It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Happy Post-Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Small Business Saturday!!  (Check out the Bante Design FAN page on Facebook for the Bante Design special deals for 11/26/11).  I hope you all had a fun, joyful & abundant day, whether you're a carnivore or a veg (like me!...).  As we come out of turkey comas & our feet are soaking after hitting the malls (or typing away to get our cyber deals...again, like me!).  Here are some tips to help make your holidays a bit more GREEN:

Here are some of the tips of the show to have an eco-friendly, healthy & "green" Christmas...even if you live in the tundra!

• Be more thoughtful & "intentive" in your gift-giving.  Don't buy something just to fill up a stocking or box.  Make sure each item has a positive meaning!  It's better to receive 1 well thought out gift, than a bunch of "stuff".

Be aware of WHERE the item is from!  Support local businesses and artisans.  You are supporting your community & lower transportation costs (i.e. lower carbon emittance).

READ the LABELS!  We had an entire episode devoted to green-washing & what to look for.  KNOW where your item is made and what its made from!  It's better to buy something not "organic' from a local source, than an organic item that was made in China.  Be aware of what you are purchasing.

Minimal packaging...this goes for what you are buying AND how you are giving the item!  If you love to wrap gifts, look for wrap made from post recycled content.  Or be creative w/newspaper, fabric, kraft paper...

Real vs Fake trees...this is a wash.  Real trees are mainly grown on tree farms, so no harm is done to the forests & nothing beats that smell in the home!  You really know its Christmas when you have a real tree.  Make sure to recycle the tree though after you take it down.  You can put it outside for a natural fence/home for wildlife and/or put it through a wood chipper to make mulch.  A fake tree, while made from petrochemical materials, pollutes and isn't so "healthy and green" at the beginning is a 1 time purchase that you'll reuse...I personally light & decorate my big potted palm trees I have in my house.  This is an option if you aren't a "tree" kind of person.  Having the lit palms makes me at least feel like I'm in a warmer climate...through on some Jimmy Buffett and crank up the heat & I'm all set! 

***The National Christmas Tree Association, an organization which represents Christmas tree growers, has teamed up with Scottsdale, Arizona-based conservation group Earth 911 to point consumers in the right direction with their trees. On their Web site, you can enter your zip code to find the nearest of 3,800-plus spots nationwide that accept old trees. ***

Go for LED (light emitting diodes) as opposed to traditional Christmas lights.  They don't burn as hot & you'll save on your electricity bills as they are 90% more efficient!  Plus, they "light" for approx 200,000 hours AND if one burns out, the rest stay lit as opposed to having the whole strand go out like traditional lights!

***According to one U.S. Department of Energy study, if everyone replaced their conventional holiday light strings with LEDs, at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity could be saved in a month. ***

Lastly, if turkey, ham or other meat/poultry items are on the menu, look for meat that is free range as opposed to factory farmed-it will be on the label.  This just ensures that the animals were raised in humane conditions and not subjected to cruelty.  Every little bit helps!

I hope you got some great ideas to help make your holidays a bit more "green"! 

I've also got some FABULOUS appearances coming up for you t...REAL Milwaukee on FOX6 for a series on Healthy Nursery Design Dec 2 & the 9th.  I'll be the 9:20a segment.  I've got some cool products & tips for you.  I'll also be a guest on the Nancy Pristine radio show on 12/5 at 4p-4:30p.  Again, check out the Bante Design FAN page on Facebook, click on the EVENTS tab for the radio station, call-in # & where to download to listen to on your iPod.

Don't forget to submit your design, Fegn Shui or color questions to askdeanna@bantedesign.com as this will be a new feature on the newly revamped DEE-zine coming up Jan 2012 (yes, re-launch date got pushed back...sorry!).

Have a great weekend everyone & don't forget to listen to the CasaVerde radio show on 11/26 at 1p cst as I interview GREEN-spiration's creator, Trish Holder!  Chat room opens at 12:45p cst....See you there!