Green Holidays
Earth friendly ways to celebrate the Holidays
Steve Sanders, Pam Grimes, Steve Scheuer, Ted Parra, Reporter/ Producer/ Photographers
December 3, 2007
This may be the most wonderful time of the year... but in the United States, it's also the most wasteful. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's than any other time of year... about a million extra tons per week! But we found a River Forest family who is starting new earth-friendly traditions this holiday season.
Julie Moller/River Forest "I have almost an "aha" moment every time I take out the trash."
Julie and Scott Moller have a beautiful new home... a 5 year old son Jack... a three year old daughter Ana ... and the real baby of the family... Siena. The Mollers walk the environmental walk year round. They compost vegetable leftovers... use earth-friendly cleaning products... and buy organic linens and clothes. But this year, they're challenging themselves to green holiday decorating.
"very nice..."
The Mollers' friend, Thayer Jabin, is helping."
Thayer Jabin/Master Gardener: "I suggested we use live plants in the house and whatever plants she doesn't recycle into her garden that we would donate to a park."
Moller: "The amount of trees that we're using and the plants wow I didn't know you could bring these all in and the way we're going to group them... I think people might like the snowman pumpkins."
Jabin: "Renew, reuse, recycle, right Ana? I snatched the white pumpkins right after Halloween. But, if you made a list for next year and actually prepare yourself and I think an average family could do his for a couple hundred dollars."
Jabin also snipped, dried, and painted hydrangaes that she used to fill out the living room Christmas tree. The fireplace is adorned with birch limbs and live vines... and the porch planters are a mix of greens, pine cones, painted branches, and artichokes.
The guest room is now Santa's room. The bed sheets and comforter are made from bamboo... the shiny ornaments in the windows are from crushed and pulverized recycled glass.
Moller: "I had no idea I had that many containers."
By collecting clear jars she had around the house... Moller's kids filled them with candy for a festive red-and-white kitchen display. And their centerpiece is made from clean tin cans.
***nats berries dropping into milk carton"
Julie put Ana to work on the luminarias... made from milk cartons, branches, and berries.
Com-ed Doctor: " let's see what we look like here..."
But even this earth-friendly family didn't realize the energy savings from L.E.D. lighting until Com-ed's energy doctor stopped by.
Tim Melloch/Com-Ed Energy Doctor: "It uses about 90% less energy than the traditional incandescent bulbs that people typically used to install. We're using four watts of energy on this tree. On the other tree with the same number of incandescents we're using 58 watts so we are saving a tremendous amount of energy."
The L.E.D. lights are also cool to the touch... last up to ten times longer... and though they cost a little more... and melloch says they're now readily available at discount and home improvement stores.
Moller: "I thought solar would be the best but 90% savings of energy I mean that's really good."
Suzanne Malec-McKenna/Commissioner, Chicago Department of Environment "People are making an effort to make their holiday more environmentally friendly."
As Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Environment... Suzanne Malec-McKenna sees green holiday ideas catching on.
"You don't need to be overwhelmed by any of the environmental challenges because we all have the ability to be able to make the changes that are needed... not only for the environment but for our economic health, and our quality of life."
She says reducing waste by leaving gifts unwrapped or *re-using papers and bags... combined with reduced energy usage are the best gifts we can give this holiday season... lessons that keep growing and growing and growing.
JULIE MOLLER: "I found more resources and found different ways to do things. No one could do everything but you could start."
• Commonwealth Edison
• The Nature Conservancy
• Green Living
• E Magazine
• Earth Easy
• Stop Junk Mail
• Careful Peach Boutique
Thayer's Gardens & Containers 708-445-1278 or e-mail TJabin@sbcglobal.net
Copyright © 2008, WGN-TV
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