If the Christmas tree is the centerpiece of the holiday celebration in your home, consider getting an organically grown tree this year.

I could find only one farm that ships--[link no longer valid] , but there are many many local organic farms that grow Christmas trees. You can find one near you by typing "Christmas trees" and your zip code in the search box at the Local Harvest website.

I've also posted many informational files relating to holiday trees. Learn about The History of Holiday Trees, Choosing a Holiday Tree, Fresh-cut Trees, Living Trees, How to Make Your Own Recycled Tree, Tree Ornaments, a special The Tree of Life tree decoration from my childhood, and about Recycling Your Holiday Tree.

There's more than one way to send holiday greetings with minimal environmental impact.

E-cards [link from 2004 was removed, but a new one is coming] have the least environmental impact. For just a few killowats, you can send a lively, colorful, animated, musical card to anyone with an email address. Many e-card sites are free, others have very low fees.

Sending greeting cards printed on recycled paper is a great way to say "Happy Holidays" and participate in the purchase end of the recycling loop. Conservatree has put together a long list of companies that sell recycled greeting cards, complete with recycled content, note if soy ink is used, and where to buy online and in retail stores. Some cards are printed on paper bleached without chlorine, and others on tree-free papers. I've picked out the sites with the best environmental attributes and listed them for you on my greeting card page.

But my first choice for recycled greeting cards is St. Jude's Ranch for Children.

St. Jude's Ranch is a community focused on the individual needs of abused, abandoned and neglected children of all races and faiths. They are dedicated to breaking the cycles of child abuse and welfare dependency with the goal of helping each child achieve his or her full potential.

Over thirty years ago, they began a Christmas card recycling program, turning the cards they received into "new" cards for the next year. Children cut images from the fronts from the Christmas cards and paste them on pre-printed card stock. They are paid fifteen cents for each acceptable card made.

This year, St. Jude's has received over one million parcels containing card fronts, more than they can use. Be an angel and purchase a package of these special cards.

Thanks for your patience as we all wait for the new updated issue of Home Safe Home to be released early next year.

In the meantime, I've posted another excerpt.

As much as we love them, Christmas trees can be sources of indoor air pollution. This excerpt tells how you can choose the safest species and decorate an outdoor holiday tree.

The Wabi-Sabi House was written by the editor in chief of Natural Home magazine, Robyn Griggs Lawrence. What is wabi-sabi? Well, it's one of those hard-to-define concepts that has many aspects. Wabi is Japanese for humble and sabi is beauty in the natural progression of time. Wabi-sabe is about everything earthy, authentic, and simple, and finding beauty throughout all phases of the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death.

Originating in the Zen Buddhism of fifteenth century Japan, wabi-sabe was a reaction to the lavishness, ornamentation, and rich materials of the times, so it is fitting that it is re-emerging now. In our high-tech, fast-paced world, wabi-sabi offers us a philosophy of living that is more in tune with nature and the serenity of spirit.

Robyn went to Japan to research wabi-sabe, and so she writes from her own first-hand understanding. This inspiring book is filled with examples from her experiences as well as practical suggestions on how to bring wabi-sabe into your own home.

Hi Debra - love the newsletter. I cannot wait to buy the revised edition of your book! I have a quick question - are there alternatives to vinyl lunch bags? My nine year old son has a vinyl lunch bag (the cooler type) that really needs to be replaced and we hate the smell of new vinyl. Paper bags won't do, he really needs a lunch bag that stays cold for 4+ hours. No school lunch program yet, either. Help! Thank you so much for all the GREAT info!!

M. B.
Whitefish Bay, WI

I don't know of any natural fiber lunch bags that are insulated, but there are a number of nice cotton lunch-bag size bags available online--some are even made with organically-grown cotton and reasonably priced too. What I would do is get a cotton bag and then insert one of those cold packs that you can refreeze. See if that works well enough for you.

In addition to having my website powered by the sun [no longer due to poor service from solar-powered web host], my business, too, is now powered completely with solar energy, through the purchase of green energy certificates. My purchase of 15 MWh per year covers all the energy my husband and I use in our home and my home office, plus a little more. It prevents the emissions of 20,700 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to planting 1,500 trees or removing 2 cars from the road for one year.