Are there traces of holidays still in your home? In our house, all the ornaments and decorations are packed away but the holiday cards and tree still remain in their stands and I’m staring at an older iphone which has been replaced by the brand new 4S.  How should I discard these items?  I asked Siri but her answer came up as ‘search the web’ so I thought I’d share my thoughts about what to do with the remants from Christmas past.

If you just had to have the latest and greatest gadget and still have an older version in good working order, MoneyTalksNews tells you where you can cash in your older Apple devices, Kindles and more, as well as how much money you can get from several places.  $340 instant sale on ebay for an iphone 4 is not bad. My iphone 4 has a cracked screen which according to Gazelle (a site that sells electronics for cash) is worth $65. That’s not bad either especially since I thought it was worthless.  Of course if you simply wish to recycle your old device, check out the Recyling Center Search on the Resources tab of Snappy Green.

Old holiday cards?  Store them away with the decorations and reminisce next year. Afterwards, cut them up into nice shapes, perhaps using scissors with decorative edges, punch a hole in the corner and use ribbon to create the new season’s gift tags. You’ll save trees and money and have unique looking gifts.

Our tree will get deposited in our Christmas tree graveyard but if you don’t have woods at your home, ask your hauler or check out the Recycling Center Search to find a drop-off location.  Be sure to read the fine print.  In searching for what to do with a tree in Fairfield, I found that Green Cycle picks up at the transfer station but specifies that all tinsel, nail, ornaments and stands need to be removed and they do not take flocked trees which have a covering of artificial snow.  If you have items you don’t know what to do with, check out the What to Recycle list to see if recycling is an option.

wendy@ctgreenrealestate.com     William Raveis Real Estate

With my daughter home from her first year of college for Thanksgiving weekend, our family went for our annual Christmas tree a lot earlier this year at our usual spot: Jones Family Farm.  In the unusually warm weather, we opted for the cold apple cider and did not sit around the fire.  Is this what Christmas is like in California?  The farm was packed and I was surprised to see people tail gating.  It was a great day! As I saw other families with older children it dawned on me that this is one activity that is loved by all ages and one where your kids will chose to go with you over their friends.  Going early certainly has its advantages.  We were able to secure a perfectly shaped tree and that got me thinking…which is the greener choice, a fake tree from a card board box that you reuse or a real tree from the farm?

The CT Christmas Tree Association points out that real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource.   Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics and possible metal toxins such as lead, cadmium and organo-tins.  Furthermore, there are about 1 million acres in production for growing Christmas trees and each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.  I suppose you could argue both sides but in the end there is one clear winner,  at least according to the National Christmas Tree Association.  This chart points out that fake trees are built in factories consuming natural resources and that most of them must be shipped from China.  Plastic is a petroleum based product and the type is PVC.   Furthermore, the manufacture of PVC creates dioxins which is the most toxic man made chemical known.  You might also be surprised to realize that the estimated life of a fake tree is not forever, its 6-9 years after which time it ends up in a landfill versus the real tree which is 100% biodegradable and can be recycled.

The Minnesota Christmas Tree Association adopted a logo and marketing campaign a few years ago called “Go Green Get Real.”  Happily I feel these are strong enough reasons to  justify my beloved family tradition.  Which do you think is the greener choice?

wendy@ctgreenrealestate.com    William Raveis Real Estate

What does red cabbage, beets, onion skins, leaves, flowers & herbs have to do with Easter?  Well …. when used in different combinations they become natural dye for Easter eggs.  Apparently this is how it was done long ago before the kits that contain lots of chemicals arrived at the store.  Here are instructions on how to do it. My children are past the age for dying Easter eggs so I won’t be doing this but I am really interested to know how it goes. If you try it, let me know.

On another note, I was wondering how eco friendly the White House Easter egg roll is going to be.  What I found out is that all the goody bags are recyclable and are made from recycled materials, all packaging is made from recyclable paperboard and was designed to minimize waste and environmental impact and all souvenir eggs are made in the US from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – certified US hardwood.  Included in the festivities will be healthy cooking tips and demonstrations by celebrity chefs. Kids will also be given seedlings to take home so they may grow their own veggies.  That all sounds great and totally in line with the First Lady’s’ ‘Let’s Move’ campaign promoting healthier kids.  Given the latter do you think the White House will also be serving jelly beans and chocolate?

wendy@ctgreenrealestate.com      William Ravies Real Estate

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions?  How about adding an ecoresolution to the mix?  Here are five easy things to do that come with financial and health rewards.

Reduce vampire energy and decrease your energy bills by up to 10%. At a minimum unplug small appliances like toasters & blenders when not in use. For more savings, this charging station/surge protector combo  automatically turns off when your device is fully charged. This reduces energy consumption and prolongs the battery life of your devices such a cell phones, ipads, etc. For those hard to reach plugs for TVs & printers, this Smart Tower  automatically senses the power needs of attached devices, providing power when they need it and shutting down when they don’t.

Avoid the plastic water bottle. It’s good for your health and you’ll save money too.  Bottled water is not even government regulated and we spend $16 million a year on it.  Not only is tap water virtually free it is government regulated. Invest in a filtering pitcher and a good stainless steel bottle or splurge for a water bottle that has a built in filter.

Reduce your paper consumption and save trees. Sign up for estatements and stop the paper statement. Double side your photocopies, print presentations in outline style so many screens appear on one page and reuse scrap paper for non critical print jobs.  Instead of throwing away catalogs stop them from coming all together.

Recycle something that you never recycled before.  Think corrugatated cardboard, magazines and packaging.  Or how about getting cash back by recyling print cartridges? Make sure your town recycles what you put into the bin and use this handy tool for finding centers to take those hard to recycle items.  This will reduce greenhouse gases and reduce energy consumption while helping to keep our landfills down.

Use the reusable shopping bag and reduce oil consumption. You can use them when purchasing clothes, at the pharmacy, everywhere….. not just at the grocery store. When you forget your bag ask for paper or carry it by hand if you can.   You’ll reduce your carbon footprint, decrease oil consumption and help keep our landfills and seas void of plastic pollution.

There are so many things you can do to keep costs down and maintain a healthy home while also helping to save our planet.  For more info and tips on green living in the home, check our blog frequently and share your comments.  Until then, Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

wendy@ctgreenrealestate.com   William Raveis Real Estate

                                                                        Local, Recycled and Memorable: Michelle Stearns of Fairfield, CT collects wine corks from local wine shops like Mo’s Wine and Spirits and friends and family and turns them into beautiful wreaths. She makes each cork wreath by hand, one cork at a time.  These wreaths are made to order and if you have any corks saved from special occasions, Michelle will include those in the wreath. Green Time Consulting

Fine and Natural:  Unique designer wreaths crafted by hand out of natural materials in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Made from clippings of stems of wreath grade fraser firs, white pine and berries from invasive plants. Solidago Wreaths

Craft a fun gift for dad:  Turn Dad’s old ties into door décor. You’ll need a 14” wire wreath form from a crafts shop and 19 ties. Cut all ties but one into 15” lengths.  Position the narrow end of the first cut tie, front side up, on a section of the wreath.  Wrap tie around form until pointed end is positioned as shown, hiding the rolled tie: secure with pins. Repeat overlapping ties slightly. Flip wreath over; sew rolled up ties to the backs of points. Pin on the uncut bowed tie.  Good Housekeeping 

wendy@ctgreenrealestate.com   William Raveis Real Estate