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by Karen Nation
Holiday decorating is a personal choice with many creative ways to go. Personally I think Christmas Trees are a luxury one can indulge in from time to time, as nothing smells and feels like a real spruce-ing. Environmentalists need not fret, as nowadays nearly all the seasonal Christmas-tree lots sell trees grown on tree-farms, so forests aren’t hurt. Tree-farms benefit our environment by replenishing the air with oxygen, providing habitat for birds and other wildlife, and for each Christmas tree cut, 2 or 3 new seedlings are planted. However, they are not so eco-friendly if oozing with pesticides or ending up in our landfills. So please buy from organic farms when available, and recycle your tree after the Holidays. Some Los Angeles areas offer recycling programs like the City of Santa Monica’s Christine Emerson Reed Park at 1133 7th Street, or check www.Earth911.org for a location nearest you.
Potted trees might seem like a green option, though may not fare well in unseasonably warm homes, and are best kept outside… with the Reindeer.
If you choose not to Tree, here are some other Eco-Decorating ideas:
Organic three-herb wreaths, or bay leaf wreaths, smell delightful and provide holiday seasonings to your meals long after New Year’s.
Hang LED lights which are 90% more efficient, emit less heat, and last longer than traditional Christmas lights.
Decorate your shrubs, bushes, doors, mantle, shelves, chairs, and your pets (if they’ll indulge you).
Artificial trees last for several years (or more), however, they consume significant energy and petroleum-based materials during their manufacture, are made of PVC and plastics, transported overseas with 85% being manufactured in China, and are not biodegradable, nor recyclable.
Wrap your gifts with natural burlap or linen, or reuse the ‘funnies’ from the LA Times like they do at the Eco Gift Festival (be sure to attend this weekend!)
Whatever your decision, beyond any “green” decorating, it’s the warm-cozy memories of love, hope, family, friends, giving and sharing that are most important to create.
Happy Holidays! Be well, be green ~ Karen Nation
In case you didn’t already hear… Last week the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board directed the City of Malibu to draft a plan to ban septic-tanks in the city’s commercial area, Malibu Civic Center. This would include a proposal for a wastewater treatment plant to break ground within the next couple years. What does this mean for home-owners? Possibly they’re to follow?
Residents and city officials have long opposed switching from septic-tanks to sewer pipes because the infrastructure could be used to bring massive development to the rustic community. The flip-side is that for eighteen years Surfrider Beach has struggled with declining water quality from the city’s oversaturated “brown fields” that wash bacterial and viral pollution into the ocean. Yuck, I say!
Check out more at www.SurfriderWLAM.org and my new favorite tune from Todd Hannigan and Mick Kelleher…
Be well, be green! ~ Karen Nation
