Green Through Sustainable Store

Often, greening you home is not always about buying the greenest products available. Sometime it is buying products from sources that find a home for unused or excess products that still have a useful life. For clothing and home décor you can check your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, Deseret Industries or any number of local thrift stores. For construction materials, there is no better place then your local ReStore by Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, Christian organization dedicated to providing safe, affordable housing to families in need ready to make a change in their life. Habitat is dependent on the generosity of people like you and me to help move their cause forward. One way this is done is through local ReStores. A ReStore is a store that accepts donations from individuals and organizations and sells them to generate capital for home construction. Accepted donations include construction materials and home furnishings.

I visited my local store this week in Williamson County, Tennessee. The store is a great place to find many products that are new, still in the original package. From plumbing supplies to trim, and paint to cabinets, there are many great items available to improve your home at a discounted rate. Local builders will donate excess materials from jobsites that might otherwise find their way to a landfill or recycling center. By purchasing these items from a ReStore you are supporting a great cause and utilizing products that might otherwise go unused.

Visit the ReStore online to find your local store at: http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx.

'Tis the Season

Breaking from the normal tradition of my blog, I think it is appropriate to share a few thoughts about the season ahead. Only one day into the holiday season and my thoughts are returning to seasons past. In many ways, the current economic climate reminds me of the most memorable Christmas of my childhood.

Christmas was always a special time in my home. As one of 7 children, we always had holiday activities and anticipation for Christmas morning. One year, money was very tight and in preparation for the holidays, my parents explained we would have a very different Christmas. We still had a tree with decorations, parties at school and church, and a holiday filled with songs and stories, however, instead of the typical presents, my parents gave Christmas gifts I will never forget. Next to the needed clothes and a small trinket, where a number of unusual gifts. As I opened each gift, I found not toys, games and books, but rice, pasta, flour and salt. My parents had the foresight to buy the things for our family that we needed, not just the many things we wanted.

Over the years, other Christmases brought many wonderful, beautiful, expensive gifts, but the one I remember most was this one. We moved back to the basics and found time together as a family. Years later, I saw the great love my parents had for our family because they did what we needed and not what was popular for Christmas.

As a country, we face economic trials like most have never seen. Many are unemployed or underemployed. Many are struggling to keep their homes. With so many challenges, we should all look to simplify the season, whether comfortable or struggling. Here is a list of little things we can do this year to simplify our lives and remember the meaning of the Season:

• Give what is needed – Instead of spending on the many things you want for the season, look to the things you need. Improve your home through energy efficient upgrades. Give to an organization helping others. Avoid debt by resisting the urge to buy fad toys that will be forgotten tomorrow.
• Spend time with your family – Create lasting memories while working with your family. Teach them a new skill: Cooking in the Kitchen, Playing the Piano, Improving your Home, or Building something together. One year for my son’s birthday, I built a small toy box with scrap lumber and trim from previous projects. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to spend time together as a family.
• Give of your time – Volunteer with your children. Every year I hear stories of families that worked in a soup kitchen, handed out food and gifts to the needy, or donated time at their church or shelter. Become a “Secret Santa” family and anonymously take small gifts to someone who has made a difference in your life. Make the season about others and it will return to you 10-fold.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or nothing at all, simplify the season, give of yourself and your time, and find opportunities to be green.

A few places to visit to give this holiday season:
http://www.youthencouragement.org/
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/
http://angeltree.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_10120_donate-food-soup.html
http://www.shareittoday.org/index.cfm