green gifts

The Best Christmas Gift of All: Rechargeable Batteries

jplatt — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Looking through this week's Rite Aid flyer, I was shocked to see not two, not three, but four different listings for disposable batteries -- including one "mega pack" of 16 AAs.

I know it's Christmas time, which means a lot of new toys that run on batteries, but isn't it time we made the switch to rechargeables?

Even better, how about we use this season to help everyone make the switch?

Rechargeable batteries obviously cost more than regular batteries. You need to buy a charger too, so the initial cost can be quite high (higher than a "mega pack," anyway). But the savings really add up in the long-run. Rechargeable batteries have longer life spans than disposables, so they ultimately cost less than having to buy new batteries every few weeks or months.

Disposable batteries are also a terrible pollutant when they aren't recycled properly -- and you can rest assured that most disposable batteries just end up in the trash, where they leach chemicals into the ground and water tables.

So consider this gift for yourself and your loved ones: a battery charger and a few packs of rechargeable batteries. Try to pick a charger that will handle multiple sizes of batteries, as well as the two main kinds of rechargeables, Ni-MH and Li-Ion. Give multiple types of batteries, too -- sizes and kinds, so your recipient can use them in a wide variety of devices.

If we really commit to this, we can totally phase out disposable batteries in a year or two. That's just as easy as our recent change to CFLs.

So give it a shot. Isn't it about time?

How to Green Your Gifts

kbutler — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

We’ve all been there – three bridal and two baby showers in a month, a graduation or two, and that thank you gift you somehow feel responsible sending your landlord’s cousin’s wife who once brought up your mail. Oftentimes, people are at a loss on how to keep giving without stepping on their green conscience. (Or at least for the purpose of this blog, they are.) After all, between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, the United States alone produces up to 5 million extra tons of trash. So the next time you’re trying to figure out how to give a gift without contributing to blatant consumerism, turn to these tips.

First, you can avoid the trap of trappings altogether. Offer your sister-in-law a night of babysitting; get those cute newlyweds a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant; give your best friend a month’s worth of free gardening, especially during the summer heat. If you do decide to go material, think about picking up a gift at a thrift shop or flea market. You’ll find a lot of well-constructed, high-quality merchandise – and it’s easy to add your new personal touch to any old-school item. Then there’s always the option to buy local and to avoid adding shipping emissions to your carbon footprint. And finally, there’s always hand-made gifts that can become friend or family heirlooms, like a knitted scarf or painted picture frame. (Or if you’re hopelessly uncrafty like me, you can try anyway and pass off your glue and glitter monstrosity as “It’s the thought that counts.”)

So now that you have the gift, how can you wrap it up without adding to the week’s recyclables? In high school, I was big on taking pictures and art from magazines and cobbling them together into a homemade wrapping paper. (Okay, so I was once a little crafty….once.) You can also wrap something in a scarf or, my personal favorite; use the ultimate reusable wrapping – the gift bag. Someone should stick a GPS device on one of those bags and see how far it travels from household to household.

So next time you’re in a gift quandary, just remember these simple tips and give green!

A Greener Father's Day: Five Great Gift Ideas

jplatt — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:01:09 -0400

Let's face it, dads love gadgets. And with Father's Day around the corner, you know your dad or father-in-law is expecting something shiny and electronic from you.

So let's not disappoint. Here are five great green gadgets that would make perfect gifts for the dads in your life:

1. The SOLIO universal solar charger. This great device can charge your dad's cell phone, iPod (if he's hip enough), digital camera, or just about anything else. Solio devices start at $79.95 -- and they even have an eco-friendly gift-wrapping option!

2. The Watts Up? energy meter. Perfect for the do-it-yourself dad, these devices help to identify the energy vampires in your house. Give this gift, then watch your dad run around the whole house trying to make things more efficient!

3. ScanGuage II, the perfect automotive tool for a dad trying to cut down on his gasoline consumption.

4. An LED flashlight. Because come on, no dad can ever have enough flashlights. LEDs use even less power than CFLs, and they provide a great light for tiny and giant jobs.

5. A hand-powered lawn mower. Not only do these not use gas, and help save the planet, the exercise he gets will help cut down on that middle-age spread your dad is no doubt already building around his waist! (Just make sure he doesn't start inviting you over the mow the lawn for him!)

If none of these fit the bill for your dad, why not go the totally green route and make an environmental donation in his name. No products, no packaging, no shipping, and the money will do some good for the world. You can't go wrong with that.

Top 5 Green Books for Your Mother on Mother's Day

jchatraw — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

"Yo momma" jokes were always a sure-fire way to get you amped up and defending your mother. They would compel you to defend her honor even if you had decided you were never speaking to her again after the big blow up you had over keeping your room clean the previous night. As the time-honored tradition of giving mom one day for all she did for you nears and we look for great last-minute gifts, I believe a green book is a great place to start. And there's no better way to explain the book "yo momma" should receive from you than with some classic "yo momma" one-liners.

1. "Yo momma sold her car for gas money." If your mom is someone who just doesn't get the "green thing" or thinks it's too difficult, make it easy for her with Crissy Trask's book It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living.

2. "Yo momma got locked in a grocery store and starved." If your mom enjoys spending hours in the garden, ecourage her to do it the natural way with Douglas Tallamy's book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens.

3. "Yo momma thinks a quarterback is a refund." Who doesn't like to save money while they're purchasing their favorite products? If your mom qualifies as a frequent (and big) spender, give her Diane McEachern's new book Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World.

4. "Your mom goes to college." So, the one-liner from "Napoleon Dynamite" isn't exactly old school, but it is popular enough to show up on bartenders' t-shirts where I live in Boise. And if your mom is the pensive intellectual type, consider buying Bill McKibben's latest book Deep Economy.

5. "Yo momma plugged a hole in the ozone layer." If your mom thinks her giant SUV is saving the planet because of all the recycled cans she can collect in it or believes the energy crisis can't be solved and has given up hope, give her some hope this Mother's Day. Purchase a copy of Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks' book Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy.

If you really want to make a statement, plant a tree for the book you give her by visiting Eco-Libris. And whatever you give her, make sure your mom knows how much you love and appreciate her.