25 degrees. Another energy-saving trick is to place stovetop cookware on the smallest burner possible; more heat will embrace the pan, while less is lost to the surrounding air. A six-inch pan on an eight-inch burner typically wastes more than 40 percent of the energy generated. Crockpots work well for serving other small family dinners dur- ing the busy holiday season or anytime; an entire meal requires about 17 cents worth of electricity.


At cleanup time, load up the dishwasher fully. One load of dishes scrubbed in a dishwashing machine uses 37 percent less water than wash- ing the same dishes by hand.


Send plant-able holiday cards. Ac- cording to CalRecycle, an estimated 2.6 billion holiday cards are sold each year in the United States, enough to fill a football field 10 stories high. This year, instead of the usual snail mail, send a bouquet of flowers for the price of a stamp. Recipients can plant a GreenFieldPaper.com grow-a-note holi- day card in the ground and see wild- flowers bloom. For plant-able holiday cards that can be personalized with a corporate logo, BotanicalPaperworks. com offers card sets and party favors.


natural awakenings December 2012


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