The year is winding down and my time here at MJC has come to an end. With this year’s holiday issue of Pirate Planet I can’t help but reflect on past articles and hope that readers continue to look for ways to improve their daily lives by reducing their carbon footprint and making this world a better place for future generations.
No matter what your beliefs about this season are, here are a few ways to pump up your holiday morale all while saving money and helping out the planet at the same time.
Rather than going to overpriced candle stores in search for a holiday scent to fill your home, try this: If you are the type that prefers the more “Christmasy” scents this time of year, try making your own scents out of things you more than likely have in your home right now. Just fill a pot with a cup of water, throw in some apples and cinnamon and bring it to a steady simmer on your stove. As the ingredients heat they will fill your home with festive aromas. The best part is that you can use apples you might have that are too mushy for a snack or can use the cores of the apple you might have had for lunch. This natural fragrance is cheap, healthy to breathe in for your holiday guests and a practical way of recycling old apples you might have laying around.
Now if you are the type to express your love through gifts do me a favor, be creative! I understand that some people don’t have the time or artistic ability to hand make something for someone, but the worst thing you could do this season is lining up at some chain-retail store to purchase a small item that has 10 times its size in packaging. Even worse is to then go home and wrap it in even more wasteful paper that ends up in plastic garbage bags faster than you can say “deck the halls.”
Companies have recently come out with various ways to help cut down on packaging waste as well as boost thoughtfulness for a gift. You can have a calendar made at Office Max filled with pictures of you and your best friend for under $20. Make a photo frame out of old magazines or newspapers laying around your house or make a relative a home video of reasons why you are glad they are in your life this year. All of these options are inexpensive and have little to no packaging waste, yet will have a meaningful impact upon the recipient.
If you are one that celebrates a traditional Christmas, purchase a real Christmas tree and stay away from fake plastic ones as if they were the swine flu. Fake trees are make from PVC plastic which is extremely toxic and for people with sensitive respiratory systems they can cause further complications. By purchasing a real tree you add a natural holiday scent that will cut out more unhealthy wax candles. Also, for every tree cut down this year, two more seedlings will be sown. If you are living in close courtiers I would highly recommend a rosemary bush that can be pruned to the shape of a Christmas tree which can be purchased at Trader Joes or other various grocery stores. These plants can be planted after the jolly season is over. Rosemary leaves make a great natural tea and can help one sleep more soundly and also help with joint pains.
If Moses is your holiday Santa, use soy based candles in the menorah rather than cheap, waxy candles that produce a toxic smoke as they burn. Many grocery stores, even places like Target, are starting to sell soy based candles as more and more studies are showing the harmful impact of wax candles. Also, go beyond the traditional kosher meals this December by going organic. Stores such as Trader Joes and Whole Foods offer various products that fit this mold.
Last but not least, for those of you that might take part in both holidays or none at all, there is something you can do as the year comes to a close. Share some love with someone. It could be as simple as sitting down and conversing with a man or woman that might have lost their job and have been forced to the streets. Let them know that there is hope and they are not forgotten this season. There are also numerous charities you could give as little as $5 to that help provide clean water to third world countries or donate your old text books to the Africa drive here on campus. Another great company that practices what they preach is TOMS. For every pair of shoes purchased they match it and give a pair to a child in need. Go to tomsshoes.com for more information.
So as you sit down with loved ones this season cherish the people you have in your life and don’t get caught up in the hustle and bustle of buying gifts and who’s house has the most lights.If there is one thing Clark Griswold taught me growing up it is that family is what really matters this time of year;. not a new swimming pool or a gun that will shoot my eye out or even turbo man that is sold out at every toy store.
Have a safe and green holiday season and a great new years.
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