2002 HOLIDAY NEWSLETTER

In This Issue:

• Ornaments From Old Lightbulbs
• Low Waste Entertaining
• No Waste Holiday Cooking
• Waste Free Boxed Lunches
• Book: Holiday Crafts for Children (and adults, too!)
• Subscribe to the eco-artware Recycling Rag

Ornaments From Old Lightbulbs

Artist Peggy Kaufman grew up on a Nebraska ranch "where we recycled everything." Four years ago, she came up with the idea of creating holiday ornaments by painting burned-out lightbulbs. Delighted by the results, she launched a now flourishing ornament business. Kaufman's lightbulb ornaments are destined to become collectors items, as more efficient forms of lighting make traditional incandescent light bulbs obsolete.

Kaufmann paints limited numbered and signed editions of 100 ornaments per design. She gets her standard bulbs from from hotel engineers, friends and neighbors, a billiard hall and Home Depot . She also paints lights from exit signs, spotlights, floodlights and tiny twinklers when they are available.

If you would like to paint your own lightbulbs, Kaufman suggests using Delta Permanent Enamel, a water-based paint which comes in several colors. "Do not get the kind that must be baked in the oven," she cautions. After painting, she coats the bulb with Permanent Enamel Glaze. The painting supplies are found in art stores. For ornament loops, she uses aluminum wire--22 gauge for smaller ones and a heavier gauge for larger ones.

To contact Kaufman, phone 703-892-1199 or visit http://www.americancraftsonline.com.

Low Waste Entertaining

I've never enjoyed using paper or plastic cups and cringe when I see wastebaskets filled with them the day after a party. Over time, I've found ways to entertain without using throwaway cups and glasses, and my friends have begun following my example. We hope you'll adopt some of these ideas and help create a trend!

1. Use glass or ceramic cups at parties. Use your old glass punchbowl cups (with or without the punchbowl) or buy some at flea markets. See whether your local potter or pottery school has cups, or will make them up for you. One friend has a collection of 30 mismatched ceramic cups and often receives an odd one for a gift.
2. Bring two mugs (one for a visitor) to the office. One executive collected china tea cups and saucers from broken sets at yard sales, arranged them on a tray in her office, and asked visitors which they would like to use.
3. Bring a collapsible cup to the gym. You can find both stainless steel (both 2 oz. and 4-1/2oz) and plastic (4 oz.) collapsible cups on the web.
4. Try to use one glass per guest at parties. Provide each guest with a glass marker, such as the wire and bead ones made by WireWare. WireWare's glass markers wrap around the base or stem of a glass, or sit on the lip. Sold in sets, glass markers come in different colors to help guests keep track of their glasses. (These glass markers are also handy when someone in your family has a cold or flu. Mark the glass and keep away!)

No Waste Holiday Cooking

Maggie Davis, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, is a personal chef in New York City. "I am a big believer in no waste cooking," she said. "Especially when you are on a budget."

Buying the right quantity for a holiday dinner can cut down on both expenses and leftovers. If you have a hard time figuring out how much to buy, use Davis' holiday menu as a guide. Here are her suggestions for a low-waste meal for 12, consisting of turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sliced squash, string beans with almonds, and a selection of desserts :

Davis, who loves desserts, recommends 2-3 ten inch pies in addition to a plate of fruit and cookies for people who don't like pie.

If you do have leftovers, Davis suggests easy and quick ways to transform them into interesting meals:

- Mashed Potatoes (do not freeze)
Make patties, dip in a SMALL amount of flour, pan fry the patties, serve with sour cream and applesauce.

- Fresh Herbs
Dedicate an ice tray to your fresh herbs. Chop herbs fine, place in ice tray (fill each cup 3/4 full), pour water on top, freeze. Great to toss into soups, sauces, stews. Be sure to label what is in the tray.

- Bread:
Leave out overnight, then toss in a food processor or blender and chop for bread crumbs. These will keep in a freezer for six months.

- Vegetables
Turn extras into an almost instant soup. Sauté raw carrots, onion, celery until golden. Bring stock (chicken, vegetable, bouillon cube, water to a low boil. and add the sautéed veggies, then add pasta, canned beans, canned tomatoes. Season to taste with herbs, spices or mixed seasonings. Cooks in 15 minutes.

- Cooked Poultry Turn extras into soup. Make instant soup (see Vegetables, above). Add cooked poultry after you add stock. Or cut up leftover poultry into small pieces to make pot pies and enchiladas.

Zero-Waste School Lunches

Who thought about it? Packed lunches for school-age children can be hazardous to the environment. Most parents pack lunch items in single-use plastic bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap and/or purchase single-serving items that come in disposable packaging. Currently, a school age-child, using a disposable lunch, generates 67 pounds of waste per school year.

Laptop Lunches has developed a way to reduce the trash by manufacturing a plastic (yes, it is recyclable) version of the bento box complete with sections for sandwiches, carrot sticks, two small covered containers, eating utensils and room for a cloth napkin. The boxes close with a latch. Young children pop them into a regular lunch box along with a water bottle and ice pack to keep it cool. Older kids pop it directly into their backpacks. A 96 page book of lunch menus, recipes, hints for dealing with picky eaters, discussion of childhood obesity and other information comes with each Laptop Lunchbox.

Amy Hemmert, co-founder of the company, said that the box works also well for adults who like small lunches. "There is room for an ample meal if they carry an apple or orange outside the box. A large guy with a big appetite would walk away hungry," she said.

Book Notes: Holiday Crafts for Children (and Adults, too)

Earth-Friendly Holidays: How to Make Fabulous Gifts and Decorations from Reusable Objects by George Pfiffner is designed for 9-12 year olds. But the projects could be adapted for older and younger craftsmen. The author, who designed craft projects for Woman's Day for 14 years, offers 30 clearly written and imaginative projects. He turns supplies we use every day (such as dental floss, gold foil from candy bars, broccoli, brown paper, and frozen juice cans) into gift ideas, greeting cards and gift bags for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Valentine's Day, Earth Day and Easter (among others).