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Great piece in Design Observer from a couple months ago exploring the new economy of the Christmas tree, which is being redefined by growing environmental consciousness and recession frugality. Highlighting some of the tensions that exist in the Christmas ritual - pagan vs. Christian, natural vs. artifical - the essay goes on to underline some of the welcome trends in Christmas tree production......read more
If you're anything like us, Christmas present wrapping gets done on Christmas eve or, if we're lucky, the day before. For all us last-minuters out there, MNN has outlined some simple instructions for wrapping things in an eco-friendly manner. Here's the low-down on keeping your gifts gorgeous but green, from MNN correspondent Cy Tottleben: If you love the game of creating a beautiful mystery......read more
A single strand of burnt-out Christmas lights weighs almost nothing in the hand. But a bale of burnt-out Christmas tree lights the size of a love seat? That weighs around 2200 pounds, according to Raymond Li, the general manager of Yong Chang Processing, a scrap metal processor in the southern Chinese town of Shijiao. He would know: on a recent Saturday morning I stood between him and three such......read more
Known to web foodies as The Tipsy Baker, Jennifer Reese brings a fresh and funny perspective to cooking with Make the Bed, Buy the Butter, a chronicle of her food odyssey to figuring out which foods are worth the effort of making yourself, and which you should buy from the grocery. Marshmallows are one of the foods we'd never consider making ourselves, but Reese told NPR's All Things......read more
In the shift from the wasteful and earth-damaging ways of the past toward a more sustainable future, technology is our pal. Advances in renewable energy systems, materials production, and waste recycling have transformed our ability to live greener lifestyles. Recently, researchers at the University of Warwick made one such advance in the realm of plastics recycling. Typically, only around 12%......read more
