Your Interview

I have been wondering recently what is the eco-concious opinion on real cedar garlands?

We have used and enjoyed these in the past but have some concerns now given the state of the environment.

Thanks

Adria Vasil: I've actually looked into this topic for a previous Ecoholic column and it turns out you're safe with any type of bare branch. Dogwood, birch and curly willow are generally pruned from trees grown on plantations so don't stress that the tree is chopped for its willowy branches.

Note: in these cases, pesticides are rarely used, because growers only want the branch, not the summer leaves. One large nursery chain I spoke with gets all of its decorative branches from its own farm, so they're nice and local to boot.

Boughs (to hang as is or in wreath form) aren't so straight forward. Like branches, they're generally pruned from living trees on plantations, but just like Christmas trees, they could be sprayed with pesticides to ward off fungi and insects. Finding organic boughs, however, might be even tougher than finding organic Christmas trees.

More exotic varieties like cedar from Peru or eucalyptus leaves from Italy add to your fossil fuel tally. Twenty boughs might come from 20 different countries, so it's always best to ask for the local stuff.

If you've got any conifers or cedars in your yard or nearby woods, you can always prune them. It doesn't get much more local than that. Or ask your neighbour for a bough or two. Don't pick any pine cones straight from a tree unless the cone is full size, or fallen on the ground. Holly and rosehips grow wild so you can always snag some if you see some, although it's a bit late in the season now. Maybe next year.

What are 2 very environmently-friendly gifts which you would like to give to your best friend?

Adria Vasil: I'm a big fan of the Buy Nothing Christmas approach. If I hand out anything it's generally something I've made myself, but if I had to start handing out other prezzies, let me think.

I get quite nervous witnessing various friends' exposures to toxic chemicals. I'd give my friend that's still using a scratched up Teflon pan a quality cast iron pan and some stone bakeware. Anyone that's still drinking from water bottles, I'd give a stylish Sigg or Kleen Kanteen canister. My friend that takes long long showers, a water saving shower head. The list goes on!

What would you suggest to be a good way to give environmentally-sensitive gifts to those family members who may not be so ecologically minded without coming across as preachy?

Adria Vasil: Things aren't like they were 10 years ago — there are hundreds of cool products out there that just so happen to be eco friendly without screaming it out loud to the world. That means people that would never use a Kleen Kanteen water canister or a reusable hanky or a solar powered barbeque can still get gifts with a gentler impact on the earth.

Forget the Body Shop, pop into a good sized health store in town and make your own basket filled with wonderful bath salts, lotions, even pretty lip glosses free of toxins. Or make a basket full of delicious local/organic cheeses, jams and salsas and let them see how un-granola-like and yummy it is. Forget baggy beige hemp — there are dozens of amazing Canadian clothing designers sewing really, really cool organic sweatshop-free clothes, they even carry organic stuff at mainstream stores like H&M or Levi. Or if you're giving anyone any electronics, make sure they're Energy Star certified and that you snag them a battery charger with rechargeable batteries.

Oh and naturally you could casually leave a copy of my book kicking around the Christmas tree and see if any of your non-green family members get curious!

Lee Valley sells pretty tin ornaments (tin tinsel and tin stars) that are of course reusable for decades, but considering the metal extraction process, can this be considered a good option?

Sidenote: Down here in the Caribbean Christmas is taken to new levels of enviro-un-friendliness: real evergreen trees shipped over, stored in refrigerated trailers and snapped up by expats and the local population alike :(

Adria Vasil: It depends whether the ornaments are made with recycled metals or not. A large percentage of regular aluminum is actually recycled in content, but it's best to ask the crafts person.

You're right, metal extraction is a seriously polluting enterprise, so I would recommend searching out ornaments made with recycled or natural materials first. But at the same time, there is so much metal usage in our lives (appliances, cars, beams, cutlery even,) that avoiding one small star likely made of scrap pieces of metal, one that you clearly like and would reuse for years isn't the biggest concern in the world. Especially if it's made locally.

All those Christmas tree shipments to the Caribbean have a far worse impact in the grand scheme of things!

One thing some families have been doing is donating money to charities instead of buying "stuff". Is there a way to identify just how much of a donation gets to where you intend? CPAWS, for example, says $25 will help reindeer habitat. Sounds good to me, but what is my money really doing? Is there a list of credible charities somewhere? How do we get the most best bang for our buck?

Adria Vasil: The best thing you can do is call the charities you're interested in and ask them what percentage goes to the actual cause of, say, habitat rehabilitation versus administration. 80 per cent and up would be fair. If they won't tell you, don't give them your cash. Simple as that.

What kind of Christmas tree is best - real or fake?

Adria Vasil: Real, all the way! Plastic trees are mostly made of pvc — a plastic that creates all kinds of dangerous pollutants in its manufacture and incineration and one that's often heavy in lead. You're better off getting a tree cut from a plantation. They provide wildlife habitat and pump out oxygen. Really as long as you try to source your tree from your home province (or close to it) and avoid the vast majority of trees that are sprayed with chemical pesticides, you're in the clear. For more on this as well as a source for organic trees in Toronto, check out this week's ";target="new">Ecoholic column