Ah, yes. Don't you just love this time of year?? I hope that everyone has had a wonderful holiday season enjoying the company of friends, family and robot clones you created to replace your family. But now the time has come to take down the organic mistletoe, convert the Christmas tree growing in your living room back into a President's Day tree, and begin heading back to work. But before we do that, we need to look back at this holiday season and see what we've learned.
Christmas is notable for its characters that can inspire us and motivate us to become better people. Think of how the Grinch realizes the true meaning of Christmas and his heart grows three sizes (ow, by the way). Or Linus from Peanuts giving a rousing speech that gives everyone hope and teaches all of his friends a thing or two about interior design so they can resurrect the seemingly hopeless Christmas tree. Or Clark Griswald suffering through an unbearable Christmas Vacation to teach everyone the value of purchasing robot clones of your family so you don't have to deal with your real family.
But one character is often overlooked for the message he is able to teach to everyone. And that man is Ebeneezer Scrooge. Yes, I know, people know very well the message he learns. Some stuff about not being a jerk or liking Christmas or helping handicap kids or something. I don't actually remember.
But no, I'm not talking about what Scrooge learns at the end of the story. I'm talking about the way he acts at the beginning. His carbon footprint is insanely small!! Scrooge's story (which was first published in 1843, 130-ish years before the environmental movement of the 1970's) was so far ahead of its time! One example of a way Scrooge was able to cut his energy use is by walking to work each day. Yes, I know cars didn't exist back then, but walking is still better for the environment than taking a horse and carriage. And he also refuses to refill the coal furnace at his offices. He wasn't doing it to be cheap, he knew how many GHG's he'd be putting in the air from a coal furnace. And finally, Mr. Dickens tells us that Scrooge uses only a single candle to light his house as opposed to wasting lamp fuel to light his whole chambers. Hm... sounds familiar... maybe like Green Tip #7???
Well, there you have it. When I thought I was being really imaginative when I came up with that Green Tip, Scrooge was already doing it 166 years earlier. So I think the Christmas message is clear. Environmental stewardship doesn't have to be taught by fancy things like Ivy League Sustainability Business Management Masters Degree Programs or overly educated bloggers who think they are wittier than they really are. Sometimes you can learn what's truly important from a stingy banker from 1840's London.
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #60: Gift Wrapping (or Lack Therof)
As sad as it is to admit it, we've come to the end of the Christmas Special week. It's been so much fun sharing holiday Green Tips with you, but all good things must come to an end. And instead of sharing a fun, witty, insightful holiday Green Tip with you today, I think it would be more fitting if I just talked about the magical spirit that's in the air this time of year. You see, it's not just about commercialism and pretending that the true meaning of the holidays is environmental responsibility in order to promote your blog. It's about spending time with family and-
Shoot!!! I forgot to finish my Christmas shopping!!!! Outta my way!! I need to get to Wal-Mart!
Say, that gives me an idea for a Green Tip #60. Guys, I'm looking more at you than the women on this one. I hate to stereotype, but you know it's true. How often have you forgot to buy something for a loved one's birthday or anniversary or Christmas or bat mitzvah? Well, when you inevitably end up running out the morning of to grab the nearest thing from the shelf of the gas station down the street, you can at least pass it off a little better by following Green Tip #60.
If you don't wrap the present because you got it at the last minute, now you have the valid excuse that it saves paper! She'll never figure out you got it that day. So with this Green Tip and Green Tip #23, you should be off the hook for a really long time.
An alternative to this that was suggested to me by my brother is to wrap your presents in other presents. He suggested wrapping things like movies and games in things like shirts and coats. I say that it would be even better if you do the other way around. If you manage to stuff a shirt into a DVD case, think of all the space you'll save under the tree!
Well, before I head out to the store to finish my shopping, let me say that I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I'll see you next week where I'll be recapping some of the environmental stories of 2009!
Shoot!!! I forgot to finish my Christmas shopping!!!! Outta my way!! I need to get to Wal-Mart!
Say, that gives me an idea for a Green Tip #60. Guys, I'm looking more at you than the women on this one. I hate to stereotype, but you know it's true. How often have you forgot to buy something for a loved one's birthday or anniversary or Christmas or bat mitzvah? Well, when you inevitably end up running out the morning of to grab the nearest thing from the shelf of the gas station down the street, you can at least pass it off a little better by following Green Tip #60.
If you don't wrap the present because you got it at the last minute, now you have the valid excuse that it saves paper! She'll never figure out you got it that day. So with this Green Tip and Green Tip #23, you should be off the hook for a really long time.
An alternative to this that was suggested to me by my brother is to wrap your presents in other presents. He suggested wrapping things like movies and games in things like shirts and coats. I say that it would be even better if you do the other way around. If you manage to stuff a shirt into a DVD case, think of all the space you'll save under the tree!
Well, before I head out to the store to finish my shopping, let me say that I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I'll see you next week where I'll be recapping some of the environmental stories of 2009!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #59: Christmas Cookies
Alright, let's cut to the chase. Don't even bother trying to deny it, you and I both know that when you're making Christmas cookies (or any cookies for that matter), you lick the bowl when you're done. Or if not that than the spoon or the mixers. Or if not that than all of the above. Raw cookie dough is just so amazing to eat and despite numerous health warnings telling us how bad raw eggs and such are for you, we all do it. I like to look at it this way: in the original Rocky movie, when Rocky is training he drinks a cup of raw eggs. A cup! Of raw eggs! Although he did (SPOILER ALERT) lose the match at the end to Apollo, so maybe eggs were to blame for that. But eating raw eggs sure didn't kill him, as evidenced by him going on to make five more movies.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, assuming that you're not planning on fighting Apollo Creed anytime soon, I don't see what the big deal is in eating cookie dough with raw eggs in it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that raw cookie dough is almost better than baked cookies. I mean, which is more popular, cookie dough ice cream or cookie ice cream?
So Green Tip #59 is this: Don't Bake Your Christmas Cookies. As amazing as cookie dough is, I'm sure that nobody will complain when you serve them lumps of cold cookie dough shaped into snowmen and Christmas trees (or the Presidential Seal if you want to continue with yesterday's fantasy). Not only will this save you the time it takes to bake all of your cookies, this will cut down on the amount of gas or electricity that it takes you to run your oven.
So think about Mother Nature this year before you stick those cookies into the oven. Hm, actually that gives me an idea. What if Rocky opens a bakery in the seventh Rocky movie? I'll have to talk to MGM about that....
Where am I going with all of this? Well, assuming that you're not planning on fighting Apollo Creed anytime soon, I don't see what the big deal is in eating cookie dough with raw eggs in it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that raw cookie dough is almost better than baked cookies. I mean, which is more popular, cookie dough ice cream or cookie ice cream?
So Green Tip #59 is this: Don't Bake Your Christmas Cookies. As amazing as cookie dough is, I'm sure that nobody will complain when you serve them lumps of cold cookie dough shaped into snowmen and Christmas trees (or the Presidential Seal if you want to continue with yesterday's fantasy). Not only will this save you the time it takes to bake all of your cookies, this will cut down on the amount of gas or electricity that it takes you to run your oven.
So think about Mother Nature this year before you stick those cookies into the oven. Hm, actually that gives me an idea. What if Rocky opens a bakery in the seventh Rocky movie? I'll have to talk to MGM about that....
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #58: Christmas Trees
Welcome back! I hope your bundled up and staying warm during this first full day of winter. Today I'll be talking about ways to be a little more environmentally friendly when it comes to decorating for the Christmas season. This may be already too late to share Green Tip #58 as Christmas is just 3 days away and if you haven't picked out your tree yet, you'll probably end up with a tree that will make the Charlie Brown tree look like the one in Rockefeller Center. So make sure to file away what I'm saying here until next year and remember to keep it in mind come next November.
All throughout history, the dominant way of doing something has been unseated by a new technological or societal advancement. Consider how telegraphs were rendered obsolete by the popularity of the US Postal Service. In recent years mail volumes have dropped due to the rise of fax and e-mail. Or consider how long distance passenger trains in the US have become a thing of the past due to the highway system and airline travel. Finally, think of how in the coming century, coal and gas power will be replaced with solar, wind and nuclear power.
Now I'm not saying that what I'm about to propose is as groundbreaking as airline travel or e-mail. I mean we're only talking about Christmas trees here. But in order to make Green Tip #58 seem more significant, I'm going to create a metaphor comparing Christmas trees to the automotive industry.
If you can recall, during the 60's and 70's, there were really only three choices when it came to what kinds of cars Americans could buy. Ford (real evergreen trees) General Motors (artificial trees) or the less popular Chrysler (don't celebrate Christmas). This system worked well. Nobody complained that the cars were all of very poor quality and were really bad for the environment (just like cutting down trees every year or manufacturing artificial trees). It was just the way the system was and nobody thought to challenge the status quo.
Until Japan decided to throw its hat into the ring. During the 80's, along came Toyota and Honda with a new line of cars that had very few defects and were much more customizable. Suddenly everyone wanted one and just a few years ago, Toyota passed up GM as the largest car company in the world. This story is legendary among engineering and business classes and is used as an example of how making things better can completely shake up the industry.
Well what is the Christmas tree equivalent to this story? No, not import your trees from Japan (if you think that you missed the point of the metaphor). Instead what I suggest is that you just dig a hole in your living room and plant the tree right there. You get all the benefits of having a live tree (yummy Christmas-y smell, for example) without the lameness of an artificial tree. And even better is that it will be around every year! You'll never have to cut down another tree! And you don't have to water it! AND it will filter out all that carbon dioxide you're exhaling and release more oxygen!
Now it does get a little tricky when it comes to what to do if you have downstairs neighbors. You'll just have to arrange something with them so that you just get a bigger tree and you'll just have the top part sticking up into your place and they take the middle and bottom parts. They'll understand when they'll have to give up putting an angel on the top.
And you have the issue of it being there year round. You never know, this might start a new set of traditions. I can just imagine the kids walking up on President's Day morning to rush downstairs and find the presents that George Washington left under the President's Day Tree. I can't wait to go caroling with songs set to the tune of 'Hail to the Chief' and setting up my Obama and Nixon nutcrackers. And what about a remake of 'A Christmas Story' where a young Lincoln wants a BB gun but his mom says no because he'll shoot his eye out...
Oh. Um. Sorry. Too soon?
All throughout history, the dominant way of doing something has been unseated by a new technological or societal advancement. Consider how telegraphs were rendered obsolete by the popularity of the US Postal Service. In recent years mail volumes have dropped due to the rise of fax and e-mail. Or consider how long distance passenger trains in the US have become a thing of the past due to the highway system and airline travel. Finally, think of how in the coming century, coal and gas power will be replaced with solar, wind and nuclear power.
Now I'm not saying that what I'm about to propose is as groundbreaking as airline travel or e-mail. I mean we're only talking about Christmas trees here. But in order to make Green Tip #58 seem more significant, I'm going to create a metaphor comparing Christmas trees to the automotive industry.
If you can recall, during the 60's and 70's, there were really only three choices when it came to what kinds of cars Americans could buy. Ford (real evergreen trees) General Motors (artificial trees) or the less popular Chrysler (don't celebrate Christmas). This system worked well. Nobody complained that the cars were all of very poor quality and were really bad for the environment (just like cutting down trees every year or manufacturing artificial trees). It was just the way the system was and nobody thought to challenge the status quo.
Until Japan decided to throw its hat into the ring. During the 80's, along came Toyota and Honda with a new line of cars that had very few defects and were much more customizable. Suddenly everyone wanted one and just a few years ago, Toyota passed up GM as the largest car company in the world. This story is legendary among engineering and business classes and is used as an example of how making things better can completely shake up the industry.
Well what is the Christmas tree equivalent to this story? No, not import your trees from Japan (if you think that you missed the point of the metaphor). Instead what I suggest is that you just dig a hole in your living room and plant the tree right there. You get all the benefits of having a live tree (yummy Christmas-y smell, for example) without the lameness of an artificial tree. And even better is that it will be around every year! You'll never have to cut down another tree! And you don't have to water it! AND it will filter out all that carbon dioxide you're exhaling and release more oxygen!
Now it does get a little tricky when it comes to what to do if you have downstairs neighbors. You'll just have to arrange something with them so that you just get a bigger tree and you'll just have the top part sticking up into your place and they take the middle and bottom parts. They'll understand when they'll have to give up putting an angel on the top.
And you have the issue of it being there year round. You never know, this might start a new set of traditions. I can just imagine the kids walking up on President's Day morning to rush downstairs and find the presents that George Washington left under the President's Day Tree. I can't wait to go caroling with songs set to the tune of 'Hail to the Chief' and setting up my Obama and Nixon nutcrackers. And what about a remake of 'A Christmas Story' where a young Lincoln wants a BB gun but his mom says no because he'll shoot his eye out...
Oh. Um. Sorry. Too soon?
Monday, December 21, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #57: The True Meaning of the Holidays
Merry Christmas week everyone! I hope you enjoy this week's special 4 part series about environmentally friendly Christmas ideas. I figured that I would start the week off with a look into the real meaning behind the traditions associated with the season.
Far too often, we get caught up in the commercialized, stressful, meaningless practices and forget that there is a very important lesson to be learned. As we gather together with our friends and families, let us not worry about who bought presents for whom or whether the ham is cooked right or that if you see that stupid beer commercial with the guy who puts lights in his palm tree one more year in a row you'll go crazy and throw the Christmas tree through the window. No, let us instead remember that the true meaning of Christmas is fighting Global Warming.
"Wait. What?" you're probably asking. Well, probably not. After 56 Green Tips, you've probably figured out where I was going with this one before you even started writing this one. But you probably are asking "Wait. How?" Well, once I explain it to you, you'll see just how obvious all of the symbolism really is.
Let's start with Santa. Santa is the model of Green Living. Everything he does is just so environmentally friendly. He employs elves to do his work instead of automating the process which saves electricity. He uses magical reindeer instead of taking an airplane to save on fuel consumption. He very clearly endorses the use of fireplaces to heat your home which saves on natural gas or coal use.
But most importantly of all, he makes a bold statement working out of the North Pole. Al Gore recently said that the polar ice caps could completely melt within ten years because of Global Warming. Well Santa just won't stand for it. His refusal to move to a warmer climate is a bold challenge to the world. "If you pollute, you clearly hate Christmas," is what he's saying. Think about that next time you forget to recycle your plastic bottles. You might as well just punch the Easter Bunny in the nose next time you leave your A/C on too high.
In related ideas, Hanukkah. I don't want my Jewish friends to feel left out of the picture. This holiday is just as important at spreading the message of being green. For those of you that don't know, Hanukkah is celebrated to remember the time when the Jerusalem temple was running low on holy candle oil to praise God with. They only had one day's worth of oil left and they didn't want the candles to go out. But that one day's worth of oil ended up lasting them for eight days, which was a long enough time for them to make more oil.
This clearly has a Green message to it. Candle oil that uses 1/8th the amount of energy? That sounds familiar. It sounds like the ancient Jews were the first ones to design the CFL (the energy efficient spiral lightbulbs). If I were the high priest in charge of the Jewish temple, I'd look into getting that place LEED certified (look it up) because I think they've got a shot at going for platinum.
So you can see that there are environmental messages behind every tradition that we hold dear to us during this season. Don't forget to come back tomorrow, but until then, keep dreaming of a Green Christmas!
Far too often, we get caught up in the commercialized, stressful, meaningless practices and forget that there is a very important lesson to be learned. As we gather together with our friends and families, let us not worry about who bought presents for whom or whether the ham is cooked right or that if you see that stupid beer commercial with the guy who puts lights in his palm tree one more year in a row you'll go crazy and throw the Christmas tree through the window. No, let us instead remember that the true meaning of Christmas is fighting Global Warming.
"Wait. What?" you're probably asking. Well, probably not. After 56 Green Tips, you've probably figured out where I was going with this one before you even started writing this one. But you probably are asking "Wait. How?" Well, once I explain it to you, you'll see just how obvious all of the symbolism really is.
Let's start with Santa. Santa is the model of Green Living. Everything he does is just so environmentally friendly. He employs elves to do his work instead of automating the process which saves electricity. He uses magical reindeer instead of taking an airplane to save on fuel consumption. He very clearly endorses the use of fireplaces to heat your home which saves on natural gas or coal use.
But most importantly of all, he makes a bold statement working out of the North Pole. Al Gore recently said that the polar ice caps could completely melt within ten years because of Global Warming. Well Santa just won't stand for it. His refusal to move to a warmer climate is a bold challenge to the world. "If you pollute, you clearly hate Christmas," is what he's saying. Think about that next time you forget to recycle your plastic bottles. You might as well just punch the Easter Bunny in the nose next time you leave your A/C on too high.
In related ideas, Hanukkah. I don't want my Jewish friends to feel left out of the picture. This holiday is just as important at spreading the message of being green. For those of you that don't know, Hanukkah is celebrated to remember the time when the Jerusalem temple was running low on holy candle oil to praise God with. They only had one day's worth of oil left and they didn't want the candles to go out. But that one day's worth of oil ended up lasting them for eight days, which was a long enough time for them to make more oil.
This clearly has a Green message to it. Candle oil that uses 1/8th the amount of energy? That sounds familiar. It sounds like the ancient Jews were the first ones to design the CFL (the energy efficient spiral lightbulbs). If I were the high priest in charge of the Jewish temple, I'd look into getting that place LEED certified (look it up) because I think they've got a shot at going for platinum.
So you can see that there are environmental messages behind every tradition that we hold dear to us during this season. Don't forget to come back tomorrow, but until then, keep dreaming of a Green Christmas!
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