Looking at the tree got me thinking about the “real” trees – countless trees! – that were used over the holidays. Where do people put them after the festivities are over? If you use real trees for decoration, what do you do when the month of January comes around?

It’s comforting to know that there are groups that help the average person to dispose of their trees with the environment in mind. One such group is the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. What the group does is to go around recycling centers in the state and gather used trees. They then sink these trees into fresh water bodies – making sure they’re upright. This is because the trees attract fish and provide an conducive environment for them to live in.

There are other groups which rent out Christmas trees. This is also great for the environment as they have options such as maintaining the tree for you for the rest of the year. There are groups like that offer this service in the UK, in Canada, and some states in the US.

At the end of the day, what matters is that you recycle that tree.

Halloween is around the corner! Have you taken steps to make sure that this holiday is an eco-friendly one? If you didn’t know this already, fun holidays like Halloween are some of the most wasteful times of the year – think of the amount of new costumes, decorations, candy, and pumpkins consumed…..then the waste that comes afterwards? Fear not, your family can still have a terrific Halloween while still caring for Mother Earth. Plus, you can save money too. That’s another great reason to go green- it’s definitely good for the budget!

Read on for my very easy, tried-and-tested tips:

1. Decorations
First off, the most obvious and easiest thing you can do is RECYCLE!! Your old decorations, I mean (this goes for costumes too, but more on that below). Last year, I had this in mind, so I made that extra effort to carefully store all my decorations to minimize breakages and maximize use for years to come in spite of 3 children under 9 and their rowdy Halloween parties. I purchased a few of those large plastic, airtight boxes, which may not seem so green an idea at first, but when you think of the durability and protection against the elements, it made sense. In the past I used old cartons, and lost a lot of things because of bugs, damp and rain.

If you need new decorations, do make them yourself, and this doubles up as a great weekend, playgroup or after-school activity you can do with the kids. Use items like old cereal boxes, milk jugs and so on. Look in thrift shops for extra supplies. There are loads of things at home that we no longer need and can use. Kids love it when one thing transforms into another- especially when they do it themselves!

2. Costumes
Apparently, every year, millions of Americans, young and old, spend a whopping $5.77 BILLION on new costumes which will rarely get used again. Great for the retailers, not so great for the environment. This year, do your bit by NOT buying.

This is easy for parents with same-gender kids like me. For instance, my younger son now has all his older brother’s costumes to use (long may this last). My daughter, on the other hand does not have any hand-me-downs so we’ve been looking for some DIY ideas form stuff we already have at home. Good for your kids imagination, creativity, and for the environment! Homemade costumes are more interesting anyway, and it enriches the experience for both parent and child. If you aren’t a parent, don’t let it stop you from getting creative too. Non crafty nor good with your hands? Enlist help from a friend who is!

3. Trick or Treating and Parties
Before heading out to the warehouse shopping club and stocking up on huge bags of candy, think about greener alternatives for the trick-or-treaters. Like healthy snacks or fruit? Last year, one house in our neighborhood doled out small cups of juice instead of candy, while another gave out biscuits- a welcome respite for tired trick-or-treaters!

If you’re planning a Halloween party, the aptly named Green Halloween has some terrific tips on how easy it is to be eco-friendly and still have all the fun. I do wonder though how organic tea and agave sticks will go down with my kids……

For more inspiration and instructions, the Internet is brimming with great ideas on how to make this year an eco-friendly Halloween.

Here are some of my favourites, worth checking out:

Eco Friendly Crafts from Kiwi Magazine- The Kiwis show you a great way to spend an afternoon with the kids, using things from the rubbish bin at home. Easy and with good photos.

4 East Tips From Planet Green – Simple things we can all remember and do to make it this Green Halloween.

365 Green Halloween – The folks who enjoy Halloween all year round also have some cool ideas on how to go green this 31st. Ideas for treat bags, costumes and more abound.

4 Ways To A Green Halloween Costume- The most fun thing about Halloween has got to be the costumes, right? This article has 4 of the best ideas I’ve seen around. Sure to inspire, and will definitely get your kids to stop whining about buying that pricey costume from the web.

Buy Green This Halloween - If you must shop this Halloween, then forgo the cheap plastic stuff and buy something made from sustainable material, of good quality and made through Fair Trade. Not only are they good on party tips, but the non-profit Green Halloween also rounds up some great things like that, like this very cool Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit and adorable Alpaca Animal Mask and Tail Sets.

Sorry for the cliche, but even if Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year”, the grim reality is that the holidays are also one of the most wasteful times around. Its all about excess this time of year – decorating inside and outside your home, in stores, in schools, in offices, (ok, practically everywhere you look!) shopping until you literally drop, partying (also until you drop), eating more and more ( steadily from Thanksgiving all the way until the New Year)……

And it goes without saying that the amount of energy used for all this merry-making is not what any greenie would consider good…

According to Newsweek:

“…This year, Americans will send nearly 2 billion holiday cards, use more than 38,000 miles of ribbon and leave millions of Christmas trees on the curb…”

PR Newswire also adds:

“….During winter alone, the average UK household will switch their lights on for an extra five hours a day…”

But its not all doom and gloom. In 2008, there are much more people all over the world who are more environmentally aware, and hopefully as each year approaches, even more will join the eco-bandwagon, so to speak. Just in my neighborhood, I noticed that nearly all the shops offer eco-friendly bags. And not just the big gun supermarkets and department stores, but even smaller stores and boutiques. Also, in the area I live in, the annual Xmas home decoration contest is now an “Eco-decorating” contest!

So perhaps a green Christmas is becoming more of a reality and less of a dream… and it certainly can be if we all do our bit, small at it may be.

Stay tuned for more eco-Christmas tips!

Welcome to Yurto, the blog about eco-friendly living in the home. Inspired by the yurt, an ancient circular dwelling place built in tune with nature, we hope to explore the ways we can all make a change for the better in the world that we live in – beginning from our homes.

Why is it so important to go green? Al Gore, who woke up the world with his now-famous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, puts it succinctly:

“…Some of the leading scientists are now saying we may have as little as 10 years before we cross a kind of point of no return, beyond which it’s much more difficult to save the habitability of the planet in the future…”

10 years??? Now that’s a scary thought.  If you have children like me, that’s enough reason to stop procrastinating and do something about NOW.

So from plastic to canvas, wasting to conserving,  lets find ways to care for the earth while we can and live healthier, happier lives.