Each year I say – I should figure out a Christmas holiday tradition for my family that’s not only eco-friendly, but fun, and also something that everyone can swallow.

Facts:
I personally was raised with Christmas – trees, cookies, gifts, the whole darn deal. I liked it and as a kid thought it was mostly fun, but I never loved how hectic it was, and by the time I was in my early 20s I was sick of the whole planning perfect gifts mess.
By the time my son Cedar was born, his dad and I wanted to do something for the …read more

That post title is the whole premise of a new movie, No Impact Man, coming out on September 11th 2009 in New York and Los Angeles, with national dates of release to follow. No Impact Man is a documentary, Sundance 2009 official selection about one New York City family’s attempt to leave as little environmental impact as possible. BUT in this case the husband of the family is way on board while his wife is a meat eating, espresso drinking, TV watching gal; which is all good unless your husband, Colin, is attempting to leave nothing behind.
See the trailer:

The basics: …read more

Each year I advocate Buy Nothing Day.
Each year I run a green gift guide here, and if you visit my other blogs, you’ll see that I run gift guides there as well.

Could I be more hypocritical?
Each year at this time I start feeling like I should answer the question above. Last year I posted, If you’re so against having stuff, then why show all these products on this blog? That post basically covered why I’m not a hypocrite. But, it’s always good to recap during the holiday season.
My take on stuff:

Many of us are welcoming spring today, so I thought it would be nice to go over some nature loving, tree hugging, eco-friendly ideas that will carry the entire family through the better part of spring and into summer.
1. Quit looking at nature through your frosty windows. It’s warming up, so get out there and enjoy nature in real time, in real life, in full blown color.
2. Throw open your windows wide and let in the fresh air. Natural ventilation is actually a really effective green home goal to aim for. Proper cross ventilation naturally helps to remove any indoor …read more

This week we’re focusing on commercialism, materialisms, and how that relates to kids and green living. If you need to catch up:
Raising Green Kids In A Commercial Culture
Commercials Are Everywhere
Eco-friendly Ways to Reward Kids
I know many families with homes beyond their needs. Not always necessarily above their needs but absolutely beyond. I’ve known couple friends (no kids yet) who buy homes with six bedrooms and four baths, who have three cars, and all the new gadgets you could want. One such couple I know will really lay into you if you’re not up on all the best new golf gear …read more