Green Leak of the Month: Green Holiday Tips

• Plant a tree in someone’s name from Arbor Day, Nature Conservancy, or Eco-Libris.
• Make a wish list at a variety of online sites or email it to close friends or family. (rather than give or receive an unwanted gift that will go to waste … or …. see the next item…
• Re-Gifting is NOT a crime! If you do not like a gift you receive keep it in the original packaging and give to someone who would like it. If the gift is valuable, Craigslist is a great way to even make money on the item if you can not return it to the store. If no one would like it then donate it to the Salvation Army, Goodwill or other thrift store to give it one more chance before it goes to the landfill.
• Give the gift of experiences/activities. Buy tickets for plays, concerts, tours or other fun events such as a play, a symphony, a winery tour, cooking, art, or dancing classes, or a visit to a therapeutic specialist ( professional massage is NEVER a bad gift
• Feed and hydrate your loved ones. Making a pie, baking some cookies, infusing your favorite vodka, or reviving Grandmother’s recipe for those you love is a meaningful and unique gift.
• Seeds: the gift that will continue to keep on giving. Heirloom tomatoes and herb seeds are great gifts that will bear fruit well into the future.
• Honor your loved one with a donation in their name. Heifer Project gives those in need all around the world animals that will give them a hand up. American Red Cross, Animal Shelters,Orphanages and Battered Women Shelters are always in need. Go online and find a reputable charity that will put your money to work helping others.
• Reuse papers to wrap gifts, regular glossy wrapping paper is not recyclable but newspaper and magazines are…. or try old maps (as a former Map Librarian I still have some old maps I can use and reuse as cool wrapping paper)
• Be creative with shipping containers and ways of packing the goodies. Pop corn or balled up newspaper are much better than Styrofoam. If you have Styrofoam then find a way to reuse it in another package. While not recyclable Styrofoam peanuts can be brought to any UPS store where they will gladly take it for reuse.
• Look for fair trade products or items made of recycled materials.
• Sierra Club has more green Christmas tips, Treehugger has a 2009 gift guide, and the Daily Green has a variety of categories to choose from (such as item under $20, Safe green toys, DIY gifts, etc) or check out the Green Depot. I personally love Global Girlfriend – not only fair trade items but made by women.

From Going Green @ your library blog.

Who am I?

December's Who am I?

Can you guess who this is? We will unveil the answer at the end of the month. Whoever chooses the correct person first wins! What do you win? The chance to pick the next contestant for Who am I? Click on Post a Comment to venture your guess.

1) If you could pick 3 countries to visit today where would you go and why?

Scotland – because it’s the land of my ancestors.
Japan – because it’s the land of kenjutsu and anime.
Greece – because it’s the birthplace of Western philosophy, and I’d like to visit Mycenae, Pylos, Knossos and all those sites – that would be great.

2) Who would play you in a movie about your life?

I guess maybe Uma Thurman since she’s already got the sword fighting training from “Kill Bill”

3) What would be your 3 main rules if you ran your own country?

1. It would be recognized that all entities classified under kingdom Animalia (under five, or greater, kingdom classification systems) have natural rights, and these rights would also be legal rights at the national level.

2. All activities would be carried out in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.

3. Development of land would be limited, leaving at least 60% of the land as undeveloped wildlife habitat, inclusive of all major types of habitat and with these areas being meaningfully contiguous. This should work out fine, since everyone will probably move out of the country after they hear about the rules, so there will be plenty of free space.