Lighter Footstep hosts the Christmas edition of Carnival of The Green. Browse a great collection of articles submitted by some of the Green web’s top writers.

This week, Lighter Footstep is pleased to host the 159th edition of the Carnival of The Green. A blog carnival is a regular collection of articles submitted by a number of websites — usually along a theme or topic. The Carnival of The Green is coordinated by our friends at Treehugger, one of the web’s leading environmental voices. Last week’s edition was hosted by The Christian Environmentalist. Next week, it’s on to Ruscombe Green.

So on to this week’s crop of Carnival submissions:

At Organic Makeup and Skin Care, Julena writes about The Quest for Organic Makeup. With consumer expectations guided by the commercial makeup industry, arriving at healthy, balanced beauty products which also produce the desired aesthetic results its a tough job. Fortunately, a number of manufacturers are taking the plunge. Julena provides a list of the early organic pioneers.

Rekitchen discusses The Surprising Health Benefits of Green Cabinets. While the obvious benefits of green furnishings are well known (in terms of lower carbon footprint and more sustainable wood harvesting techniques), there are also a surprising number of health reasons to choose eco-friendly cabinetry. Chris Brooks draws from ten interviews with policymakers and cabinetmakers to illustrate the point.

At Lighter Footstep, we’re big fans of Fake Plastic Fish. This week, Beth Terry’s article Homemade Chocolate Syrup: Delicious & Plastic-Free shows another way to cut your plastic consumption while having a little fun. You’ll find a great recipe for homemade chocolate syrup that’s perfect for the holidays.

We’ve long discussed that while you needn’t give up meat to be considered “green,” it’s a sound environmental choice. Sally Kneidel of Veggie Revolution introduces us to a school which is going meatless one day next spring to bring attention to more sustainable eating. This bookmarkable and well-researched article is full of solid information on the impact of traditional meat-based diets. 

Agroblogger has kicked-up the debate over Open Source Appropriate Technology in an article called Too Little, Too Late? So what is OSAT? Essentially, it’s a patent-free and community driven model for developing technology appropriate to a given situation. You’ll find a fuller definition at Appropedia — which is itself a demonstration of appropriate technology — along with a number of related articles at Agroblogger.

We’re just three days away from Christmas, and you’re probably looking for ways to stretch a tight holiday budget. The folks at The Smarter Wallet have a smart collection of 12 Homemade Gift Ideas To Fit A Small Budget. Most of these are straightforward enough to get a few of them done before the big day, so have fun and delight friends and family with a one-of-a-kind gift they’ll really appreciate. 

And if you take Clara Myers’ advice, the next time you sit down on that warm carpet to open presents, it will be a healthier experience. Mind Mart asks What’s In Your Carpet? Traditional floor coverings are full of chemical treatments and leach all manner of things into groundwater when they finally hit the landfill, but there are alternatives.

Finally, we at Lighter Footstep would like to remind you to consider charitable giving as you’re crossing the last few items off your holiday list. There are plenty of worthy organizations out there, and with more difficult financial times, they’re depending on your generosity now more than ever. One particularly fun was to give in someone else’s name this year is Oxfam’s Unwrapped program. Oxfam allows you to make a donation that’s attached to a symbolic gift: mosquito netting, a donkey, or schoolbooks for kids in developing countries. The money actually funds a variety of Oxfam’s relief missions, but it’s a tangible way to demonstrate the power of giving.

That’s it for the Christmas edition of Carnival of The Green. Enjoy exploring this week’s sites, hit our homepage and browse our list of Sites We Love for more, and enjoy the warmth of the holidays in peace and sustainability.

Don’t put your worn out cellphone phone in the trash — it’s probably filled with all sorts of toxic nasties. Here’s how to hang up on Old Faithful the right way.

Cellphones are as much a fashion accessory these days as shoes or jewelry. That — and the planned obsolescence of changing technology — means you’ll probably change your phone every 18 months to two years. It all translates to a lot of potentially toxic e-waste.

PVC, lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and brominated flame retardants: consumer electronics can be a witches brew of things you don’t want leaching out of landfills and into your drinking water. Rather than thoughtlessly dropping that old phone into a nearby dumpster or hiding it in a desk drawer, recycle or repurpose it!

Recycle

Many large electronic stores, including Radio Shack, Staples, and Best Buy, feature handy drop boxes of unwanted phones and batteries. It’s quite possible your cellphone vendor offers a take-back program. call2recycle maintains a national database of drop-off centers here.

Repurpose

Working or repairable cellphones can be a real lifeline for seniors and women’s shelters. These can be as close as a quick call to organizations listed in your local phone directory. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence accepts phones by mail — as does the Seniors assistance group Phones for Life. You’ll find a long list of organizations want to put your old phone to good use at the Electronic Industries Alliance’s Consumer Education Initiative.

Finally, it’s possible your local community sponsors electronic waste disposal and recycling. Check the government pages in your phone directory.

Respect your own privacy

Cellphones have largely replaced personal digital assistants (PDAs). That makes phones a rich target for unscrupulous identity thieves. Before surrendering a phone for recycling or reuse, delete all of your personal data and make sure it can’t be used to access your wireless account. Remember: a cellphone can hold data indefinitely, even when the battery is dead.

Find out how to zero-out your particular cellphone model at WirelessRecycling.com.

Do you really want to green your home? You can’t do it alone. Here’s how to get the sort of family buy-in you need to make it work.

You have lots of free time, right? Of course not. Life is busy and getting busier all the time. And let’s face it: when it comes to squeezing in grocery shopping, getting the laundry done, and dreaming up ideas to green the planet, we all know which to-do item is going to get pushed to the bottom of your list.

Which is why if you feel like the Green Lone Ranger, you may be going about things the wrong way. Going green as a family — especially if you have kids — should be a group activity. One way to get the ball rolling is by forming a family green committee.

So grab a big bowl of organic popcorn; a couple of post-consumer, recycled notepads; and call the gang together. Let’s turn your family into a self-starting green machine.

Buy-in equals progress

Just as democratic government is derived from the consent of the people, real green change requires buy-in from everyone — even if we’re talking about a single household. You’ll never get the kids to turn off unused lights if they don’t think it’s important. And if they’re not minding the power bill, forget about getting everyone to separate their trash for recycling.

In our article How to Green Your 21st Century Business we discussed the importance of multi-departmental green committees in the workplace. These same principles apply at home. If you can get everyone contributing to the idea of a more efficient, less resource-hungry home, you’ll not only improve participation — you’re likely to discover solutions which might evade one person’s own observation.

Make a plan

You can conduct you family meeting just as you would at work. Start by prioritizing some broad areas of discussion. Ten possibilities:

• Energy use
• Laundry
• The kitchen
• A “greener” yard
• Recycling
• Safer household cleaners
• Using less gasoline
• Heating and cooling
• Water conservation
• Family meals

Jot your favorites on a set of index cards. Agree on some fixed period of time — ten minutes per topic, maybe — and start brainstorming.

Everyone is an “idea man”

Using a whiteboard or a sheet of paper for each topic, write down every suggestion. Adopt a “no bad idea” policy: everything goes to paper at this stage without discussion. Try not to let people filter each other’s contributions. Once the ideas slow down, move to the next card and a clean whiteboard.

This phase shouldn’t last more than 20 or 30 minutes. When you get to that point, stop. Now comes the business part. Bring out your whiteboards, one by one, and try to arrive at a single action item from each. Combine similar suggestions, talk things out, and move the most practical, highest-yield ideas to the top of the page. Then take a vote.

Write down your goals

As you come up with your winning ideas, assign family members to each task. This is a family, not a boardroom, so the object is to create a sense of ownership, rather than a system of accountability. Discuss how your action items will get done. As you build these mini-plans, transfer them to a master sheet. This will get posted in one or more locations around the home.

Commit to the next step

The final thing you should do is schedule the next family meeting. It could be a week or a month, depending on how much you’ve decided to start doing and your family’s enthusiasm. At your next meeting, review progress on your first batch of items and brainstorm a few more.

Never toss your whiteboards: they’re a great place to start the next time the topics are addressed. It also reinforces the idea that everyone’s opinions matter. This is team building, even if the youngest members don’t have all their permanent teeth yet. Have fun.

Do you have a tip for greening the family? Has something worked well for you? Please share in our Comments section!

While letter-writing has been largely replaced by email for daily correspondence, it still has its uses. Here’s how a traditional letter can help green the planet.

Want to have some personal impact on the kind of issues that will make the world a greener place? Write a letter. Not just any letter: the dead tree kind. Email is a great tool for brief personal and business communication. But when it comes to influencing opinion leaders, there’s no substitute for a well-considered, old school paper letter.

Think about your own inbox. It’s probably jammed with more than you can manage — not to mention a heaping helping of spam. Now multiply that bulk by a thousand (or many thousands), and you’ll understand why top-ranking business and government officials rarely see more than a staff-collated summary of public email.

Whether your interest is climate change, recycling, or getting your neighborhood store to stock more locally grown produce, a traditional letter is often the best way to get your words on someone’s desk. And there are three kinds of letters you can write today that can really make a difference. So warm up your favorite word processor or get out a nice box of stationery, and let’s start changing the world.

Write a Public Official

Public policy — in theory, at least — starts with the public. That’s you. While it often seems that elected officials have their own agendas, most post real attention to thoughtful communication by the people they represent.

Email is so dominated by special interest campaigns that it’s mostly regarded as a sign of a group’s organizational strength, rather than personal communication. Cut through the clutter with something which won’t be mistaken for a form letter.

The most important thing is to contact the right person: your particular Congressman, MP, Governor, or Mayor. It’s less effective to address lawmakers from outside your own district.

A few things to keep in mind as you’re writing:

• Clearly identify yourself as a constituent.
• Qualify yourself — state your background or interest in the issue at hand.
• Politeness matters.
• If you’re writing about a piece of legislation, identify the bill by number.
• Request one specific action per letter.
• A single typewritten page is enough.
• If your letter is handwritten, be sure it’s legible.
• Always sign your letters.

One further note: letters to elected officials may become part of the public record. This means any personal information — including things such as phone numbers — might become available for general inspection. Protect your privacy accordingly.

Write a Letter to a Business or Corporation

Let’s single out Wal-Mart for a moment — the United States’ biggest retailer, and one of the world’s 20 largest corporations.

Regardless what you think of their policies or impact on local retail communities, getting an entity like Wal-Mart to make even a tiny change to improve the environment or reduce resource consumption can have an even more dramatic impact than legislation or regulatory oversight.

And there’s no reason not to go straight to the top. See if the company you’re writing is listed at Yahoo Finance.  If they’re a publicly held company, you can find their key officers by doing a symbol lookup on Yahoo’s ticker section. Otherwise, check their website for the name of the owner or chief executive.

The same general rules which guide your conversation with elected officials will apply to dealing with businesses. Customers are a corporation’s constituents, so introduce yourself by saying where you shop or how you do business with the company.

Be specific, and make one actionable suggestion per letter. Try to put yourself in the company’s place: How will whatever you are asking effect the bottom line? Are there examples of similar companies which have taken the course of action you are recommending? How will being more Earth-friendly return value to the company’s customers and investors?

One of the biggest difference between today’s environmental movement and that of 10 or 20 years ago is that greens now recognize business can be partners in positive change, rather than adversaries. Companies can act thoughtlessly. But they can just as easily become allies. Remember that the officer you are writing may one day be an environmental colleague.

Write a Letter to the Editor

Newspapers are in trouble. Almost across the board, circulation and advertising are in a historic decline.

But it’s a mistake to dismiss newspapers as a public forum. Their readership is well-read and disproportionately influential. You’ll also be reaching a lot of people who simply prefer to get their news from something they can hold in their hand, rather than a screen.

The key to writing a good letter to the editor is brevity. Do your homework: most papers publish their requirements for letters, and you should be familiar with these. You’ll usually find them somewhere on the Editorial page.

Construct your letter in the same way newspaper stories are written — with the most important facts right up front. Think of your first paragraph as a summary of the whole letter, then make your case in three main thoughts or less. Don’t be shy about plugging a relevant website, meeting, or event.

One more thing: There’s something about a letter to the editor which seems to compel people to sound as if they’re making a speech before the local Rotary Club. By all means, write in normal, conversational tone. If you find yourself using a lot of overly formal words like “populace,” take a deep breath, think how you’d communicate the same thought to a friend over coffee, and start over. Your readers will thank you.

Three different kinds of letters — three ways you can help save the planet. Revive the vanishing art of written correspondence, and you’re well on the way to establishing a personal influence which will extend far beyond your desk or kitchen table.

Dry cleaning fluid is a major contaminent of groundwater aquifers. But there are now more environmentally friendly ways to keep your clothes looking great. 

Clothes are expensive — and we want them to last as long as possible. That’s why dry cleaning has always been so popular.

You may not be able to pronounce tetrachloroethylene, but you know how it smells. It’s the active ingredient in traditional dry cleaning solvent, and goes by the more common name ofperc. But perc has become a big environmental problem. It’s a know cancer-causing agent, and perc’s composition makes it resistant to breaking down once it’s spilled or released into city sewage systems. Up to half the United States’ ground water is now tainted with perc. In Florida alone, 2,800 sites are being considered for cleanup at a cost of $1.4 billion USD.

States are finally moving to phase out the use of perc, but eco-conscious consumers needn’t wait to take action. Lighter Footstep has rounded up five alternatives to traditional dry cleaning. Find a couple that work for you, and help clean the environment and your wardrobe at the same time!

Find a progressive cleaner

Seek our a professional who offers non-perc dry cleaning. There are three popular alternatives right now: high-pressure cleaning using liquid carbon dioxide; silicone-based cleaners (known as GreenEarth cleaning); and high-tech, computer-controlled wet washing. Of the three, Consumer Reports found that liquid CO2 performed even better than old-style perc. GreenEarth was close behind. CR’s testers were not impressed by the wet washing results. GreenEarth offers a convenient directory for locating an affiliated dry cleaner in your city.

Consider personal dry cleaning

Home dry cleaning kits — such as those manufactured under the Dryel brand by Procter and Gamble, and by Clorox as Fresh Care — are certainly not chemical-free, and you shouldn’t expect results identical to professional cleaning. But they don’t contain perc, and might be an alternative in areas without eco-friendly cleaners.

Opt for the washer

Modern washers with gentle cycles are often suitable for items you’d consider hand washing, such as cashmere. If you’re planning to upgrade in your laundry room, consider a front-loading washer. They’re more water-efficient than conventional models, and the money you’ll save on laundering your own delicates will more than make up for the purchase price.

Steam away dirt and odors

Sometimes a little is enough: Steam clean lightly soiled articles in your dryer. Place delicates in the dryer with a damp colorfast towel and a scented sachet (for freshness). Run a normal cycle.

Re-evaluate your wardrobe

The best way to reduce dry cleaning pollution is to stop buying clothes which require it. With the tremendous variety of low-care fabrics available these days, thoughtful shopping can pay-off in reduced cleaning costs — and a lighter environmental footstep. Get into the habit of checking  labels in the store, and press online merchants to disclose cleaning care requirements before you buy. Manufacturers respond to consumer demands — so be demanding when it comes to your clothing purchases! 

Have any other alternative dry cleaning ideas? Please share your tips in the Comments section!

With more municipalities going to curbside recycling, running a compost heap isn’t just for the crunchy set anymore. Here’s how to know what belongs in the pile.

Composting isn’t just for kitchen scraps anymore. Or just for hardcore Greens. Learning how to get a compost heap running has become an important way to both enrich our garden soil and reduce the amount of organic waste which ends up at your local landfill. But how do you know what should, and — perhaps more importantly – shouldn’t go into the pile?

 That’s where Compost This comes in. A companion to the popular recycling and repurposing site Recycle This, Compost This is the brainchild of Louisa Parry and John Leach. The couple is also responsible for the UK-based celebrity mashup Fametastic.

Composting may not be quite as glamorous as chasing the latest dish on Angelina Jolie, but there’s a certain sexiness to knowing whether or not you can compost dryer lint (yes, but too many dryer sheets will add unwanted chemical residue to the pile). And that’s how Compost This works — it’s an indexed guide that says yes, no, or maybe to things you might want to compost.

A sample:

Cardboard. You bet, but it breaks down best if it’s wet and shredded.
Baked beans. Nope, worms don’t don’t fancy them. You’d like the earthworms to feel right at home.
Cat waste and litter. Definitely not. Cat waste might contain organisms dangerous to humans.
Shredded paper. Yes, but refrain from shiny stocks.
Potatoes. Absolutely — though whole ones are pretty stubborn and might regrow. Free potatoes for everyone.

You get the idea. It’s a one-stop shop for the prospective composter. Be good to the Earth and the make the garbage man’s job a little easier at Compost This.

Well-meaning pet owners are using dryer sheets to control pet hair, and laundry companies are happy to encourage this secondary use of their products. But is it safe?

We love our pets — and they love us. Which is the main reason dog and cat dander seems to get everywhere: on the sofa, your clothes, and your carpet. Your furry companion loves to sit wherever you do.

There’s a tip making the rounds these days: use a dryer sheet to repel pet fur. And it seems to work. Dryer sheets cut down on static, which is what makes fur cling to fabric surfaces. Some owners even use dryer sheets directly on their animals to reduce the static buildup which accompanies thunderstorms and alarms jittery pets.

But is this safe?

First, hats off to Bounce for their truly generous support of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Last year, their Bounce Everywhere campaign donated $10,000 to the ASPCA. It’s part of a bid to promote dryer sheet usage by pet owners that goes by the slogan, “Share the love, not the hair!”

Dryer sheets repel static and smell so darn good because they’re full of chemicals. Formulas vary from product to product, but your favorite fabric softener or dryer sheet (not necessarily Bounce) might contain such unpleasant substances as benzyl acetate, camphor, or even chloroform.

Possible health risks

None of this stuff is good for humans, and the same is true for pets. The Merck Veterinary Manual warns that cationic detergents, which are present in fabric softeners and dryer sheets, can cause a variety of problems for animals ranging from minor irritation to widespread systemic distress and pulmonary edema. Bounce’s own product literature cautions pet owners to keep dryer sheets away from animals to avoid accidental ingestion.

Animals lick their fur and the areas on which they rest, so using dryer sheets to repel dander may needlessly expose Fluffy or Fido to health risks. The danger is increased when pets are allowed to use  sheets as toys — and cats, in particular, just love them. Some owners have reported kidney failure in animals which have ingested dryer sheets. 

A better way

Want to keep pet fur at bay — the safe and natural way? Brush your animal companion daily. A stiff brush or rubber squeegee will make quick work of any hair which gets on furniture. Use a lint brush or length of masking tape to remove danger from clothing.

A few minutes of extra work means fewer chemicals in the lives of you and your pet. Take a little extra time with your cat or dog — and show you care.

How do you beat pet hair in your home? Please share your best ideas in the Comments section below!

Motrin has angered parent groups with an allegedly insensitive commercial about baby wearing. The controversy won’t cool the revival of this ancient practice.

In searching for ways to green and simplify my family’s life, I often look to indigenous people’s practices. One such practice is baby wearing, in which parents can avoid the plastic strollers that fill our landfills and create a happy, bonded baby in the process. In fact, the Sacagawea dollar features this famous native woman carrying her child on her back. Many products are available for baby wearing, including some that are 100% organic.

A common complaint of new parents is that they can’t get anything done. Baby wearing is the solution! Newborns are used to being inside their mother’s body and feeling the rhythms of the mother’s heart, breathing, walking, etc. Baby wearing allows the infant to still feel these rhythms by firmly holding the baby against the mother’s/father’s body. By wearing my babies, I have been able to cook dinner, do the dishes, teach preschool and art, rototill, hike, grocery shop, etc.

What’s out there

My favorite baby-wearing device for both of my children is the Baby Björn Baby Carrier. There are many other cheaper made versions of this front style carrier; however, the imitations do not hold up to the comfort of the Baby Björn. Using the Baby Björn Baby Carrier, newborns are snuggled close facing their mother’s chest. As the baby gets older, they can be placed facing outward in the Baby Björn. The straps on the Baby Björn are adjustable to fit the growing baby and the various caregivers that will use it. In fact, after carrying two infants in our Baby Björn, I have grown quite attached to it and have saved it for my sister. I could not have survived my children’s infancy without the Baby Björn!

Once my babies outgrew the Baby Björn, I switched to the backpack by Kelty. These backpacks are expensive (thank goodness for grandparents), but essential if you plan to hike with your child. Of course, I used mine for more than hiking but taught preschool and art, mowed the lawn, shopped, etc. while keeping my growing child happy. The backpack also comes with a shade, which is great for keeping the sun off your child. With the shade on, it looks like your baby is in its own little tent.

Beyond slings

I have tried several slings for baby wearing, including the 100% organic one by New Native Baby, which perhaps is the most green option in baby wearing. I have never been comfortable with slings, as I do not feel like the sling securely holds my baby. However, I was given the Maya Wrap for my second child, and it felt more secure with the adjusting rings. Maya Wraps are made of the most beautiful fabrics and are adjustable. They also work well to support your baby on your hip, once he/she has the ability to sit up. A good friend of mine uses her Maya Wrap constantly, including getting her son to sleep for his nap.

The Ergo Carrier is another great baby wearing product that a friend of mine recommended when I started having back trouble. This carrier adjusts from a front pack to a backpack as the child grows, so it lasts longer than the Baby Bjorn and may be the only baby wearing device you will need. I don’t have personal experience with this product, as I couldn’t justify the expense for my second child when I already had other baby wearing products; however, it has received rave review!  There is a 100% organic version available too!

Find what works for you

Each person is different in what they feel comfortable with for their baby and their body, and some women with large chests may have trouble with front carriers. Unfortunately, many of these products are expensive, so it is hard to try them out. If you can borrow one from a friend and wear it for an hour, you will know if it is the right product for you. Many of these products are available in resale shops, as they are durable and sustainable; however, it is important to check for recalls before purchasing. Of course, it is essential that whatever baby carrier you decide upon, it must be easily washed!

More Reading:

Mothering Magazine
Dr. Sears
Eco Child’s Play

Once a luxury item, cruelty-free clothing is now widely available, and priced competitively with conventional equivalents. Why not give it a try? 

Leather is a durable material that’s been used by humans for thousands of years to create everything from shoes to hats. But in recent years, environmentalists have become increasingly aware of livestock farming’s adverse effects on the environment. Farm animals are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than automobiles. Runoff from large-scale livestock production destroys watershed. And there remain ethical concerns about the conditions under which animals are raised and slaughtered for human use.

Why not consider cruelty-free clothing? Once a pricey specialty item, clothing made from non-leather materials have entered the mainstream. Companies such as Rawganique and Pangea stock everything from hemp-based footwear to non-leather belts and accessories. Eco-Handbags.ca has a complete line of non-leather bags made from stylishly recycled materials. And PETA maintains an updated list of major manufacturers selling everything from cruelty-free cycling clothing to guitar straps.

What to look for

A couple of things to watch out for: a lot of vegan goods reply heavily on faux leather made from petroleum products. Favor leather substitutes manufactured from renewable, natural materials. And pay attention to the labor policies of offshore manufacturers. Many companies which specialize in alternative clothing also also committed to fair pay and working conditions in parts of the world where such practices are not universal.

Take the traditional high-top sneaker below, which is manufactured by Autonomie Project. At $56, it’s about ten dollars more expensive than the classic Converse All Star. For the premium, you get a natural latex sole, harvested from a Forest Stewardship Council-certified rubber plantation. The cotton is organic, and all the labor is Fair Trade. It’s durable, healthy footware. Not an unreasonable investment.

All-natural, cruelty-free: Autonomie Project's high-top sneaker

Have you got a favorite cruelty-free manufacturer? Want to share a good (or bad) experience with ethically produced clothing? Sound-off in our comments — we’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Your mom probably told you to eat your greens. With this quick, healthy, and satisfying dish, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau shows you just how easy that can be.

We’ve introduced you to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and her recipes in the past. Colleen is a long-time vegan and animal activist.

She’s also the founder of Compassionate Cooks, a group Colleen describes as “empowering people to make informed food choices and to debunk the myths about vegetarianism and animal rights.” Her books, seminars, and DVDs focus on practical approaches to an ethical and balanced vegetarian diet.

Colleen has cooked up a terrific — and super easy — recipe for Garlic and Greens Soup. It’s great as an entree, or by itself, and is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. Here’s an opportunity to use whatever healthy greens are in season: a warm, healthy meal that lends itself to quick preparation and suit’s any family’s budget.

The video was produced as part of a contest at PBS television affiliate KTEH. The winner gets to host a December special — so if you like what you see, please hop over to the contest page and give Colleen a vote. She’s midway down the page. And be sure to enjoy all the other great recipes offered by the other contestants!

Looking to make this holiday season really special — without breaking the bank? Consider handmade gifts. Here are ten ways to put a special glow into this season’s giving.

Let’s face it: there are plenty of temptations to overspend and overbuy when it comes to holiday gifting. This year, with an uncertain economy, there’s never been more reason to step back and take a serious look at how we approach holiday shopping.

Instead of loading up that charge card at the mall, why not take a greener approach and try handmade gifts this season? While it takes a bit more planning, making gifts at home is a guaranteed way to saves money and resources. And there’s no better way to express your love and creativity through the holidays.

We’ve rounded up ten sure-fire handmade gift ideas to get you started. Most can be done for under $20. Try a few — and put some warmth and personality back into your holiday gift-giving!

Food Gifts

Home-canned fruits and vegetables. With framer’s markets still brimming with seasonal produce, it’s a great time to be doing this. Home canning is an easy-to-learn skill that makes thoughtful gifts — and can really stretch your household budget.

Holiday baked goods. It’s really hard to go wrong with this: pumpkin, nut, and banana breads are synonymous with the holidays, are easy to make, and can even be frozen. So are regular breads, cookies, and cakes. You can dress up baking by being creative about their containers. This also gives you an opportunity to put recycling to work. As an example, try nutbread in an old coffee can. Grease the sides, but substitute sugar for flour along the can walls. Your bread will emerge with a crisp caramel glaze. Decorate the can with wrapping paper scraps, replace the bread, add a ribbon — and you’re in business.

Heat-and-serve frozen casseroles and entrees. Freeze-ahead meals take some planning to put together, but they can be as ornate as you want them to be and are a wonderful convenience for whoever receives them. Freeze them in recyclable aluminum warming pans — or buy some quality oven glassware for gifts that will be used many years into the future.

Cookies in a jar. Not the cookies themselves, but all the dry ingredients. Layer them in a Mason jar for an attractive presentation. Decorate the jar with fabric and ribbon, attaching the recipe with a bit of string (bonus points if you reuse the front half of old Christmas cards for this). These make great teacher gifts, or can be combined with other items in a gift basket. You’ll find plenty of variations at All Recipes.

For the coffee lover: homemade biscotti or chocolate spoons in a handmade mug. This is quite elegant, and has a long after-holiday life. Hit the holiday craft fairs and find a large hand-thrown coffee mug. You’re after something colorful and substantial. Fill it with individually wrapped biscotti or chocolate spoons. They’re both simple to prepare. The spoons are commonly done with plastic disposables. Shop around and find an inexpensive metal teaspoon set, instead. It helps to refrigerate them beforehand.

Craft Gifts

Jars of homemade bath salts. As luxurious as they are inexpensive. Typical recipes are epsom or sea salt, baking soda, food coloring (use natural varieties), glycerin (vegetable-based), and your favorite aromatic poils. Once gain, it’s all about presentation. Decorate the jars — and be sure to list the essential oils used, to prevent possible allergy issues.

Homemade holiday wreaths. Living wreaths are an impressive and welcome holiday gift. They’re not difficult to make — all you need is some evergreen boughs, assorted greenery, and wire. In a couple hours, you’ll have several wreaths that would easily retail between $70 and $100 if you bought them from a commercial florist. The beautiful Heavy Petal has excellent step-by-step, illustrated directions to get you underway.

Buy vintage floral pattern teacups at secondhand stores and plant ornamental bulbs in them. Great for small gifts or holiday party favors. Here’s a fun variation: find old mugs with herbal print designs and plant chives, oregano, rosemary, or basil. Decorate with a bit of ribbon and a card describing how to care for the plant.

Gift baskets. There are a wonderful catch-all for the holiday season: a real expression of your creativity and the personality of the recipient. Start with a quality Fair Trade basket, some handmade ribbon — and set your imagination free. This is a great way to bundle handmade soaps and herbal cachets, potpourri, jellies, organic candies and treats, and small craft items.

Reusable fabric shopping bags. With attention to the millions of disposable plastic shopping bag which end up in landfills and the environment each year, reusable bags have never been hotter. All you need is basic sewing skills and some repurposed or recycled fabric. The folks at Morsbags have patterns and easy directions for making roomy shopping bags that will last for years. You can easily make a dozen unique gifts in the course of an evening — and it’s more fun with friends!

Have a favorite handmade gift idea to add to this list? Please share your suggestions in our comments section.

Bringing herbs indoors before the first freeze is a great way to add greenery and freshness to a long, cold winter. It will also jump start next year’s garden.

If you’re up a little before dawn these days, you’ll notice the constellation Orion hanging high in the eastern sky. The winter stars are on their way — and with them, cooler weather. In just a few short weeks, gardeners will wrap up their beds for the season.

But that doesn’t mean you need to give up fresh herbs until spring. There’s nothing quite as pleasant as a little green around the home during the winter months. If you start now, you’ll have a vibrant and useful stock of herbs at hand through the holidays and beyond. They’ll freshen your cooking — and your indoor air — until next planting season.

Use what you have

You can buy new plants, of course. But you’re in great shape if there are already got some herbs in your garden. Mint, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and chives are all good candidates for relocation indoors. Mix a rich batch of potting soil. Equal parts of commercial potting soil, sand, and peat moss should do well.

Taking care not to damage roots, transfer some healthy plants to pots and set them aside in a deeply shaded area such as a porch. You’ll want to allow your herbs a week or to become acclimated to the reduction in heat and sunlight before bringing them indoors part time. After another week or two, your plants will be ready to stay inside for good.

Stay green all winter

Locate your potted herbs where they’ll get plenty of light, but are away from heating ducts and major appliances. Don’t over-water, but remember that indoor environments are substantially dryer than outside.

Take care of your plants well, and they’ll survive for replanting (or propagation) once the weather warms. Reading from the Southern Hemisphere? Bookmark this article and come back again in March or April. And we’ll all swap seasonal places again.

Have you had a great indoor plant experience? Please share your tips in our comment section!

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Water is humanity’s most valuable resource. Want to green your use? Here are 5 ideas which cost next to nothing and can each save a thousand gallons a year.

It’s been said so many times, it has become a bit of a cliche: water is our most precious resource. On a global scale, the world’s population tripled during the 20th century — and water use increased at twice that rate. The general trend toward urbanization has stressed groundwater supplies to the breaking point.

Closer to home, municipalities from the Southeastern United States to East Africa to Australia are dealing with unprecedented drought conditions. Whether you chalk it up to global warming or a run of bad luck, water shortages are becoming a vexing and increasing familiar fact of life.

There is some good news. Most of us are so wasteful with our everyday water use that basic conservation methods can really make a difference. And they needn’t mean replacing your appliances or expensive home renovations.

We’ve rounded up five free (or very inexpensive) ways to save water. Each should save at least a thousand gallons of water per year. That’s a little but more change in your pocket — and water in the tap.

Reduce your current shower time by one minute

The average non-conserving shower head has a flow rate of 5 to 8 gallons per minute, and a water-saving unit uses about 2.5 gallons. For several days, use a cooking timer and log how long it currently takes you to shower. Average these times — then subtract a minute. If you shower every day, you’ll easily save a thousand gallons a year by cutting the time you run the water by just 60 seconds. You can probably make up this time simply by making sure everything you need is close at hand before you turn the water on.

Locate and repair silent toilet leaks

Worn hardware can easily — and quietly — leak several gallons per day. Drip by drip, it all adds up. Put some dark food coloring in your tank. If you notice color in the bowl within 15 minutes, you’ve got a leak worth fixing. Head to your local home building supply store and pick up a repair kit.

Water lawns on demand, not on schedule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 30 percent of all household water consumption is used outdoors. Of this, up to 50 percent is simply wasted due to wind, evaporation, broken irrigation systems — and overwatering. The last one is something over which you have full control. Check your lawn on a schedule instead of automatically watering. Here’s a quick test: step on a patch of grass. If it springs back, it doesn’t need watering. And consider hardy native plants and low-water garden design the next time you landscape.

Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth

It’s one of those hard-to-break habits, but it’s surprisingly wasteful. Running the tap while you scrub sends 5 to 8 gallons of fresh water straight down the drain. Double that for morning and bedtime scrubbing, and we’re talking several thousand gallons a year. All you really need is a few ounces to wet and clean the brush.

Be smart about dishwashing

If you’re doing dishes by hand, don’t rinse under an open faucet. Buy an in-sink rack, load your soapy dishes, and rinse by pouring hot water over the top or using a hand held spray nozzle. Have a dishwasher? Use the short cycle for all but the dirtiest dishes. ENERGY STAR suggests skipping a pre-rinse before loading your dishwasher: it can use up to 20 extra gallons per load. Just scrape and go.

What’s next?

It should probably go without saying that obvious plumbing problems should be fixed immediately. At a drop a second, a worn tap or outdoor faucet is leeching about 20 gallons a day — over 7000 gallons per year. If you’re going to be away from home all day, shut down anything which would use water and make note of your utility meter. This is a great way to spot sneaky leaks.

Beyond this cheap, low-hanging fruit is the pricier process of replacing inefficient appliances with ENERGY STAR rated models. The washing machine is probably your best bet, followed by the dishwasher. Both will save energy and water when compared to models more than a few years old.

In the realm of home improvement, water-saving shower and faucet attachments are clearly the first priority. A trigger-operated spray nozzle on kitchen sinks is a real saver, particularly if your home isn’t equipped with a dishwasher. Making sure pipes are insulated properly is next, which will reduce waste caused by waiting for the water to get to the right temperature. Water-saving toilets are within the budget reach of most homeowners, particularly as older units wear out. If rainwater collection is legal where you live, consider setting up a modest system to handle your gardening needs.

Do you have a favorite water saving tip? Please share in our comments section.

More reading:

Simple steps to save water (EPA)
100 Water-saving tips (WaterUseItWisely.com)
A to Z of water saving tips (BBC)

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Reducing your household’s carbon footprint is all about making deliberate, progressive changes in your daily habits. Start with this simple challenge.

Want to lose 500 pounds in a year?

We’re talking carbon dioxide, of course. While non-toxic and good for plant life, humans simply make too much of it. Carbon dioxide is a prime greenhouse gas, and scientists say it’s connected to climate change — more popularly known a global warming.

You’re producing carbon dioxide right now. Not just through your breathing, but through the energy you consume every day. It’s a byproduct of nonrenewable power generation. Virtually all human activity — from food production to heavy industry — produces some amount of carbon dioxide. And despite plenty of public attention to the issue, man-made carbon dioxide production jumped another 3 percent between 2006 and 2007.

One of the biggest producers is automobiles. Nobody is expecting you to turn over the keys to your family’s car, but every mile we save in transportation is money in the bank, and less carbon dioxide (and even more noxious pollutants) in the atmosphere.

Ready for a fairly painless way to start making a difference? Take the Ten Mile Pledge.

What is the Ten Mile Pledge?

This is a pretty simple exercise. Put down, in writing, how you can save ten miles of driving each week. Just ten miles. Then do it.

You probably live within three miles of where you buy groceries. So an errand or two a week should do the trick. Consistency is the key. At Lighter Footstep, we strongly believe that steady, incremental change is the best way for most people to incorporate Sustainability in their lives.

If you can make the Ten Mile Pledge stick, your reduced driving will cut approximately 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year. More importantly, it will get you thinking about your driving.

Where to find your ten miles

Combine trips: You’ve heard this for years. Maybe it’s easier to do now with gasoline at record price levels almost everywhere. Making a weekly grocery list helps. So does keeping a driving log for a month or two to see if you can locate any wasteful patters. Think about where you usually shop. Would someplace closer do just as well?

Share a ride with another Pledger: Just like dieting, exercise, or quitting smoking, a habit is easier to keep if you have a buddy. Share the Ten Mile Pledge with your friends. Then take turns sharing a ride twice a week. That should do it.

Run weekend errands on bike or on foot: You needn’t pull out your bicycle to do every weekend errand (though that’s not a bad idea). Just walk or ride on or two little tasks a weekend. A trip to rent Saturday night movies could give you ten miles in a single hour. Bonus points if you return them the same way.

Investigate public transportation: Not everyone has access to useful public transportation. But if your community offers it, see whether or not public transport might work for you. A lot of people go multi-modal on their commute, driving to a central point and taking buses, subways, or light rail to their final destination. Get a schedule and see what’s available.

Declare one car-free day every month: Ever hit the office Monday more tired than when you left? Maybe that weekend was a little too full. Go car-free on Saturday or Sunday and stay close to home. Make yourself slow down, catch up on your reading, and unwind. Even if you’re not using the driving you save toward the Pledge, you’ll start your week more refreshed. And relaxation is a habit most of us could learn to love.

Share your ideas!

Can you think of other ways to meet the Ten Mile Pledge? Ready to go public with your intentions? Share your thoughts in our comments section. And please forward this article to others. The handly “Share This” link below the title will allow you to email the Ten Mile Pledge to up to five friends at a time.

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