Greenhabbers is busily remodeling a home.  Normally we use Stardust Builders  http://www.stardustbuilding.org/  to recycle the carpeting, cabinets, mirrors etc.  that is the result of demolition but Stardust was not taking some of the items we had so we had to come up with another plan.  We decided to try Freecycle and love it!  We were able to help 3 families down on their luck with almost new carpeting, a kitchen sink and countertops, paint, tile, bathroom mirrors and appliances.   Two of the families mentioned that they went to Startdust but couldn't afford the prices.    Freecycle is the best way to give we have found to date - check it out at http://Freecycle.com. 

I am pretty anal about MAKING new years resolutions!  End of story because every year it ends with the making part.  Someone told me years ago 'If it's important you'd start it immediately'  and so this year I decided to stop fixing me and just observe.  What is important to me?  Do any of my habits get in the way of what's important? If so do I want to change them?. 
One essential element in Permaculture is observation.  Before you plant a tree or build a building observe how nature will affect it and how it will affect nature.  So this year I plan to take that principle and observe my life.  When I was working on my permaculture design for my yard I discovered that I had much more respect for my small yard and excitement about what I could do in such a small space.  I am hoping that observation in place of a list of resolutions will make 2007 a special year of insight and discovery!

My microwave died and came back as a kitchen timer!  Well, sort of.  It did die but the timer still works so I still use it for that.  I never wanted a microwave but I eventually gave into the pressure of buy something to get something free. 

I bought my first microwave because it came with a free  Comodore 64 'computer'!  The microwave outlasted the 'computer' by decades and I was hooked on the convenience. 

Now I am microwaveless and it's been a difficult transition.  Heating up leftovers without the microwave too some re-leaning and I now by popcorn already popped because I cannot remember how we made popcon in a pan with oil.  Was it really that rubbery before microwaves? 

Today I decided it was time to by or not to buy another one so I weighed the options.  My naturopath said 'no microwave' even if they are faster and more enegry efficient.  From what I've read there is not clear answer as to whether they cause cancer,  change the chemical properties of the foods negatively, or change the bodies cells of people standing near a microwave.  It finally came down to a financial decision.  I was not going to pay hundreds of dollars on a  microwave  to  heat up food, make popcorn and possibly interfere with my health. 

Two words of caution - do not heat a baby's bottle in the microwave and you can get skin burns or scalding injuries when hot water erupts out of a cup after being over-heated in a microwave oven. The water does not appear to be boiling and only if water is heated in a clean cup. If superheating has occurred, a slight disturbance or movement such as picking up the cup, or pouring in a spoon full of instant coffee, may result in a violent eruption with the boiling water exploding out of the cup.

One thing our family rarely eats is fast food but on our holiday road trip it is ALL we ate.   Because of the dogs we utilized the convenience of the drive through whenever possible then we drove to the gas station for tums, rolaids and pepto bismo.  That was humbling!  My son noted that now he knew what Morgan Spurlock from Supersize Me felt.  McDonalds food is not only high in fats but they are definitely promoters of the lnot so animal friendly mass farming of beef cattle.  So today I go green by avoiding McDonalds forever.  A good green substitute if you have to have fast food is In and Out Burger.  

More info:  Read Fast Food Nation and watch Super Size Me

I decided early on that I would let go and enjoy the culinary part of the holidays --- the FOOD!   My favorite is the French meat pies that are a family tradition.  As a child I hated them because no matter who you visited during the holidays you had to taste their meat pies and that was a lot of meat pies.  As a child I always thought fudge would have been a better tradition!  Fudge I love and I had a few too many pieces tonight so my stomach is feeling pretty green.  The 'too much sugar' syndrome.  I tried a glass of water mixed with a tablespoon of Braggs cider vinegar.  It made a difference but not enough so I took some raw ginger and sucked on it for a bit and that seemed to do the trick.  Luckily my parents live green so the ginger and vinegar were available!  Peppermint tea is also a good choice when you have had way too much fun at the buffet table!  Happy Holidays all! 

Today I will be attending the church I attended as a child in the small villiage where I grew up.  It's been 15 years since I have been home for the holidays so today will be about family.  After church services we will visit my 2 sister to see their Christmas trees and eat holiday goodies. 

LIving green means living rich and it has little if anything to do with money.  It's health, family, friends, having a positive outlook on life, helping those less fortunate.  Today is a good day to fall asleep counting your blessings!

My favorite part of the holidays is giving back.  It rocks my world.  

So what does giving have to do with being green?  In my Permaculture class I learned that part of being Green is community and that knowledge has given me a whole new, gentler outlook on life.    This year I went to the local Farmer's Market to buy food for the family of an Army reservist who just returned from Iraq, placed an order with Heifer International for bees and trees and bought a box of books from Bookmans for an elderly gentleman who loves to read.  When Bookman's found out who the books were going to they took an additional 10% off my order.  I loved that - thanks Bookmans!  

Instead of boxes and wrapping paper I buy large wool socks and stuff them with gadgets and tie them up with a large red bow.  Every stocking gets an organic orange or a tangerine as a symbol of our abundance.  It was the only gift my father received for Christmas.  I then start collecting fun gadgets, trinkets and ideas. So far I have

Alba's unpetroleum lip balm.   Most of my friend so not know that many beauty products contain petroleum products.

A few digital tire guages to help my friends save fuel

A Arizona Park Pass for a friend with kids - a trip to the zoo would have worked too.  I plan to add a book about nature but I still have my Changing Hands Bookstore shopping spree to look forward to.

I ordered some Fresh2 bulbs because I love the idea of a dual purpose light bulb 

I should be getting my Inconvenient Truth DVD's in the mail and while I was  on Amazon I also bought Laurie David's DVD called

Reusable shopping bags are a favorite gift to give.  I love the reusable string bags because they stretch.  Want to know how many reusable bags we will use this year?  Go to reusablebags.com and just watch the ticker it will inspire you to buy a bag - or 10.  

Website Holiday Gift Alert:  My favorite websites to sign friends up on are RedJellyFish.com, the IDEAL Bite, the Green Guide to Go and Coop America.  You can subscribe to the Green Guide ($15) and Coop America ($25) but the other 2 are free - yeah.  Check out Smart Spaces Inside Out - it's new and it's awesome!  http://www.smartspacestv.com/dnn4/

First and foremost, if you buy your party supplies at any chain store your party is most likely not green.  It's also not original!  I love Danny Seo's book Simply Green Parties because it sparks the imagination while it saves the landfill and the planet.  I love the idea of hanging solar lamps in the trees and on patios. 
Parties should be fun and responsible so be sure to have a plan to get all those who had too much fun a ride home! 
Because I will be traveling this holiday season I will be attending parties rather than giving them so I will be bringing some goodies for the party host and hostess.  Because I won't be cooking on the road I went to Whole Foods and Traders for organic chocolates and nuts! Yum Yum.  I also ordered flowers from www.organic bouquet.com to be delivered the night of the big family holiday party.  I buy organic flowers because I think they are more fragrant and when someone I love smells that awesome fragrance I don't want them to get a whiff of chemicals with it.  As with any plant we grow organic saves our water supply, the air, the growers and the lucky recipient.