Five Simple Ways to Do Something Good

Here at www.maxandzane.com , we don't snub our noses at folks who aren't using a composting toilet or don't live off the grid. We appreciate the changes you make, however small. We know that we are all creatures of habit, and breaking even small habits take effort! Here are a few ideas for how you can make a difference by altering your life in small ways... for a big impact:

1.WHEN YOU NEED A CHANGE, GO COMPACT FLUORESCENT
"If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars." (www.energystar.gov) Nuff said.

2. WAIT A MINUTE!
Do you know that cutting your morning shower short by just sixty seconds can save up to 2.5 gallons of water? Its true! That's over nine hundred gallons a year per person! If you just can't hack not singing in the shower for a minute less each day, consider switching to a water conserving shower head. They've come a long way, baby. Max's family didn't even notice when she made the switch.

3.GO VINTAGE
Need a potato masher? Looking for a unique gift for cousin Ed? Shopping vintage is thrifty, we all know that. But when you buy second hand items, you don't contribute to the pollution and depletion of natural resources that often go hand in hand with the manufacturing process.
By buying vintage, you have endless possibilities for one-of-a-kind gifts that won't end up in someone's junk drawer. Last Christmas, Zane searched out a 1951 Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook to replace her mom's copy that had completely fallen apart. She wrapped it in a vintage tea towel and finished it with a bow of old lace trimming and a recipe card gift tag. While it didn't cost much, the sentiment behind it brought Mom to tears!

4. DITCH THE PLASTIC BAGGIES
Use reusable washable containers for lunches and leftovers. We love our pyrex dishes with lids, which can go from fridge to table easily. Recycle your yogurt containers and other plastics to pack kid's lunches. If your kid objects to a used cream cheese container in her lunch pail, use waxed paper. Zane uses bits of rainbow yarn or crazy colored recycled rubber bands to make sure waxed paper stays closed.

5. EXPLORE YOUR INNER MARTHA STEWART
When wrapping gifts this year, try skipping the wrapping paper, ribbons, and gift tags. Be creative!
Old maps, glossy magazine ads, wallpaper samples, sheet music,vintage fabrics,and old calendar pages all make excellent wrapping materials. Kids love making their own wrapping paper by stamping the back of brown paper grocery bags with a festive theme.
For gift tags, we love using whatever there is around the house. Cut up cereal boxes, sand paper, postcards, even tree bark... you'll be amazed at what you can create with a pair of decorative scissors and a hole punch!
Skip the plastic/metallic ribbons and bows- how tacky, anyway- and try using something that can be reused by the recipient. Giving a gift to a person who sews? Use a cloth measuring tape in lieu of ribbon. A handman? Try using recycled wire! Yarn, shoe strings,cording, strips of fabric, recycled belts, and even plastic newspaper bags cut into strips make excellent ribbons. If your material won't make that fancy bow you love, tuck a piece of fragrant evergreen or dried lavender in the center to compliment your homemade gift tag.

If being crafty is just too much to handle on top of the holiday craziness, we recommend using a high quality recycled wrapping paper like the amazing designs from Fish Lips.