Christmas Time

So it's the holiday season again. There is so much to be thankful for and with this new focus on being green, it forces me to look at the season with new eyes.

For example - Christmas lights - I LOVE Christmas lights, but they tend to use a lot of extra energy. . . so manufacturers are begining to come out with LED Christmas lights. We got some of those this year - it's pretty exciting! :)

Another thought - wrapping paper. What a waste of paper! And I don't think I've ever seen anyone recycle their wrapping paper. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's day, Americans throw away a million extra tons [900,000 metric tons] of garbage each week, including holiday wrapping and packaging, according to Robert Lilienfeld. Lilienfield, who has published a newsletter on reducing waste since 1996, notes that if every family reused just 2 feet [0.6 meter] of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles [61,000 kilometers] of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. Who would notice if you wrapped their present in newspaper or old paper bags and used fun bows to dress it up? For bows, you could use old VHS and cassette tape (both curl nicely on a sharp scissors' edge), old Christmas lights, tape measures, shoelaces—really anything from the junk drawer that's long enough to tie around a box—for a vintage look. Then you're reusing things instead us using bought wrapping paper that only has one purpose!

Something else to be on the lookout for. . . What Would Jesus Buy (www.wwjbmovie.com) it looks to be a super entertaining movie about commerialism in America especially during the holidays. . . check it out!

Long Time

So it's been awhile since I've posted. . .

Our church got our street adoption approved which is exciting. . . It's exciting to see our visions come to fruition. We're also working on figure out how to tangibly impact our community by feeding the homeless, meeting the food needs of soup kitchen, etc. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

So environmentally, Jason and I have been talking about insulating our house better, here's some more info about that:

- Eco-friendlier materials. Green options include recycled paper, denim, and plant cellulose; the fiberglass stuff is made from petroleum.
- Lowering your power bills. Proper insulation can save the average home $245 per year.
- Lowering your emissions. Heating systems emit 1 bil tons of CO2 per year in the United States; the right insulation can chip away at this amount.
- Upping your home's value. According to the Appraisal Institute, resale value increases by more than $20 for every $1 decrease in your annual energy bills.
- Getting cash back. The feds will rebate 10% of the price of your insulation, plus your state may offer additional tax credits.
- Decreasing noise pollution. Insulation minimizes the sound of the garage band or motorcycle next door
-http://www.biobased.net/homeowners/index.php
-http://www.cocooninsulation.com/
-http://www.bondedlogic.com/ultratouch.htm
-http://www.dsireusa.org/Index.cfm?RE=0&EE=1
-http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11340

OK, I'll try to post more reliably. . . Sorry everyone. . .