Ah Christmas, a time to gather the family together, drink hot chocolate and decorate your beautiful tree. Many of my fondest holiday memories include helping dad staple-gun Christmas lights to the outside of our home.

Unfortunately, you might want to shy away from including children and the elderly in these activities in the future. CNN has uncovered a disappointing fact about Christmas lights, they contain a potentially lethal level of lead.

Like in fake Christmas trees, manufacturers use lead to stabilize the PVC chemical they use to build Christmas lights. The scientific analysis done by CNN was completed at Quantex Laboratories and uncovered lead levels on the lights that even surprised Dr. Leo Trasande of New York’s Sinai School of Medicine.

“There is no level at which lead exposure is safe,” Dr. Trasande said. “Even at one microgram/deciliter — the lowest level in a person’s blood stream that we can detect — that level has been associated with cognitive impairment in children.”

Often, children will help put up the Christmas tree and will then put their hands in their mouths, instantly carrying lead to their bloodstream and organs. Of the four brands tested, Wal-Mart’s showed the highest concentration of surface lead.

Unfortunately, the level of lead on these lights is totally legal because the US government, through the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has not created rules that forbid such lead concentrations. If you want your kids to help with the decorations this year (and why wouldn’t you?) make sure they only hang ornaments, wear gloves, and wash their hands.

For the full CNN story go HERE.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User Chris_J

Today, the Washington Post officially launched their climate & energy blog, Post Carbon. The blog is designed to give readers up-to-the-minute information on key international climate and energy issues – from Copenhagen talks to American energy legislation.

For the next few weeks, most of Post Carbon’s content will focus on Copenhagen, as one of its authors is currently at the conference. Post contributors Juliet Eilperin and Steve Mufson are the blog’s writers.

If you want to check-out the Post’s new climate blog, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/climate.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User oxfam international

I have a mental image of my family’s living room the moment after every Christmas gift has been unwrapped. Strewn across the floor are heaps of colorful wrapping paper, some with little bears printed on them, others with dancing candy canes. Hours were spent making sure every fold was tight and every cut was even, but in the end it’s all bundled up and sent away.

I know this isn’t a phenomenon unique to my family. All over the world this ritual plays out year-after-year. It makes me wonder, isn’t there a better way?

The answer is definitely yes.

• If you’re reading this, you’re probably an environmentally conscious person. Which, I hope, means that you are using reusable cloth bags at the grocery store instead of paper & plastic. This year, why not wrap your gifts in colorful reusable bags your recipients can use after the holidays? THESE are pretty nice.

• If you have kids, there are some other choices that can be fun too. Have them color some pictures that can be used to wrap gifts and carefully unwrapped for safe keeping. Have them tear out their favorite pictures from magazines and glue them together to make wrapping paper.
• Use old newspaper comics or map pages to make colorful wrapping paper.

• There is also the option of integrating the wrapping and the gift. Try buying a cool t-shirt, sweatshirt or sweater and using it to wrap your gift. If you bought a small gift, you could tuck it into a pair of gloves or a hat. You could use a scarf, too. The key is to be creative and utilitarian.

• Finally, there are some options for decorating the gifts with something other than ribbons and bows. Collect pine cones, fall leaves and acorns for festive details. Just make sure you cook the acorns and pine cones to kill anything that might be in them and iron the leaves between wax paper to preserve their colors. You could also use yarn to wrap cinnamon sticks or attach old bells to the packages.

Try some of these tips this year, every bit helps.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User eco_monster

The National Zoo officially announced this morning that DC’s  native son, Tai Shan, is departing for China in early 2010.  The exact dates of his trip have not been set, but final preparations are currently underway.

An agreement between China and the Zoo stipulates that giant panda cubs born here belong to China and must be sent to Sichuan when the cub reaches age 2. You may remember that Tai Shan turned 2 in 2007, but China has granted the Zoo a couple extensions so he could stay a little longer. Unfortunately, we’ve reached the end of our allowable time with Tai Shan and he must leave Washington.

Just like the process of moving Happy the Hippo to Wisconsin, Tai Shan will begin training to enter his travel crate for the long trip to China. He will become familiar with the crate so the experience is as comfortable as possible.

In China, Tai Shan will likely participate in a breeding program, so he can help improve the number of giant pandas. Having him here for so many years has greatly benefited the Zoo’s panda research and conservation efforts.

Millions of people  enjoyed watching Tai Shan grow into a healthy, happy panda through the hugely successful Panda Cam. Millions have also visited Tai Shan in his amazing home in the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat at the National Zoo.

Make sure you stop by to see Tai Shan before he leaves for his new home. The Zoo will likely plan a farewell party for Tai Shan, so stay tuned for more information. Don’t forget that you can help sustain the Zoo’s panda conservation efforts by adopting a giant panda for the holidays.

Photo Credit: National Zoo website

Winter Squash: Take Three

Apparently, acclaimed cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman and I are on the same wavelength. In November, she too acquired several winter squash and has been cooking them in a variety of ways. You know what they say about great minds.

When it came time for me to devour my two little butternut squash this week, I knew I wanted to avoid the obvious but delicious soup option. I wanted to combine them with some tatsoi I got in a bonus CSA delivery and some ginger I had just gotten at the farmers’ market, but I wasn’t sure where this was headed. I looked at the New York Times’ invaluable online Recipes for Health for inspiration, and immediately seized on Shulman’s recent recipe and made just a few tweaks, including the addition of tatsoi and omission of sesame seeds.

Just a note about peeling butternut squash: I peeled my squash with a vegetable peeler before slicing them in half. Only then did I remember that I needed to get rid of everything surrounding the beautiful orange flesh, so I proceeded to slice off a tough layer with a knife. The rest of the preparations were a breeze.

Butternut Squash With Soba

Serves 5

• 8 ounces tofu (firm works best but I used soft and enjoyed it)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 small or 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced (about 4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce to taste
• 1 small bunch tatsoi, chopped
• 1/2 pound buckwheat noodles (soba)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Cut tofu in 3/4-inch slices and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Set aside for 10 minutes. Chop into 3/4-inch cubes.

Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick wok over medium flame, and stir-fry the tofu until lightly colored, about three minutes. If you’re using soft tofu, cook a few more minutes. Remove from the wok and set aside. Add the second tablespoon of oil and cook onion until it softens, six to eight minutes. Add the squash and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. You should be able to pierce butternut pieces with a fork but they shouldn’t be mushy. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add tatsoi, mirin and soy sauce. Cook for just a couple of minutes.

Bring four quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the soba noodles and stir a couple of times to prevent sticking. Cook for about six minutes. Soba should be tender but not soft. Drain and toss with the sesame oil to reduce chances of sticking.

Serve soba topped with squash mixture.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User (and author) bornOKthefirsttime

If you’ve been searching Target, Macy’s and the Pentagon City mall for that perfect gift, but you keep leaving empty handed, it’s time to think local. Starting December 4-23, DC will host its annual Holiday Market in Penn Quarter (8th and F Streets NW).

This festive shopping experience brings 150 local artisans and hundreds of unique gifts to downtown DC. The event will be an opportunity to support local businesses while enjoying entertainment and special treats!

Everyday, the Holiday Market will open at noon and will close at 8:00pm. You can see a list of the exhibitors and learn more about the market on their official website.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User justindc

Today, President Obama, and a diverse group of guests that included Santa Claus, lit the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse of the National Mall.

Ordinarily, a giant Christmas tree like this one is cut and transported from its original home to its new home where it stands until after the holidays when it is recycled for mulch, paper, etc. This is true of the Congressional Christmas Tree and the tree in Rockefeller Center.

The National Christmas Tree is different. This majestic Colorado Blue Spruce was actually planted on the Ellipse in 1978, where it lives year-round and is decorated for the holidays. In doing this, the National Park Service is conserving both trees and energy.

The National Christmas Tree is made even more eco-friendly with the addition of energy efficient light bulbs that reduced its energy consumption by 55%.

To learn more about the National Christmas Tree, view upcoming events at the Tree or view each states’ ornament click HERE.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User Ryan Orr

Everyone knows the responsibility of decorating the White House for the holidays falls on the First Lady. For her first year in the role, Michelle Obama is bringing a green flair to her duties by integrating lots of eco-friendly choices into the traditional festivities.

Today, Mrs. Obama unveiled the official White House holiday decorations to the public. The 800 glass ornaments that will decorate the 18 foot Douglas Fur Christmas tree in the Blue Room are recycled from previous administrations. Rather than buy new ornaments, the White House sent these older ones to communities around the U.S. and instructed residents to give them new life with images of local landmarks.

In addition to recycling ornaments, Mrs. Obama has asked that energy-saving LED lights be used around the White House.

The famous gingerbread White House will include a replica of the First Lady’s organic garden and all desserts created by the White House culinary team will be made using honey from the official White House beehives.

The First Family is expecting 50,000 visitors to tour the White House during the holiday season. If you are one of the lucky few, enjoy the replica of the Obamas’ dog Bo, standing guard on the gingerbread White House lawn.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User rexhammock

Like me, if you live in the city, you might not own a car. To make a road trip during the holidays, you’d have to rent something. This got me thinking about how I could reduce my carbon footprint, and my travel costs, significantly by renting a hybrid.

It isn’t as easy as you might think to rent a hybrid. Even though the technology has been around for years and many vehicles now integrate it into their engines, very few rental companies make it as intuitive to rent a hybrid as it is to rent an SUV, convertible or economy car.

Here is a quick breakdown of the best route to rent a hybrid:

• From THIS site you can view the Hertz “Green Collection” and select a fuel efficient car to rent. Unfortunately, you will find that availability is limited and it take several steps on the site just to find out whether a hybrid is available at your nearest location on a specific day.
• Orbitz has a reservation system specifically for booking hybrid vehicles in particular locations. You can find it HERE. I looked up a hybrid for different dates and locations but none were available, so I’m not sure how well the system really works.
• I never knew this, but Toyota offers rental car service at several of their dealerships. You can view the available locations and vehicles on the website by clicking HERE. Unfortunately, you must submit a rental request and wait to be notified about availability and prices.
• Renting a hybrid from National, Budget and Enterprise is still an unnecessarily complicated process. The best thing to do is to call their sales lines and ask about the best location to rent one of their hybrids. For National (800-328-4567), Budget (800-527-0700) and Enterprise (800-261-7331).

So there you go. It might be a little complicated to get a hybrid, but the impact to your wallet, and the Earth, will be worth it.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User kenjonbro

DC is an expensive city to live in, so most of us can only afford to rent.  Washingtonians living in rental apartments or group houses often feel that they don’t have control over the things they could do to make their living space greener.  I would like to offer some easy, landlord approved tips that would make your apartment living environmentaly friendly.

• Turn off all lights when you leave a room. Replace incandescent light bulbs with EPA ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescents (CFL) or Light-emitting diodes (LED).
• Turn your electronics off when not in use. Home electronics such as computers, TVs and printers use power even when idle.
• Have all leaks or drippy faucets repaired immediately. Run your dishwasher with only full loads, and use the energy-savings setting if you have the option.
• Have heating/cooling equipment serviced on a seasonal basis for preventive maintenance, optimal operation and safety checks.
• Seal and insulate – air leaks around windows and doors can waste a lot of energy.

By following these little tips you’ll feel more in control as well as do your part in helping the environment.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User Mr. T in DC