Mama gnome braved walking amidst tall humans milling around with eyes busy shopping and hands close to their money bags.
Yes, Mama gnome went Christmas shopping.
She even ventured into the gargantuan Gnome Club.
Mama gnome saw a human dressed as Santa Claus standing by the tomatoes and radishes and speaking on his phone of cellular proportions.
Mama gnome went home and shared the news.
"I saw Santa Claus at the Gnome Club, " said Mama gnome whilst the gnomelets struggled into their bunny suits at bedtime.
Baby gnomelet said, "Mama...was it a pretend Santa or a real Santa?"
Mama gnome paused for a moment and finally said, "I don't know."
Mama gnome was struck by baby gnomelet's question.
How can she tell if it was a real Santa or not?
As a gnome she didn't know any elves who might be privy to this information.
Mama gnome realized a real Santa would have no difficulty giving her items on her Green Wish List, as long as she was on Santa's good gnome list.
So with fingers crossed, Mama gnome wrote a letter not to the pretend Santa but to the "real Santa."
Dear Santa,
How are you? I hope this letter finds you in good spirits and if not, please help yourself with the plate of freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies left by the aga stove and don't forget to drink a draught of Mama gnome's elixir, so vital for life.
I'm sorry to bother you but as a gnome to a Santa...please grant a wish or two to this old mother gnome.
I don't know where to start. But this is not the time to be stymied.
Mama gnome's first green wish is a give-a-tree card from arbor day.org. A tree would be planted in a forest in honor of the recipient.
This tree would grow tall and majestic for every year my gnomelets grow. This would be a lovely gift for Christmas.
My second green wish would be a stainless steel water bottle...to help Mama gnome continue her personal battle against the bane of her existence, Plastic Bag Monster, and his minions.
Mama gnome might take up knitting once more and knit a water bottle cozy.
A water bottle dressed up to the nines will make plastic bottles shrink into a recyclable stage.
Mama gnome's third green wish would be 100% postconsumer waste printer paper and eco-friendly ink cartridges.
They would come in handy when Mama gnome finally prints a story she'd been writing for little gnomelets.
Within the bracket of 100% recycled paper, Mama gnome would go bonkers over 100% recycled toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper. Think how many trees would be saved.
Here's a list from the Natural Resources Defense Council of how many trees would be saved if households purchased paper and paper products from recycled or postconsumer waste instead of virgin fiber.
They report "if every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper(500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees."
Yes...423,900 trees saved just by replacing the toilet paper.
Yes, Santa...that many trees.
Now, don't get too comfortable checking off my list because Mama gnome's green wish list also includes....(drum roll)....a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine!
No, it won't poke my eye out.
This turbine is environmentally friendly as in it would not be a spinning death machine for birds. It is even eligible for federal tax incentives and rebates.
It's green power. Does Mama gnome need to say more?
Now Santa, go ahead and finish that cookie because Mama gnome's green wish list has culminated to wish number one: solar panels.
Mama gnome knows it would make your landing on the roof trickier but think of all the green power it would produce and actually help reduce greenhouse gases up in the sky where you have to fly anyway.
Mama gnome knows they could be expensive but there are programs available now where the consumer can lease solar panels, avoiding the costs of buying them upfront.
Mama gnome would pass out if she sees the lovely reflection of sunlight from solar panels on the gnome roof.
Mama gnome said, "That would be off...the fishing hook."
Thank you so much for all the hard work you do every year, Santa.
I think I was mostly on the nice list this year and avoided heated arguments with humans who drove giant SUV's while smoking cigars and wearing fur coats.
So please, please consider my green wish list.
Sincerely,
Mama gnome
Mama gnome hopes your wish list might have a "green item or two" in there and if you think of another green item, please don't hesitate to write a note to Mama gnome as well.
But "green" gifts are gifts that show you really care for the recipient, gifts that show you care for the environment, gifts that show you know the true value of gift-giving.
Mama gnome and her family would like to wish you and your family a joyous, peaceful and Green Holiday season!
(c) 2009 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Save Trees? Save money and the Earth and be clean at the same time! Add Bathroom Bidet Sprayers to all your bathrooms. I think Dr. Oz on Oprah said it best: "if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn't wipe it off with paper, would you? You'd wash it off” Available at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com with these you won't even need toilet paper any more, just a towel to dry off! Don’t worry, you can still leave some out for guests and can even make it the soft stuff without feeling guilty. It's cheap and can be installed without a plumber; and runs off the same water line to your toilet. You'll probably pay for it in a few months of toilet paper savings. As for water use a drought is always a concern and must be dealt with prudently but please remember that in the big picture the industrial water users always far exceed the water use of household users and in the case of toilet paper manufacture it is huge. The pollution and significant power use from that manufacturing process also contributes to global warming so switching to a hand bidet sprayer and lowering your toilet paper use is very green in multiple ways.
Post a Comment