Using the Green Light

Bye bye 2008! It was nice knowing you!

I'm so glad Dan and I got to usher 2009 in with our New Year's Eve package. We met so many wonderful, interesting, fun, lovely people; ate more good food than should be legally allowed; listened to beautiful music by Alexandra and her husband, Tsuyoshi: and generally had a great time. With the exception of the whole sleep deprivation aspect, I can't wait to do it again next year!

And I get really excited when I think about how green next year could potentially be! Imagine a locally farmed, grass-fed filet mignon. Mmmmm!

I think we did pretty well this year, ecologically speaking, especially considering the time restraints. We used primarily paper favors (i.e. hats, noisemakers, decorations), served locally produced wine and coffee, and organic teas. Plus our salad greens were organic! All in all, not too bad.

But my favorite green change for New Years was a small one.

This:

Mole Hollow Candles.

Locally produced and hand-dipped in Shelburne Falls, Ma. Dan and I discovered this company (and their beautiful gift shop) when we were vacationing in Massachusetts a few months ago. When we decided to use a greener candle for our table décor, we knew Mole Hollow was the best choice.

This is what we were using last year:

There are a few less-than ideal things about these candles.

Firstly, that they are produced in Vietnam. That's almost 8,000 miles away. According to one source, that's up to 160,000 pounds of jet fuel to transport them to the USA. I don't even want to know how much atmospheric CO2 that generates. But I do know that the distance between Shelburne Falls and the Whole Foods these were purchased at is 28 miles. And even in a big ol’ transport van that might get 10mpg, that's still not even 3 gallons of gasoline. WOW! Talk about an easy and effective change!

Additionally, these candles are scented. Anything that is fragranced synthetically could be hiding phthalates, and I think it's best to stay far, far away from them.

Plus, these candles are packaged in plastic. Sadly, as useful and versatile as plastic is, it is completely non-biodegradable and is home to any number of scary and potentially hazardous chemicals. For everything you'd ever want to know about plastic, check out one of my favorite blogs, Fake Plastic Fish.

And lastly, these candles came from Target. Much to Dan's dismay, I am a BIG Target fan. Bright colors, an abundance of accessories, shoes, trendy clothes, music, food, and kitchen supplies all in one place? Heaven! But when given the chance, I always feel better if I try to put my dollars in the pocket of a person rather than a faceless, nameless corporation. And knowing that our purchasing these candles helps the nice folks at Mole Hollow make a living feels really good.

Well, I know I pretty much just snowpiled you with links to this and that, and quite frankly, I am pooped! So I’m off to bed! I wish you all the best of luck in the New Year and may all of your resolutions involve more chocolate!

With Love,
~Brande N.