For the Holidays, Celebrate Green!

The Green movement has never been as active as it is today. Perhaps the Greenhouse has created too many effects already and people are starting to notice that nature is much angrier now than it has ever been in years. This year, we are bound to experience the most number of storms and who knows what’s going to happen this year. Even with the economics in a turmoil, the quest for a more environmentally friendly community is still very much alive.

As a traveler, I know that tourism has caused problems with the  environment, especially when we are talking about tourism in the Philippines. For some reason, the government cannot reconcile the values of indigenous peoples with the quest for modernity when in fact they are both angling for the same end - to make lives more comfortable without compromising the environment. You want to visit Mt. Data here in the Cordilleras? Instead of a beautiful forest land you now have a vegetable farm. How about Mt. Pulag, and the fabled Mt. Makiling? A trek to the hillside shows trash scattered just about everywhere! Trully, a lot of people have forgotten just how important nature is.

Okay. so much for my ranting. What I want to write about today is Celebrate Green! a wonderful book written about celebrating the holidays with the environment in mind. Well, isn’t that nice?

The claims made by the authors of this book are important - despite the number of eco-friendly tips available today, a lot of us still fail to follow. I’ve been hearing the 3Rs since I was in grade school but very few people actually practice it. Are we willing to face nature’s wrath? If you’ve seen Lousiana after Katrina, China after the big earthquake, Thailand and Indonesia after the tsunami, then you should have an idea what we are about to face if we keep on abusing nature. Afraid that you can’t do anything to change nature’s course? Well, don’t be, because there’s a solution.

Lynn and Corey are saying that the best solution to the looming danger is a change in lifestyle. We need to go back to the basics and start small. For example: turn off the lights when you leave the room, or use your own bags when you go shopping. Remember Lao Tzu’s words? “Every journey starts with a single step,”he says, and trully, it does! Celebrating your kid’s birthday doesn’t need to be so wasteful. There are eco-friendly ways to celebrate and Celebrate Green! can give you ideas.

Parties and tours are the same, you see. In both cases you need to keep in mind that enjoyment does not mean harassing the planet. 

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family. The book can be purchased at www.CelebrateGreen.NET and on Amazon, A Toy Garden and Village Green Gifts.