I think this discussion has been in existence ever since the “artificial” christmas tree came on the scene…”is it better to buy a real cut tree or should I buy a fake one”?

Now that we are in an era of counting our “carbon footprint”, wanting to be more “eco-conscious”, the  debate or should I say topic of discussion is even louder. I personally love the smell and feel of a real tree and I think most of us do too. However, a real tree has been planted, watered and fertilized for many years as it grows. Once it is ready to be harvested, they cut it down, spray it with a chemical to keep it fresh while it is being transported, sometimes across the nation and then be sold, watered some more and eventually thrown away or hopefully taken to a place that will shred it and turn it into mulch. This process doesn’t sound very eco-friendly to me, except that the tree farms are constantly replanting trees as they harvest mature ones which obviously keeps them in business.

Our next choice is purchasing an artificial tree, made from plastic, made in China, put into a box, shipped across the ocean, trucked to a store, sold to the consumer to keep and hopefully reuse for at least 10 plus years, if the owners take good care of it. The fake tree doesn’t require water and sometimes comes with it’s own lights already attached. Now they are using LED lights on the pre-ligthed trees, which makes them much more energy efficient. Of cousre, you do not get the “live tree” scent, unless you buy some in a can.

Our last option to note is purchasing a live tree which still has the root ball attached and can be planted outside after the holiday festivities are over and if it survives, you will then have a wonderful, permanent addition to your outdoor landscape. Of course, if you live in the desert southwest where Saguaro cactus is the norm, then you are out of luck. You could always ship it to a relative in the north country, but then there is that nasty carbon footprint of shipping something again. It can also be an issue if you live in a highrise condo and you do not have a yard to add more landscaping items, unless the local city park doesn’t mind you planting it on their turf.

So what to do, which way to go and is there a right or wrong choice? Each option has its positives and challenges. It truly depends on what each of us believes to be the right choice for our own circumstances. Over the years I have had cut trees and have planted live trees and now I own an artifical tree with LED lights already attached and I personally believe this is the best long term option for me, especially with the new environment I live in which is high desert and need to be very conservative with water.

So when you decide, let us know your thoughts and share your ideas for what you believe is the best Christmas tree choice for you!

Happy Holidays from EcoLita…who is the Ecodiva!

Well it is that time of year when millions of people sit down, write and send out greeting cards. They send them to relatives, friends, business associates, companies and clients they work with and sometimes include long, drawn out dissertations of all their escapades from the last eleven months, for inquiring minds who might want to know…or not!

So when the holidays are finished for another year, we put away the ornaments, lights, trees and packages and then we look at all those cards and wonder, what to do?

If you are a maniac recycler like me, you will try your darnest to recycle the little buggers. However, if they have metallic, foil or any glittery stuff on them, they are not recyclable. That also goes for wrapping paper with the above ingredients mentioned and if the cards and paper are bright colors; those cannot be thrown into the recycling bin either.

So what to do…? Well, I have a suggestion, just incase you haven’t purchased your greeting cards yet and you are ready to jump in the car and head to the closest big box store..make sure you purchase cards made from recycled paper and that they are also recyclable. This is important, so that the people you mail them to can recycle them…of course, they may not think about recycling them, so suggest it when you send them the card…as a way to get green for the holidays.

However, if this message has caught you in the middle of writing your cards and they are not recyclable, then you can do one of two things…send them out and never ever do it again or take them to a school, nursing home or scrapebook club that can use them in crafts and projects. Even art departments at colleges and Universities will gladly take these cards and use them for art projects. If your local stores do not carry cards made from recycled paper you can always go online and order them.

Here are a few websites that I came across which carry wonderful selections of holiday greeting cards made from recycled paper and are easily recycled after the holiday season is complete. They are: www.doodlegreetings.com; www.cardsdirect.com; www.greenfieldpaper.com; and www.greenprinter.com

So start a new tradition, by going green and recycling with your holiday cards and send the very best for the planet!

I know that good marketing and advertising is key to selling products, along with Brand and product placement, however yesterday, while shopping with a client at “The Great Indoors” in Scottsdale, I had to take a second and third look at a display that was obviously set up to attract someone looking for “eco” friendly products, which when examined closely, were not anywhere near “eco” friendly except for the word “eco” in the name.

A company selling floor rugs and mats, made in India, touting themselves as having “natural” fibers in the rugs and mats was as close to green washing as anything I have seen lately.

The fibers were not “organic”, recycled, or sustainable. They were simply cotton and jute…period.  Yes, these are natural, not man-made fibers, but to call their product “eco” is purely green bullshit.

Shipping rugs from India is not eco-friendly, nor sustainable, when it comes to transportation costs. The fibers were not organic, recycled, or made from sustainable materials. Cotton takes a ton of water and chemicals to produce, so that is not friendly to the planet, the people or anything else sustainable, it’s just plain old cotton. Yes, it probably gives people in India where the product is made income and a job, but that’s sustainable for India, not the rest of the planet.

So this is where the question comes in… “What is considered green, eco-friendly and sustainable when it comes to products we buy and use???

Well friends, your definition and what you are willing to support, lets the retailers know how far they can push the Shady green stuff or not.

There is no definitive, hard edged, Webster dictionary based definition, for eco-friendly, green, sustainable products, so I guess we all have to decide what we are willing to support.

I myself, do have a list of criteria for what I believe supports eco-friendly, green, and sustainable products and this list is something I refer to when I recommend, purchase or specify materials for my clients.

So here goes: I look for products that have recycled content, organic content, made in the United States or made locally if possible, use the least amount of fossil fuels in the production and transportation of the product, does the factory or manufacturing facility have a mission/vision that I support and believe in and do they walk their talk? Do they give back to their community? Do they run their operation on alternative energy? Do they recycle? How do they ship their products and in what types of containers, wrapping and shipping materials do they use? Do their products off-gas and emit unhealthy toxic stuff, or do they support the occupants who are in the spaces that I work with as a designer?

These are a few of the questions I ask before going forward with purchasing products for myself and my clients.

As you can see, there are many, many shades of green and eco-friendly to consider. So when you are out and about, shopping and making purchases for your home, work environment and life, please ask yourself some of these questions before buying items that require you to pay with your “green dollars.”

Let me know your thoughts and feedback on your experience with buying eco-friendly, green, sustainable products. Have you experienced “green washing” with products you purchased thinking they were really eco-friendly?

“Live consciously and passionately, our planet is the only one with chocolate on it!”…EcoLita