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Gurus of Natural Glamour Share Secrets to Elegant Green Holidays

Green lifestyle gurus and co-founders of Eden Home, Rachael Sparwasser and Alexandra Smith, reveal five simple tips for a more elegant, eco-friendly holiday season. Eden Home, an online emporium, is a destination resource for organic, natural, and eco-friendly home furnishings and lifestyle products.

According to these two green lifestyle gurus, it is possible to have a holiday season filled with 's8230;the gleeful moments and good old-fashioned traditions that families thrive on, said Sparwasser, while still being mindful of the earth in the process.

1) Carefully select a shipping sleigh

While the carbon hoof print of Santa and his reindeer can'st be beat, a hybrid shipping truck isn'st too shabby a second. Hybrid shipping trucks, such as those used by FedEx, improve fuel economy by 42 percent, reduce greenhouse emissions by approximately 30 percent, and cut particulate pollution by 96 percent (http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/04/28/fedex-puts-2-million-miles-on-hybrid-trucks-adds-75-more/). Shoppers can also inquire about a postal service'ss shipping policy to make more informed decisions.

2) Shop stores that offer green shipping policies

Many shoppers unknowingly increase the risk of global warming because they don'st know which shops practice green shipping and which don'st, Smith says. That can change this year, courtesy of the green group Climate Counts (http://www.climatecounts.org/). Climate Counts has put together a shopping guide of companies committed to reducing global warming. With popular stores like Canon, Nike, and Unilever, all practicing green shipping, said Sparwasser, you don'st have to compromise on style and you can still buy socially-conscious holiday gifts. It'ss a win-win situation.

For cell savvy shoppers, the pocket-sized Holiday Shipping Guide (http://www.climatecounts.org/pdf/ClimateCountsPocketGuide08.pdf) can be downloaded from ClimateCounts.org. This tool lets shoppers get a quick view of a store'ss shipping policies before purchasing anything.

3) A TreeHugger'ss guide to more eco-friendly evergreens

When it comes to Christmas trees, there are several options for those looking to green their holiday evergreen. We wouldn'st ever advocate getting rid of something as special as a Christmas tree, said Smith, but there are eco-friendly twists to make this tradition less harmful. Decorate a tree in your yard, decorate a potted fig tree, or buy a Christmas tree and then plant it in your yard when the season ends (make sure to buy one with roots intact). These are all great ways to experience the joy of Christmas decorating with your family while reducing waste and environmental impact. She adds that choosing biodegradable substances like popcorn and cranberry strings are another way to engage in eco-friendly festooning.

4) Don'st just recycle's8230;precycle!

Precycling is an approach that minimizes the impact of a purchased gift before buying it. One main method of precyling is to wrap gifts in reusable materials, minimizing packing and wrapping debris. By using old newspapers or popped popcorn as packing materials, gift-givers can avoid environmentally-unfriendly Styrofoam packing peanuts. In the same vein, Smith adds, Rather than wrapping gifts with traditional wrapping paper and bows, opt for more eco-friendly, creative options like old maps, scarves, sheet music, and neckties for ribbons. The effect will make a statement, be unique, and eco-friendly's8230;they may not even want to unwrap it!

5) Fill Santa'ss workshop with wooden toys, not plastic toys

Wooden toys are the wave of the future, said Sparwasser. They allow for all the playful whimsy a child needs to feel joy, without any of the harmful environmental impacts of plastic toys. According to MarketWatch (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/GREEN-CHRISTMAS-How-Have-a/story.aspxguid=%7bAE0E6AFA-F960-47ED-B1CC-19546BB38EF6%7d) if every child under the age of 6 received a quality wooden toy (http://www.edenhome.com/Handmade-Wooden-Jungle-Friends-Bowling-Set-P420.aspx) in place of a plastic one, 17 million tons of plastic land-fill would be avoided for every year the toy was used. For shoppers looking to pamper their kids and protect the planet this year, eco-friendly wooden toys are an increasingly viable option.

Sparwasser and Smith are quick to add that the most important and eco-friendly way to celebrate the holidays is to remember that it'ss the spirit of the season that counts. By taking time to gift, wrap and ship thoughtfully, merry-makers will show care for both loved ones and the planet.

To learn more, please visit www.EdenHome.com.

About Eden Home

Eden Home, the leader in natural luxury, offers the most comprehensive selection of organic products for the home, women and children. Eden Home'ss healthy choices range from organic clothes for baby to luxurious organic bed and bath linens; and from natural cookware to organic skincare. If it'ss organic and stylish, you'sll find it at Eden Home. Our customers can rest assured that we monitor the quality of our products to ensure that they are of the highest purity. Eden Home's8230;naturally stylish.

Eden Home Media Contact:

Gayle Duncan

Executive Options MarCom

425.802.7034

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