Category Archives: Holidays and Celebrations

Top 5 Ways to Go Green on St. Patrick’s Day

  By Donna DeForbes | March 8, 2013 - 6:00 am |
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Drink Green On a normal day, about 5.5 million pints of Guinness are consumed around the world. On St. Patrick’s Day, that number jumps to 13 million (stat: National Geographic) Drink as much Guinness as you like, but please remember to recycle those bottles and cans afterward. Or support a more eco-friendly beer company such as Colorado’s New Belgium Brewery (Fat Tire beer), the first wind-powered brewery in the nation. Also sustainable, Sierra Nevada Brewery gets much of their energy needs from solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells, powers their trucks on 100% vegetable oil waste, and, in 2011, diverted 99.7% of the brewery’s solid waste from the landfill through recycling, composting and reuse. Eat Green And I don’t mean unnaturally green-colored foods like milkshakes and pastries. That artificial food coloring (FD&C Green No.3 and Fast Green FCF) is derived from petroleum and is associated with hyperactivity in children, cancer and allergic … Continue reading →

Top 5 Green Valentine’s Day Gifts

  By Donna DeForbes | February 8, 2013 - 7:00 am | , ,
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Earth-Saving E-Cards For as little as $10, send someone a personalized e-card while supporting the environment. Choose from a variety of causes including bobcat protection (for the kitten lover), environmental education (for the book lover) and energy-efficient stadiums (for the sports lover). Natural Resources Defense Council works to save wildlife and wild places, promote clean energy, and educate others on living green. (Green celeb note: Robert Redford and Pierce Brosnan are active supporters.) Eco Picnic Basket This chic picnic set for four includes a willow basket, bamboo plates, utensils and cutting board, recycled wine glasses and cotton napkins. Add your own bottle of organic wine and fair trade chocolate for a memorable, romantic meal. Personal Gardens Rather than send pesticide-infected roses that will die within a few days, give a sustainable plant with an extended shelf life. Sourcing eco-friendly materials, Potting Shed Creations offers gardens in a bag, terrariums, bonsai boxes and even packages for kids. … Continue reading →

My Green New Year’s Resolutions

  By Donna DeForbes | January 8, 2013 - 7:00 am | ,
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I WILL NOT: Be sucked into “post-holiday,” “going out of business” or similarly themed store sales, as it leads me to purchase excessively packaged, plastic, convenient crap that I really do not need. Attend such sales without my reusable shopping bags. (I am human, after all.) Patronize Chinese restaurants that use Styrofoam for takeout. Goodbye, Tong’s. (Although this might mean driving farther to find a more eco-friendly restaurant; does the increased carbon from fuel offset the non-biodegradable Styrofoam?) Feel bad about re-gifting well-conditioned items. If I’m keeping stuff out of landfills and making someone happy, what does it matter? Gorge out on meat every day. A few days of veggie meals means happy cows and pigs plus a happier planet. That being said, I will not give up bacon. Ever. Lazily toss the empty toilet paper tube into the bathroom wastebasket because it’s easier, but instead remember that Sofie is … Continue reading →

Top 5 Reasons to Celebrate the Winter Solstice

  By Donna DeForbes | December 21, 2012 - 7:00 am | ,
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The days are getting longer. Really. Although it may not seem like it on this longest night of the year, when, in Rhode Island, the sun sets at 4:15 p.m. and doesn’t rise until after 7:00, daylight incrementally increases after the Winter Solstice. Midwinter festivals are meant to celebrate the return of the sun. So sleep well tonight and enjoy that extra few minutes of sunshine tomorrow. A chance to reconnect with nature. Winter Solstice celebrates the seasons and the return of the sun. It is the perfect time to enjoy a family hike in the woods or a visit to your local zoo or wildlife reserve. Alternatively, you could create a bird feeder with the kids to welcome furry creatures in your backyard. Eating, drinking and role reversals. At least that was the rampant kind of fun ancient Romans had when celebrating the Winter Solstice with a festival known as Saturnalia. … Continue reading →

O TOXIC TREE: The Ongoing Debate Over Live vs. Fake Christmas Trees

  By Donna DeForbes | December 18, 2012 - 7:00 am |
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Getting a Christmas tree has been a DeForbes family tradition since before we thought of the name DeForbes (that’s a story for another time). The tree is the cornerstone of our holidays. We get it early and keep it up into the new year. We rearrange our furniture to give it ideal bay window placement. Our December electric bills rise due to nightly lightings. All this for the joy of bringing a bit of the outdoors inside. To give you a little background, I grew up with artificial trees and pine-scented aerosol, counting the Christmases until I could lug a fresh evergreen into my own home. I don’t care that the sap ruins my clothes as I string the lights or that, after a few weeks, my hardwood floor looks like a forest of pine needles. To me, only real trees have that holiday magic. Once I considered myself an … Continue reading →

Why I Hate the Elf on the Shelf

  By Donna DeForbes | December 11, 2012 - 7:00 am |
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One Christmas tradition that won’t be seen in the DeForbes household is the Elf on the Shelf. If you are not yet aware of this growing phenomenon, here’s the lowdown. For $29.95 you purchase the book and an elf that your family “adopts.” Kids cannot touch the elf or the magic disappears, but parents should be prepared to hide the doll in various locations every day for the next month. You see, the elf is meant to reside in your home during the holiday season for the sole purpose of spying on your kids. As Santa’s helper, the elf takes note of your children’s naughty and nice behaviors, and reports back to Santa each night. I have several issues with this: The Spy Factor How creepy is it to feel like someone’s watching your every move? Outside of the Christmas season, Mr. Elf would be served a restraining order. I … Continue reading →

Top 5 Ads for Buy Nothing Day: November 23

  By Donna DeForbes | November 22, 2012 - 5:00 pm | , ,
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Buy Nothing Day (BND) was founded in the early 1990s by Vancouver artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by Adbusters magazine until it grew into a global event. In North America, it’s celebrated on Black Friday – one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Around the world, it’s celebrated on the last Saturday in November. The movement is a response to the gluttony of consumerism. For one day each year, BND suggests people detox from shopping and really live those 24 hours instead. That could mean hiking, meditating, reading, partying or spending time with family. It also encourages people to think about the effects of our impulsive and compulsive shopping habits. Buy Nothing Day UK According to Buy Nothing Day UK, “…only 20% of the world population are consuming over 80% of the earth’s natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage and unfair distribution of wealth. As … Continue reading →

Top 5 Things to Love About Autumn

  By Donna DeForbes | November 2, 2012 - 7:47 am | ,
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Pumpkin patches and apple orchards. What could be a more fun, nature-oriented family activity than this? We have a fall tradition of visiting our local Schartner Farms to buy mums, gourds, and pumpkins for the season. And in New England, we have our pick of happy apple orchards—although we have not yet gone this year. Both activities get us outside, tramping through fields and trees, selecting from nature’s bounty. We love the colors (yellow-gold, burnt orange, fiery red), the smells (fresh cider, fresh baked pies, fresh-cut red potato fries from Schartners) and the lessons from nature (read 9 lessons kids can learn at the pumpkin patch). Perfect weather. No need for air conditioners, fans or heat. It’s the most eco-friendly time of year in that respect. Although my husband tends to disagree, I relish fresh air breezing through open windows. I love snuggling into flannel sheets at night. Whereas during … Continue reading →