Here’s the break-down, with links if possible so that you can learn more about these topics…

• 3% of you planned to serve organic meals
• 10% of you bought fewer gifts
• 3% of you made recycled decor
• 3% of you skipped the X-mas tree
• 10% of you made homemade gifts
• 1% of you of all vote sent e-cards
• 3% of you are recycling your gift wrap
• 1% of you are using reusable bags instead of gift wrap for gifts
• 6% of you said you’d be trying everything listed to stay green
• 23% of you were going to try most of the things listed.
• 38% of you were going to do at least two green holiday

No one said that they would:

• Use eco-decorations
• Give green gifts
• Send organic flowers

Those three above are the most expensive green holiday tips, so this might be why no one voted on them. Although, if you made homemade gifts, that’s green.

Now how did you do in the long-run? Was your holiday as green as you hoped? Are there things you regret doing? Or on a more positive note, things you’re proud you did this holiday season?

New poll up soon!

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

I’ve got a new green holiday poll up. Check it out in the sidebar to your right – about halfway down the page.

I offered some basic choices for greening your holiday season, but of course I never think of everything. This is where you come in; leave an idea of your own, if you have one, so that everyone stopping by can learn even more ways to green their holiday.

I’m planning on leaving this poll up throughout November and December, so by New Year’s we should have oodles of great green holiday ideas.

Go ahead and vote! 

November current events at Tree Hugging Family – themes, reviews, news, and more…

[image via stock.xchng]

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Here’s what you said:

42% Not celebrating at all

25% Making costumes or buying used

17% Composting pumpkins after the 31st

13% Natural decorations (like mums)

4% Organic candy and treats

It’s good so many of you are making your own costumes or buying used. Hope you have a great time.

If you need tips on composting pumpkins, visit Earth 911.

Do you have a way you’re greening your Halloween that’s not mentioned above?

Image via MorgueFile.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes and everything else going on at Tree Hugging Family in October 2008.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Please take our poll in the sidebar. If you don’t see an answer you like, add your own. We’ll take the poll down and discuss on Halloween.

Have you missed any Halloween-related posts? Here they are, just in case:

Organic Etsy Halloween Treats

Buy Nothing New Halloween

My Little Green Ghost & Green Halloween Costume Ideas

Non-toxic face paints for Halloween

Oodles of Free Recycled Halloween Craft Ideas

Green Your Halloween Party

Should you buy an organic pumpkin for Halloween?

Fair Trade Halloween: Reverse Trick or Treat!

Start Planning A Green Halloween

Fair Trade Treats for Halloween

Image via stock.xchng.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes and everything else going on at Tree Hugging Family in October 2008 – that includes Blogtoberfest, (we’re giving away over $7,000 in prizes)!

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What measures do you take to conserve water?

I’m not listing each answer, but here are some highlights:

• Most popular answer (aside from “At least 5 of the above”) was turn off water while washing dishes and brushing teeth with 15% of the vote.

• Eating little or no meat claimed 7% of the vote. It takes a lot of water to get a package of beef to the store. . .

• Compost instead of using the garbage disposal and wear clothes more than once both came in at 6% of votes, while taking fewer showers/baths received 5% of votes.

• And it seems most of you do a mixture of all the choices with 46% of the vote as “at least 5 of the above.” In retrospect, that choice probably made this poll confusing to interpret. I won’t do that again.

And a different sort of poll –

Here are the most read water posts at Tree Hugging Family in July:

Green Product Review: SIGG Water Bottle

Green Product Review: Klean Kanteen Water Bottle

Dishwashers Use Less Water

Easy Toilet Leak Test

10 Handy Water-saving Tricks

As Jennifer mentioned, we’ll sprinkle in more water posts throughout the year. And if you have some students in your family, please don’t miss all the Back to School posts at Tree Hugging Family throughout August.

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Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in August 2008

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In glancing at the poll results, I’m a little surprised that only four voters have said that they wear clothes more than once before washing. But we did include that pesky “At least 5 of the above” answer, so maybe that accounts for part of it.

You know I’m curious though.

If you don’t wear your clothes more than once before washing, what are your reasons? Of course, many kids get their clothes too dirty to be recycled, so I’m mostly talking adults or older kids here.

Here’s what I do:

Not to say this system is perfect… Once I wear something, I place it in a different part of my closet so that I know it’s already been worn once. I also try to remove cat hair with a brush. If I only wore something for a couple of hours, I always wear it again before washing. (Since I work from home, I often change back into comfortable lazy clothes as soon as I get home.) In general, I wear clothes two to three times before washing.

However, if it’s stinky hot outside, the clothes get washed. If I spent a lot of time in a public place or doctor’s office, I feel compelled to wash my clothes instead of re-wearing them. I’m a germ freak in that way. I’m also a little messy, so about once or twice a week I spill food on my shirt. Not everything gets worn more than once, but I try.

Do you have a system to keep track of when it’s time to wash your clothes, or do you only wear once?

Image via MorgueFile.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in July 2008

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From least to most popular green sin:

Recklessly use the printer — 2% of all votes

Don’t buy recycled office paper — 2% of all votes

Don’t recycle anything — 3% of all votes

Never buy organic foods — 3% of all votes

Still use detergents with phosphate — 3% of all votes

Don’t bother getting off junk mail lists — 4% of all votes

Buy a lot of stuff I may not need cause I love to shop — 4% of all votes

Refuse to carpool to work — 6% of all votes

Use Raid on spiders — 8% of all votes

Eat convenience foods with too much packaging — 12% of all votes

Drive an SUV (choice added by reader) — 15% of all votes

And the Biggest Green Sin was . . .

Leave unused appliances/chargers plugged in all day — 36% of all votes (That’s also the one I voted for.)

It’s good to know so many of you are recycling! That choice received very few votes. If you need to work on not leaving unused appliances plugged in all day, try a power strip AND check out Jennifer’s post — One Small Step: Solve One Green Sin (At Least Partially).

As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve been writing about these green sins all month. Here are the posts in case you missed them:

Never Buy Organic Food

Driving an SUV

Reasons to Carpool

Raid on Spiders

Using Dishwasher Detergents with Phosphates

Recklessly Use the Printer

Why Buy Recycled Paper

If we left out something you wanted us to cover, let us know. And please look for the new poll very soon.

Are you surprised by the poll results?

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Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Ease into organic. If you never buy organic food, try adding at least one organic item per shopping trip. I’ve noticed that many popular brands are starting to go organic, so it’s not something just confined to the health food store or produce section anymore. For instance, you even find Kraft organic Macaroni & Cheese!

I understand how challenging it is to spend more on organic products, but if you build up to it slowly and avoid as many convenience foods as possible, you can do it without totally breaking your food budget. You may also find that if you seriously dedicate yourself to eating out less, you’ll have more cash to spend on groceries.

But why is organic food important?

•You can reduce health risks associated with exposure to pesticide residue.

•If demand for organic food increases, more farmers will convert to organic farming, which has been shown to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional farming.

•Pesticides used in conventional farming contaminate groundwater and negatively affect beneficial insects like bees.

•According to a 15-year study, organic farming uses 50% less energy than conventional farming.

•Conventional farming is hard on wildlife. For example, nearly 70 million birds die from pesticide exposure each year in the US.

Keep going after the jump to see a round-up of posts about organic food at Tree Hugging Family, including “Best Foods to Buy Organic.”

11 Ways to Save Money on Organic Food

How What You Eat Affects the Environment

What’s Missing from the 12 Items You Should Always Buy Green List?

Homemade Organic Fruit Snacks

Tree Hugging Website Spotlight: Organic Guide

Best Foods to Buy Organic

Planning an Organic or Vegetarian Wedding Menu?

Why Choose Organic Cotton Clothing

If you haven’t taken our green sins poll in the sidebar, please do before it’s taken down this week! Also, visit soon for a round-up of green sin posts and a look at the poll results.

Image via USDA.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

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Makers of laundry detergent in the United States, Japan, Canada and some European countries no longer include phosphate as an ingredient. I know many people with clean clothes, so phosphate-free laundry detergent must be working.

Including phosphates in dishwasher detergent is still popular in the US and other countries. That doesn’t make sense to me. The practice was widely discontinued in laundry detergent since the phosphate was causing algae blooms that smothered aquatic life and otherwise made lakes and streams unhealthy and smelly.

The good news is that some US states are starting to ban dishwasher detergents with high levels of phosphates.

If you’re still buying dishwasher detergent with phosphates, look at the alternatives. I’m currently using Ecover tablets and love them, but I’m going to try them out a while longer before posting a review. I have reviewed Seventh Generation’s powder, and Jennifer reviewed the gel.

Method is another alternative, but I haven’t tried their automatic dishwasher product. Jennifer is planning a review of Biokleen dishwasher powder. Other phosphate-free dishwasher detergents are available as well. If you’ve tried a phosphate-free detergent you liked, please let us know.

A word of caution: Always read the ingredients in any product claiming to be “green,” “eco” or “earth-friendly.” A true green product will list its ingredients, and bleach, which can irritate your lungs, shouldn’t be one of them.

Visit our other green sin posts this month:

•Raid on Spiders
•Why Buy Recycled Paper
•Leaving Unused Appliances and Chargers Plugged In
•Reasons to Carpool
•Driving an SUV (choice added by reader)
•Recklessly Use the Printer

Algae bloom photo via flickr/soil-science.info photostream.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

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I don’t use it on other bugs, because all that scares me is spiders. In fact, I’m the one who added the ” Use Raid on spiders” category to the poll this month, but since others voted yes, we’ll discuss it a bit. Not much, because I’m sorry, no matter how eco-bad it is, I’m not giving up my Raid. I talked about why here.

People in the comments on the other Raid post had some interesting suggestions including a spider relocation device (OH NO) and a general consensus that one major green sin won’t kill me, so live with it.

I read an article once that said to get over your fear of spiders you should play with pretend spiders, because it’ll lessen the shock when you see one. I don’t think that would work for me. Each Halloween un-eco-friendly folks give my son a ton of those plastic spiders, and I can barely stand to touch them as I’m gathering them to toss. Real or fake; spiders do not live in my house. Period. I don’t even look at pictures of them in books.

I have no real solution. I’ve learned to live with my choice, which I suppose is my solution. I try to live lightly most of the time and I know I can’t do it all. So if you have this sin, or another sin on our poll this month, one that can’t be easily fixed, try not to be too hard on yourself.

Feel free to offer solutions to this sin. Note that if it involves catching live spiders in any way shape or form, it’s not going to work for me. Vacuuming is out too. Do you know they just don’t make the tubes long enough AND what if it got out in the night and came after me…. Yikes.

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