Last Minute Eco-Friendly Holiday Ideas

It is the season for giving! Here at National Home Services, we were thrilled with the results of our Holiday Toy Drive for SickKids Hospital. During this time of giving, we try our best to remember to be green whenever possible. We are delivering our donations unwrapped but, one of the biggest areas of holiday waste is in packaging and wrapping.

Check out our tips to reduce the amount of packaging and wrapping you use.

• Try out reusable wrapping ideas, like cloth bags, baskets and boxes.
• Recycle your newspapers, brown paper bags or Christmas flyers into wrapping paper.
• Instead of sending Christmas cards, send e-cards to your friends and loved ones.
• Bring your own bags when shopping. Keep them in your purse or car so they are nearby when needed.
• Think about alternative gifts that require no wrapping, like theatre tickets, museum passes, or gift certificates.
• Give homemade gifts like these Gifts in a Jar. Check here for more recipes.

If everyone in Canada wrapped just three gifts in reused paper or gift bags, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 hockey rinks!

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is almost here! Sunday May 12 marks a time to celebrate all the special women in our lives who help us grow and prosper.

Here are some tips for a traditional Mother’s Day celebration that is still green and eco-friendly.

• Take Mom out to a restaurant that embraces local and organic ingredients. If you are having trouble finding one, look on Eat Well guide, an online directory of restaurants, markets and stores that support sustainable agriculture.

• A beautiful potted plant gives years of enjoyment versus cut flowers which are thrown away quickly. Bonus points if you pick up seedlings at a nursery and spend the day gardening with your mom. Time spent together can be the best gift of all.

• Book a treatment at an ecofriendly spa. Mother’s Day is a great time to pamper mom at a sustainable spa that uses organic, chemical-free products.

• Homemade cards are always a hit. Make her a gift and show her you care! The website MothersDayCentral has 151 craft ideas for great keepsakes.

• Jewelry is a thoughtful gift for any mom. There are a plethora of eco-friendly jewelry options out there, with many new companies creating products whose proceeds go to charity as well. We like The Leakey Collection for beaded jewelry created by workers paid a fair wage and a percentage of the sale in donated back to the community.