Green Holidays | 5 Minutes For Going Green

Category Archives: Green Holidays

Recycled Note Of The Week: Smock Paper

Written on December 17, 2008 by SusanC

This week’s Recycled Note Of The Week was found in SmockPaper’s Etsy shop.

Meet Ellie, the sustainably letterpressed “petite card”:

This particular listing is for a set of 8 blank letterpress petite note cards with hand-lined envelopes, which the seller notes are perfect as gift tags or place cards.

Each wee note is sustainably letterpressed on bamboo paper is 2-1/2 x 3-7/16 folded.

But, wait, there’s more.

As if adorable elephants on bamboo paper isn’t great enough, SmockPaper is also a wind-powered business that donates 1% of sales to environmental causes via 1% For the Planet.

Each set of cards comes packaged from Syracuse, New York in a clear sleeve that is “petroleum-free, tree-free, and certified biodegradable by the Biodegradable Products Institute.”

in Conservation, Eco-Friends, For The Home, For The Office, Great Green Finds, Green Holidays, Recycled Note Of The Week, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Holiday How-To, Green Edition

Written on December 11, 2008 by SusanC

4 Comments

The Holidays can be a tricky time of year to navigate while staying green and not going over-budget. Here at 5 Minutes for Going Green we’re here to help you think outside the box this gift-giving season. We want to help keep you and your family green this holiday season, while also keeping more green in your pocketbooks, too. Keep reading for our customized How-To Holiday Guide.

(Keep in mind, too, that nearly all of these How-To tips are not holiday-centric and can themselves be recycled for birthdays, anniversaries, group social events, and just day-to-day green living.)

How To…

Wrap Recycled:

My new favorite recycled wrapping trend that I’ve seen suggested and modeled everywhere from Etsy to Martha Stewart Living is wrapping with maps and pages from atlases and other travel-related paperie.

in For The Home, For The Office, Frugal Living, Got Energy?, Green Holidays, Green Outreach, Green Thoughts, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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The Green-Eyed Monster

Written on December 9, 2008 by Guest Contributor

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No one ever said that attempting to live an eco friendly lifestyle makes you a better person. It doesn’t give you super powers. (Too bad; I’d love to be able to freeze time!) And it doesn’t make you rich (at least for most of us).

So why do people treat you differently when they find out?

Recently I was invited to go in on a holiday gift; however, when I found out that the suggested gift was an extremely frivolous luxury item created in another country, I could not participate. I politely explained that I try very hard to buy only locally produced environmentally friendly gifts that perform multiple functions.

in Blog, Frugal Living, Green Holidays, Green Parenting, Green Thoughts, The Green Consumer

- 4 Comments

Recycled Note Of The Week: Create Happiness

Written on December 3, 2008 by SusanC

1 Comment

This week’s eco-friendly note selection comes from Earmark Invitations, and a visually inspiring card beautifully printed using soy-based inks and 100% recycled paper.

Earmark Invitations is proud to announce the first in our line of eco-friendly products. These cards are printed using non-toxic, soy-based inks, and the cards and envelopes are both made from 100% recycled, 100% post-consumer waste paper.

Create Happiness

Thank you for supporting eco hand made!

Added cost-effective green bonus?

The nicely priced listing is for 4 cards and 4 corresponding envelopes, making them perfect for you, or as a stocking stuffer for your favorite eco-savvy corresponder.

in For The Home, Frugal Living, Great Green Finds, Green Holidays, Recycled Note Of The Week, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Cold Weather Roadblocks to our Green Schedule

Written on December 1, 2008 by SusanC

1 Comment

I feel like we got into a green groove this spring. The weather got warmer and we started walking everywhere.

By summer the car was getting dusty in the garage and we covered miles and miles on foot every day. Add the fresh fruit from the local market and the long lingering days at the beach for supper, and now I can see why things are changing around this house with the onset of winter.

We use the car way too much. Rather than risk the slippery walk to preschool as the cold rain pours from out of nowhere, we seek the safety, and moreover the comfort, of the car.

in Blog, Eat to Live, For The Home, Frugal Living, Green Holidays, Green Parenting, Green Thoughts, The Green Consumer

- 1 Comment

Recycled Note Of The Week: My Good Greetings

Written on November 28, 2008 by SusanC

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This week’s Recycled Note Of The Week comes from My Good Greetings, whose beautifully designed custom photo cards, invitations and stationary are printed on 100% recycled, carbon neutral paper which is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified.

My Good Greetings uses 100% digital short-run presses which significantly reduce paperwaste and emit 90% less Volatile Organic Compounds. What does that mean, exactly?

It means that when you send a unique and creative Good Greetings card, not only will the card be well received, you will know that you’ve made another good choice for the global environment.

In addition to their customizable cards for all occasions, My Good Greetings.com

in Around the Greenosphere, Beauty and Body, For The Home, Great Green Finds, Green Holidays, Recycled Note Of The Week, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Green Resolutions Anyone?

Written on November 25, 2008 by Guest Contributor

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It dawned on me today that since summer ended time seems to be moving in fast forward and the new year is fast approaching. What better time for me to meditate on my New Year’s Resolution!

As cliché as it sounds, the Type A side of me loves to make goals and see them come to fruition. Let’s see, in 2008 I tried to share my true feelings instead of sugar coating. (Some would say I do it really well now!)

After some thought I decided that my resolution for 2009 will be to eat only organic foods, with a focus on locally grown products.

in All About Us, Eat to Live, For The Home, Frugal Living, Green Holidays, Green Outreach, Green Parenting, Green Thoughts, The Green Consumer

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Taking The Next Step

Written on November 19, 2008 by Guest Contributor

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After my son’s first surgery in January, I stepped back and took a good long look at all facets of my life, which resulted in an epiphany of sorts. Days later I quit my job and started my own eco-friendly business to devote more time to my kids.

Once I walked away from the rat race my creativity soared and I started to invest more time researching how to be more environmentally conscious. I took the next step. And then another, and another, until I was making as many improvements in our daily lives as I was to our home.

in All About Us, Beauty and Body, Conservation, Green Holidays, Green Thoughts

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Shop Responsibly this Holiday Season

Written on November 17, 2008 by Guest Contributor

5 Comments

For many people, Christmas has become a very commercial holiday. It has shifted from being a season of giving, to being a media circus and it has become a season of excess. This year tailor your shopping to be a bit more responsible and ethical in the items that you buy.

Shopping conscientiously doesn’t stop at being more frugal when making purchase decisions. We also need to think of the global implication. Every purchase we make is essentially a vote for the world we want. We need to look at the people behind the products that we invest our monies with.

in Blog, Conservation, Frugal Living, Green Holidays, Green Thoughts, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

- 5 Comments

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, Green Edition

Written on November 13, 2008 by SusanC

2 Comments

Christmas is Not Your Birthday is an initiative started by the brains behind CoolPeopleCare.org, in an attempt to redirect the typical holiday hub-bub and excessive consumerism surrounding the holiday season with local outreach, outward thinking, and overall giving.

In 2006 they asked readers from all over the world to simply think outside of themselves, and outside their needs and wants, for that particular holiday season. In 2007 they asked everyone to buy gifts for their friends and family that made a difference to the local and global community, to commit to buying better gifts, purchases that gave back in some way.

in Activism, Conservation, Green Holidays, Green Outreach, Green Thoughts, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

- 2 Comments