Carnival of The Green
By Chris Baskind in Living
Lighter Footstep hosts the Christmas edition of Carnival of The Green. Browse a great collection of articles submitted by some of the Green web’s top writers.
This week, Lighter Footstep is pleased to host the 159th edition of the Carnival of The Green. A blog carnival is a regular collection of articles submitted by a number of websites — usually along a theme or topic. The Carnival of The Green is coordinated by our friends at Treehugger, one of the web’s leading environmental voices. Last week’s edition was hosted by The Christian Environmentalist. Next week, it’s on to Ruscombe Green.
So on to this week’s crop of Carnival submissions:
At Organic Makeup and Skin Care, Julena writes about The Quest for Organic Makeup. With consumer expectations guided by the commercial makeup industry, arriving at healthy, balanced beauty products which also produce the desired aesthetic results its a tough job. Fortunately, a number of manufacturers are taking the plunge. Julena provides a list of the early organic pioneers.
Rekitchen discusses The Surprising Health Benefits of Green Cabinets. While the obvious benefits of green furnishings are well known (in terms of lower carbon footprint and more sustainable wood harvesting techniques), there are also a surprising number of health reasons to choose eco-friendly cabinetry. Chris Brooks draws from ten interviews with policymakers and cabinetmakers to illustrate the point.
At Lighter Footstep, we’re big fans of Fake Plastic Fish. This week, Beth Terry’s article Homemade Chocolate Syrup: Delicious & Plastic-Free shows another way to cut your plastic consumption while having a little fun. You’ll find a great recipe for homemade chocolate syrup that’s perfect for the holidays.
We’ve long discussed that while you needn’t give up meat to be considered “green,” it’s a sound environmental choice. Sally Kneidel of Veggie Revolution introduces us to a school which is going meatless one day next spring to bring attention to more sustainable eating. This bookmarkable and well-researched article is full of solid information on the impact of traditional meat-based diets.
Agroblogger has kicked-up the debate over Open Source Appropriate Technology in an article called Too Little, Too Late? So what is OSAT? Essentially, it’s a patent-free and community driven model for developing technology appropriate to a given situation. You’ll find a fuller definition at Appropedia — which is itself a demonstration of appropriate technology — along with a number of related articles at Agroblogger.
We’re just three days away from Christmas, and you’re probably looking for ways to stretch a tight holiday budget. The folks at The Smarter Wallet have a smart collection of 12 Homemade Gift Ideas To Fit A Small Budget. Most of these are straightforward enough to get a few of them done before the big day, so have fun and delight friends and family with a one-of-a-kind gift they’ll really appreciate.
And if you take Clara Myers’ advice, the next time you sit down on that warm carpet to open presents, it will be a healthier experience. Mind Mart asks What’s In Your Carpet? Traditional floor coverings are full of chemical treatments and leach all manner of things into groundwater when they finally hit the landfill, but there are alternatives.
Finally, we at Lighter Footstep would like to remind you to consider charitable giving as you’re crossing the last few items off your holiday list. There are plenty of worthy organizations out there, and with more difficult financial times, they’re depending on your generosity now more than ever. One particularly fun was to give in someone else’s name this year is Oxfam’s Unwrapped program. Oxfam allows you to make a donation that’s attached to a symbolic gift: mosquito netting, a donkey, or schoolbooks for kids in developing countries. The money actually funds a variety of Oxfam’s relief missions, but it’s a tangible way to demonstrate the power of giving.
That’s it for the Christmas edition of Carnival of The Green. Enjoy exploring this week’s sites, hit our homepage and browse our list of Sites We Love for more, and enjoy the warmth of the holidays in peace and sustainability.
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