliciously decadent organic chocolate selections. For something extra fancy, try Art Bite Chocolates made from organic Costa Rican chocolates. These hand decorated treats come in four delectable flavors: Whole Pistachios, Dried Ranier Cherries, a local specialty, Organic Cocoa Nibs and Chipotle Pepper, $29.95 (for 1 dozen).

Eco-Friendly Sweets: If your child has a sweet tooth (and what child doesn’t!) he will love making his own treats with a Glee Kit. Choose between the Chewing Gum Kit, the Gummy Candy Kit, and the Chocolate Kit. Each one comes with all of the ingredients necessary to make the treat as well as fun stories and info about the origins of the candy.

Toys You Can Trust

Roy Toy Building Sets: Roy Toy Classic building Sets, such as the Log Cabin and the Fort are Made in the U.S.A. from solid wood and non-toxic finishes. Each set contains over 140 all-wood pieces and a complete set of building instructions so kids can use to get down to building. $29.95

The Power House Kit: from Gaiam gives kids the supplies they need to build a model house complete with PV solar panels, wind turbine, greenhouse, and desalination system. The kit comes with an illustrated manual that includes 70 experiments and 20 building activities. $175.00

Organic Cotton Stuffed Animals: Look for a stuff animal, like this puppy or bear from Gaiam, that contains nothing but pure 100% organic cotton and low eco-impact dyes. $12.99

Puppets: Sequoia Wildlife Finger Puppet Playset: This beautiful playset contains six wildlife puppets (owl, bear, blue jay, squirrel, hare and fox) and a 17-inch plush sequoia tree. Older kids can put on puppet shows for little ones (and vice versa) to learn about animals, nature, and communication. Net proceeds of the sale of this toy benefit the Sierra Club. $39.95.

Cool Eco-Friendly Stuff

Gifts To Pamper: Does someone you know need a little pampering? Try the Feel Amazemint gift set from Aveda with all-natural products that cool, refresh, and protect the skin from environmental damage. $29.99. Or try the Angelica Gift Set from Aubrey Organics, a light citrus parfum and bath powder (made from rice and tapioca…not talc) set made from organic ingredients that are certified cruelty-free and vegan. $21.95

Eco Gadgets: Boys can’t resist their toys, so gadgets such as a hand-crank flashlight for the car or a solar-powered radio for the boat are sure to be a hit. Check out Sundance Solar (http://store.sundancesolar.com) for a number of eco-gadget selections.

Recycled Gadgets: Motherboard Business Card Case: This sleek case has a circuit board cover which fits snugly over a brass-colored metal base. Holds up to a dozen cards. No two patterns are exactly alike. $25.00 or Record Label Holiday Ornaments Laser cut from vintage 45 rpm records, these zero waste ornaments come packaged in sets of three different records in a clear, recyclable box. $18 for a set of three.

Books For All Ages

Hoot by Carl Haissen

Nature’s Art Box by Laura C. Martin and David Cain

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Magic Schoolbus: At The WaterWorks by Joanna Cole,

The Gaia Girl Series by Lee Welles

WoodsWalk by Henry W. Art and Michael W. Robbins

Worms Eat My Garbage: How To Set Up & Maintain A Worm Composting System by Mary Appelholf

Get Ready For The Green Parent Holiday Gift List

I usually make it a rule in my house that we don't talk, shop, or decorate for Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. Any sooner than that and we risk an all-encompassing holiday burn-out. This year, however, I am making an exception, so that I can thoroughly research all of the eco-savvy new games/books/toys/and gizmos out there and have my Green Parent Holiday Gift List ready before you hit the stores.

So, I'm making my list and I'll be checking it twice. If you know of a cool green something or other (product, gift card, charity, etc.) that you think should make the list, drop me a line. And be sure to check back here on Green Friday (formerly known as Black Friday) for a list of earth-friendly gifts that will please everyone on your shopping list.