It's Easy Being Green

So one of my favorite bloggers, Hot Belly Mama, is hosting a great giveaway right now.  Since I’m getting ready to have a baby, my wife and I have been searching for an eco-friendly alternative to all the plastic diaper waste we could possibly contribute to the local landfill.  The Bumgenius diaper is one alternative we’ve looked at since we’re “eco-freaks” and have thought about giving them a try.  If you’re in the same boat, head over to her blog for a chance to win.  Here’s the details:

Good luck!

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By now you might be booting extra family out the door or finally getting to see loved ones who didn’t make it that far before the grips of old man winter trapped them at the airport.  Either way, this weekend you might begin to get antsy and wonder what to do with all the aftermath of Christmas (hopefully it was a good one to you and your family).

Last year, I discovered some creative ways to recycle your Christmas tree.  You can check them out by reading this post called Christmas Tree-cycling.

We’ve been receiving a lot of gifts by mail this year and thus have dealt with an overload of packing materials.  Most people think you can only throw all that stuff out but luckily you don’t have to.  You can donate those packing materials back to shipping stores.  They’ll gladly re-use them and keep them from just a one-time use before going into the landfill.  You can also call the “Peanut Hotline” at (800) 828-2214.  For more about packing materials read The Joy (and horror) of Packing Peanuts.

For electronic items or toys, hopefully you opted to power those items with some rechargeable batteries.  That’s really the best option.  But once those batteries lose their charge and aren’t useful anymore you can still recycle them instead of throwing them out.  Visit the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation for more details on where to send them.

I’m not a parent yet but I think purging old toys and donating them is a wonderful idea, especially after the holidays when the kids are overrun with new things to play with.  There are several ways parents run this but the most popular seems to be when the parent sits down with their child and asks them to pick out a toy they don’t use anymore (one for each new toy received) and then donate them to charitable thrift stores.

Did you get a new cell phone for Christmas?  How about donating the old one if you don’t want to keep it around as a backup!  A group called CollectiveGood will take your old cell phone and you can write it off as a tax-deductible donation.  If you live near one of 1500 UPS stores spread across the U.S., you can head over to their location.  Each store has a free envelope so you can drop off items like cell phones, ink cartridges, digital cameras and MP3 players and send them in for recycling.  The shipment is also free.  Thanks UPS!

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With just a few days left before Christmas, many people are probably busy switching gears into wrapping mode.  All of my wrapping is done but I know many last minute procrastinators who don’t wrap until the 11pm witching hour on Christmas Eve.  There are many ways you can make the wrapping process a little greener this year.

First, consider alternative ways to wrap your presents instead of using the traditional roll of paper purchased from the store.  You can use just about anything.  One of my personal favorites is using the “funnies” from the newspaper.  It’s colorful and fun!  You can also old posters, maps, sheet music and any other piece of recycled paper you can think of.  People have also suggested wallpaper scraps, scarves, pillowcases and fabric remnants.

If you’re more into bags, a lot of the shopping bags you get while doing the holiday shopping could double as gift bags once you get to wrapping.  You can just use some ribbon and tissue paper to dress it up a notch.  Clothing can be rolled up tightly and tied with a piece of ribbon before sticking in a stocking or placing it under the tree.  Large items in a box can be hidden with a blanket or by tieing a scarf around it.  Small items like jewlry or cell phones can be hidden inside the tree.  I’ve done this a couple of times and have gotten a lot of enjoyment watching my recipient trying to find their hidden gift and then see their surprise when they finally pull it out of the branches.

It’s also good to think about how you can recycle all that wrapping paper.  A lot of municipal recycling programs can’t recycle the glossy, printed wrapping paper.  If that’s the case you might want to consider going for the old fashioned look by using plain craft paper.  You can use rubber stamps to dress up the wrapping paper and decorate it yourself.  Than you can rest a little easier knowing that mountain of paper won’t be headed toward the landfill.

Do you have any suggestions on how to reduce, reuse or recycle your gift wrapping?  Please share them if you do!

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If you’re having trouble coming up with an idea for a Christmas gift that either won’t cost you very much or is for the person that already has everything, think about non-materialistic gift ideas.  This could save you a lot of money this holiday season and provide the recipient with something they normally wouldn’t expect.  So how can you turn your time and talent into gift?

Think about offering a service like baby sitting to somone who really needs it.  If you know an avid traveller, offer up some pet sitting time.  You could grant special favors like cleaning the house from top to bottom.  Or you could present a spa at home day where you provide a meal, massage, pedicure and a drawn bath with candles.  A popular thing to do is create a coupon booklet with several different favors so the recipient can “cash them in” whenever they want.  Maybe you have a special skill or hobby that someone close to you has admired.  You could spend a day teaching them everything you know about that skill or hobby so they can get involved themselves and maybe make a special project together.

Non-material gifts will save you money and save the environment too.  Have you ever put together a non-materialistic gift?  What did you give?  Share your stories!

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Today is my birthday and my girlfriend bought me one of the best birthday presents ever! She picked up this little device called a Solio. It’s basically an array of 3 solar panels that open up like a flower. The panels have an internal battery and produce enough power to recharge just about an cell phone or mp3 player you might have on the road with you. It’s great because while you’re driving, you can harness the power of the sun right on your dashboard. You can also take these devices out into the field and not have to rely on an wall power or other random outlet to recharge your phone.

I’m super excited because over the last month I started travelling more for my job. It can take me to some really remote, out of the way places and this is one simple way I can make sure I have power for all my portable devices while living a little greener! I can’t wait to take it out with me on the next trip to see just how well it works. If you’d like to learn more about the Solio line of products, head on over to the Solio website.

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I’d like to just get off topic for a moment and talk about one of my favorite sports to watch, boxing. Last spring, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya faced off in what is now known as the richest boxing match in history. The match up broke previous box office records in the world of boxing and that has promoters looking at a possible rematch this fall. De La Hoya’s promoter, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions has told ESPN that the deal is “almost finalized” and another fight could happen on September 13th or 20th. HBO would carry the fight as a pay-per-view event.

At last year’s May 5th fight at the MGM Grand, Mayweather ended up winning a split-decision and took De La Hoya’s junior middleweight belt. It hasn’t been settled what weight class the boxers will fight in. De La Hoya has talked about returning to the welterweight division. Mayweather is the current welterweight world champion. Schaefer has suggested that the two could square-off somewhere between the welterweight and middleweight divisions.

A definite fight location hasn’t been selected yet. Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles has expressed interest in hosting the fight. The Home Depot Center, home to the L.A. Galaxy Major League Soccer teams is another possible venue. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas has also tossed their hat into the ring, indicating an interest in hosting the fight, which grossed $165 Million last time. While promoters don’t seem to think they’ll meet last year’s revenue, they say it’s still a win financially. De La Hoya had planned to return to the ring in May but didn’t have an opponent. If all fairs well between promoters, Oscar will return to the ring this fall against Floyd Mayweather Jr.  You can get more information on De La Hoya vs Mayweather tickets
by following the link.

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So, if you’re out working on the ranch or riding your tractor around your farm a nice pair of boots would probably complement that hard day of work you’re putting in.  I’ve also often heard there’s nothing more Arizonan than a good pair of boots.  I’m a native and I still don’t have a pair so maybe I need to get some. But where exactly did cowboy boots come from and how long have they been the staple of western wear?

As it turns out, cowboy boots first came about during the 1500’s while the vaquero tradition of Spain was being imported to the new world. The tradition caught on in Mexico when Spaniards arrived there and spread into the western U.S. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s when the cowboy boot really took of though. The cattle drive era kicked off in 1866, spurred by a booming population, a demand for more meat and the soaring price of beef. Cattlemen were looking for rugged western wear that could handle the daily rigors and demands of ranching. That brought about the modern cowboy boot as we know it. The higher heel, elaborate stitching and decorative features of the cowboy boot became obtainable for even the working class and nudged out the classic Wellington, military-inspired boot that had been the mainstay for those working.

If you’re in the market for a new pair of boots, you should check out Cavender’s Western Wear. They have hundreds of pairs to chose from for both men and women. You’re bound to find a pair of boots that not only show off some style but also reflect your own personality too. Check out their cowboy boots today! Maybe you can get even more kicks by picking out a new pair of Levi’s too.

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