| From West by Northwest.org Best of the Web Have Yourself a Merry Eco Christmas, Chanuah, Dewali, Kwanzaa By Environment Action of Swarthmore Monthly Meeting Dec 23, 2005
For sending to our elected representatives we have recently adapted a copy of the "Great White North" postcard of the David Suziki Foundation. (See and use link above). On the back we write: "Please, please fight global warming. Everything is melting. Please save my North Pole home. Please save my polar bear friends. Please save all who live here. Don't be bad. Sincerely, Santa Claus and ___." This may be adapted further. A poster of Jesus and other Buy Nothing for Christmas posters can be found at http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/resources/posters.htmlThe one of Jesus is now on our bulletin board. Green Tips for December Practical tip on Christmas decorations If you must buy new lights try LED Christmas lights. Have kids decorate old bags to wrap Christmas presents, or use old comic pages. Christmas gifts Share with your family memories of Christmas past. What meant the most to you? Was it the presents or something else? Are Purchased Gifts of Things Necessary? Read American Mania: When More is Not Enough by psychiatrist Dr. Peter C. Whybrow at http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/24545 Sites listed below have many hints for alternatives. "Ethical consumption for the holidays: you don't have to buy stuff to be loved. It's better for the environment if you don't. We in Western countries are 20% of the world population, but we are consuming over 80% of the earth’s natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage and unfair distribution of wealth.” Visit http://www.tikkun.org "Consumerism is a pattern of behavior that helps to destroy our environment." Visit http://www.verdant.net/index.html Ownership can be a burden. Once you buy something, you have to carry it around, fix it, remember where you put it, and keep it clean. Experiment with the freedom of buying nothing and embrace Henry David Thoreau's sentiment that "he who owns little is little owned." Visit http://www.ehow.com/how_111392_buy-nothing.html http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/ http://www.xmasresistance.org/ http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/ Or buy items to save the environment: Tire gauge, foam insulation for hot water pipes etc. Give to the Heifer Project of your First Day School or Temple School. And last but not least, Save Santa's Northpole Home: http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org/ Our thanks to Andrea Palmer, compiler. This list has been abbreviated from the original. -Editor © Copyright 2000-2004 by West by Northwest.org |
