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Posts Tagged ‘christmas’

Suggestions for a Cheaper, Greener, more Eco Friendly Christmas and New Year by Davinos Greeno

Christmas tree

• Rather than buying a real tree thats been cut down, transported and then thrown away, purchase a large potted plant or small tree that can be used each year as your evergreen Christmas tree.

• You could always purchase an artificial tree that can be reused for many years, these range from 10 pounds to over 100 pounds. Ours actually looks real!

• If you buy a real tree, pay the Woodland Trust or a different organization to plant one in its place!

Christmas Decorations

• If you have evergreen shrubs and trees – to make sure you have an annual supply of eco-friendly Christmas decorations why not do some of your pruning just before Christmas and use the choice bits for inside? If you have not got any evergreens but have a garden ask for some of these plants as Christmas presents. They may take a few years to grow but then all you will need to do is harvest in December and be as creative as you like.

• Make a homemade wreath using branches trimmed from your garden or somebody elses.

• Purchase handmade decor made from recycled or eco-friendly materials. If possible by Fair trade as well, as they are a great way to support the disadvantaged. While some of these crafts may not be from recycled materials they provide much needed income to needy individuals.

• Ivy is good to drape around pictures, windows and the base of Christmas trees, it will hide the wires of the tree lights. There is as far as I know no substitute for electric fairy lights but as they last for years and use very little power, their impact is relatively low and they do look great.

• One of the advantages of using natural decorations is that after Christmas they do not need to go in the bin they can enter your normal garden waste on the compost heap.

Christmas tree ornaments

• Make homemade ornaments from (painted) pinecones, painted eggshells, crushed (colored) aluminum foil, paper chains, paper snowflakes, old CDs and more!

• Decorate a doll as an angel.

• Do an online search for recycled or homemade tree ornaments for numerous ideas or purchase these recycled or eco-friendly tree ornaments if you cant be bothered to make them.

Gifts
• Buy a subscription to an organisation working to make the world a better place such as the RSPB, RSPCA or Oxfam.

• If you are buying a present that uses batteries make sure the person you are buying it for has a battery charger and buy rechargeable batteries.

• Buy a homemade present, bird table, compost bin. Chocolate cakes often go down very well!
Gift wrap

• Collect extra photocopies or no longer needed papers from work for your children to draw on the back.

• Use colored pictures from your childrens colouring books.

• Use leftover pieces of fabric or wallpaper.

• Use recycled paper.

• Put the gift inside another gift such as a decorative tin, nice wooden box etc.

• Use gift wrap, gift bags and gift boxes, ribbon and bows from last Christmas or previous celebrations. Leave the tags blank on the gifts you are giving so that they can be reused.

Greeting cards & gift tags

• Send an e-card.

• Make a greeting card or tag from scrap paper, fabric or wallpaper.

• Make cards or tags from pieces of food box.

Packing material

• Use saved packing material such as foam or bubble wrap.

• Crush up newspaper into loose balls. This is cheap, quick and lightweight! This is our preferred method for box filler.

After the New Year

• Find out where you can recycle your real Christmas tree or Christmas cards, local councils and supermarkets are a good place to start. They will turn your trees into mulch for use in parks and public gardens.

• Use any wrapping paper that is no longer reusable for shelf liners or craft projects.

• Save boxes, gift bags, wrapping, filler, ribbons and bows for future gift wrapping or craft projects. Give them away to friends, neighbours etc if you have too many to keep.

Davinos Greeno works for the organic directory This green directory lists 100s of Organic Food and Drink Companies and Eco Jobs and Campaigning Videos

Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles

Hints and Tips That Will Keep Jack Frost and the Tax Man From Your Door
By David John Martin

Now that winter is creeping in, ready to send a chill up your spine and turn the tip of your nose to ice as you lie in bed at night, those of us without proper insulation could really be feeling the heat. Or not.

With new government schemes in place to encourage householders to save energy for the sake of the planet, now is a better time than any to ensure that you are not wasting energy or money. With the oncoming recession and the panic over global warming, restricting the amount of gas and electric you use is a good way to ensure that you save money and do your bit to cut down on your carbon footprint with one stone’s throw.

In the winter it is usually the elderly who suffer. The need to heat their homes sufficiently enough to avoid health problems and discomfort is essential. Viruses such as the flu can be very dangerous for older people and it is much more common to catch in the colder months. Unfortunately if you are retired and do not have a substantial and steady income, the cost of central heating can be a burden.

One way of cutting down heating costs is to ensure that your home is properly insulated. The government have put in place new schemes to help the elderly pay for proper insulation in their homes, providing all or some of the cost of the materials and installation. These are schemes designed to help reduce the UK’s carbon footprint yet they also ensure that thousands of people who are less well off can afford a standard level of protection for their homes.

Having the proper insulation in your house can make a huge difference to the size of your monthly bills. There are government approved fitters who will take care to make sure that there are no signs of harmful materials such as asbestos and if there is, they will be able to take the relevant precautions to remove it and avoid contamination.

Asbestos was once widely used to insulate properties before it was discovered that particles could become trapped in the body when inhaled and be the cause of serious illness or related cancer. Therefore it is essential that you ensure that professionals do any insulation fittings.

With Christmas languishing at the end of December, it is an expensive time of year for most of us. Saving on bills and other household outgoings should be the first port of call as this is where we can lose money without realising. Comparing gas and electric companies online is another way to see how you can save money. It is often easier to stick with the companies that you have been with for years but all too often loyal customers can be taken to the dry cleaners by companies taking advantage of their complacency. Don’t let one of those loyal customers be you.

Compare electricity prices at http://www.confused.com/gas-electricity

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_John_Martin
http://EzineArticles.com/?Hints-and-Tips-That-Will-Keep-Jack-Frost-and-the-Tax-Man-From-Your-Door&id=1761220