Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas Christmas Blessings!


Sorry it has been so long! Christmas season can change our priorities sometimes! For the better?? Let's think about it...

What an incredible time of year! Magical, really... tis the season where we can get together with the ones we love and let them know how much we appreciate them. What an incredible opportunity! I am sure many of you are stuffed to the max like moi, and feeling blessed to the nines with love and material goods. Well, I hope so. If not, you are not alone. There are SO many people struggling this year and in need of love and support. It is so important that during that this season the focus is on giving more than receiving, contrary to popular belief, but crucial to keep focused on others and giving our gifts to help others: other families, countries, family members, loved ones, strangers, etc.

This year, here are a few things we can all do to help the people in our world out:

- Donate time to organizations, assembling hampers, organizing charity events

- Give away excessively acquired material goods from Christmas that you don't need... the new definition for "re-gifting" to Community Living, Salvation Army, other community organizations... let's be real... how many of us need everything in our home and all of the gifts that we received this Christmas season? This can be a good time for house cleaning... I know I did and now my house feels a heck of a lot cleaner and I feel like I was able to give a little while feeling good about it!

- Go through your cupboards for excessive dry goods... we went through ours this holiday season and found some canned goods and other unopened non-perishable foods and donated it to an organization that our local grocery store promoted this year... all it took was us dropping by the grocery store to drop them off! Or... buying one small thing per grocery trip to donate to the organizations that your grocery store supports is also a great way to promote the spirit of giving without stressing about breaking the bank... a little at a time we can make change!

- Closets of clothes that are not worn... anything you have not worn in over 6 months... Community Living, Salvation Army or another organizations. Just do it... it will feel good, and someone will be able to make MUCH BETTER use of the items than you are!

Remember: giving doesn't always have to be material... there are MANY other ways, sometimes better ways, to show people we care.
Also: what was your give/receive ratio this year? Did you give more than you received? Can you imagine if we all gave more of ourselves than we received... what would the world look like??

Find a little way to spread some cheer!
Chanel and Heather

Monday, December 14, 2009

Before Leaving...


A lot of offices and places are closed over the holidays, and then is the time to begin making change when we start leaving the office! So many times electronics are left on, lights on, heat full blown, computers still running.... let's leave for the holidays with a conscious effort of leaving on a minimum amount of energy-sucking appliances on! Here are a few tips to check before shutting down for the holidays (if you're so lucky :P):

1. Turn off your computer AND monitor and unplug before leaving the office!
A PC left on over the holiday will use enough energy o produce 13kg of CO2 – equivalent to 3 inflatable garden Santas (which is another thing to think about before inflating them on your lawn...:P)
2. Make sure the kitchen hot water/coffee machine is turned off. The energy
needed to keep a water tank just under boiling point for hot drinks during the
break could be using enough energy to emit 240kg of CO2.
3. Switch off your office light, desk lamp, display lights and any
decorative lights as you leave. This is good practice and can save 33kWh
of wasted energy – especially if ceiling and desk lamps are not compact
fluorescent lamps - as well as removing a potential fire hazard in the form of
decorative lights.
4. Unplug any non-essential items rather than leaving on standby.
Appliances such as televisions left on standby still use energy – a 20watt
residual energy use equates to 2.5kg of CO2 emitted over the holiday period.
5. Turn off stand alone electric or wall mounted radiators at the
socket. A 3kW electric heater going flat out during the vacation can use
enough energy to produce CO2 for 77 inflatable Santas!
6. Turn off printers and photocopiers at the socket. It is good practice to
turn appliances off rather than leave them on powersave mode. A photocopier
on powersave can still require 90% of the regular standing energy
consumption, translating to 14kg of CO2 per machine over the vacation period.
7. Shut all windows and office doors. Open offices can allow fire to
spread, thefts, and thermostatically controlled room heaters to heat the rest
of the building.
8. Turn the thermostats a bit below room temperature while away... your space will warm up quickly when you return, and you will have saved a whole lot of energy!

These, and many others, could be performed daily when leaving the office... so let's start over the Christmas holidays! And possibly set a few New Year's resolutions for the world... environmentally conscious is the way to go!!

Have a great holiday season, keep your hearts warm!
Chanel and Heather

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Red and GREEN, this Holiday!


Well there is only 16 days left until Christmas, and while we hope many of you are THINKING about what/where you are buying in the first place this year there are a few more things we can do to help keep this holiday as GREEN as Christmas CAN be…

Yes traditionally the Christmas colors are GREEN and RED, so let’s think of RED as LOVE, for family, friends, strangers etc. but also our WORLD… stay GREEN!

So let’s enjoy those beloved traditions and celebrations without harming the planet.

One great idea is cut down on the amount of wrapping paper you use. Gift bags, or better yet a reusable bag which is PART of the gift can be used to wrap the items. OR try using things life tea towels, wrap the item in un-used fabric, recycled paper (even the wrinkly stuff… wrinkle it more, it’s a great effect).

Think outside the box when it comes to sending Christmas Cards, although it is really the ONE time of year people do send cards (these days anyhow) to cut down on paper, try using OLD cards re-made into new ones, or… perhaps hit up a great free e-card site and send your wishes that way, no stamp, no paper!

As we are all lighting up out yards, trees, homes etc. with Christmas light make sure you look into getting new energy efficient lights, or LED, which not only cut down on your bills but also on your energy consumption. Try putting the lightning on a timer as well, so you are not leaving them on when no one is around to view their splendor.

As for the Christmas tree itself, what about investing in a GREAT artificial tree this year? They have some a LONG way over the years and there are many VERY real looking trees which don’t require being cut down. And if you’re like me and really love the smell of the real pine, you can always buy some boughs or a wreath. I know many of you will debate the fact that which is really more environmentally friendly, the real tree or the artificial one, but we’ll leave that up to you!

If anyone else has any great tips send them our way!

Otherwise, we hope you are all having a wonderful time this holiday season!

Red and GREEN pals,

Chanel and Heather

Saturday, December 5, 2009

What are the things that consume you?


Merry Christmas~
We are huge fans of Christmas at Fighting Footprints~ During the holiday season, we love reflecting on what's important in life, spending time wisely, showing gratitude and love to those we may neglect throughout the year, and most importantly, truly celebrating life!
This holiday season what are your priorities? Will you be stressed about getting all of the presents ready for exchanges, meals prepared, and outfits picked out for parties, or will you focus on re-evaluating your priorities, thought patterns, and life habits?
Now is the PERFECT opportunity to take a true look at our lives and how we spend our time, and make some modifications to improve our quality of life, and how we spread life and love to others!

Jack Johnson said it best:

Are there things that consume you... more than your time?
Gone going..

It truly got us thinking... many conversations and thoughts are surrounded by the lack of TIME, especially around this time of year! Let's make an effort to change that, and truly be concerned for the well being of others and their families as we enter into this season that can sometimes be polluted with Christmas bears, candy canes, toys, games, A LACK OF TIME, busy stores, and of course, shopping. We can change the conversation toward things that really matter, showing other people we care, and giving back to the world instead of taking from it. Let's make that our challenge this season, and hopefully we can continue it throughout the New Year.


Another great Jack Johnson quote:

You can't blame me says the media man

Well I wasn't the one that came up with the plan

and I just point my camera what the people wanna see

man it's a two way mirror and you can't blame me...


It's supply and demand... if we stop asking for it, it will no longer be produced, we just need to take a stand and think about the true meaning of Christmas... in its raw, miraculous, and
joyful intent.

Small changes, one at a time revolutionize the world!

Chanel and Heather