The season for giving is approaching. We here at HarmonyWishes are acutely aware of the wake that the giving cycle leaves behind. Did you know that, “according to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans, on average, increase their garbage amount by 25% between Thanksgiving and Christmas?”

Image courtesy www.insidesocal.com

And wrapping paper, which is commonly made from virgin materials is a large part of that outflow—not to mention greeting cards. The folks over at Recycle Works say “we buy 2.65 billion Christmas cards—enough to fill a 10-story football stadium.” Woah.

Given that, perhaps it’s a good time to consider downsizing what we consume and send on. I can’t think of a better gift to someone this holiday season, than a greener, less-cluttered tomorrow! Of course, we would love to see a lot more people take a second look at HarmonyWishes come this holiday season, and consider how our service can help diminish that 10-story football stadium-sized dent. Afterall, it was a concern for a lighter holiday footprint that propelled our founder to start this business.

What if every holiday season was another chance to reconsider what we buy and what we toss away?

In the spirit of that question, allow me to introduce you all to a worldwide project called Freecycle. We’re not just fond of Freecycle’s initiative because they share a similar slogan to that of HarmonyWishes —we also just plain love what they do. Freecycle is a grassroots, non-profit community of people with the mission to “…build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.” Freecycle has a series of listservs, divided by location, that act as a central place to post items up for grabs. Think Craigslist, but focused on gift giving, and totally free! Freecycle started out in 2003 when a small Arizona non-profit was providing recycling services to downtown businesses. Rather than see perfectly good items get tossed into a recycling truck to be hauled away, the group ended up calling around to local non-profits to see if the items could be of use. Founder Deron Beal thought, “There must be a better way.” And Freecycle was born!

Freecycle now hosts some 4,852 groups with over six million members around the world. It’s a totally volunteer-driven operation. And in the past year alone, Freecycle claims to have saved over 500 tons of garbage a day from landfills—that’s five times the height of Mt. Everest if the garbage trucks were stacked on top of each other. Double woah.

As Freecycle states it, “By giving freely with no strings attached, members of The Freecycle Network help instill a sense of generosity of spirit as they strengthen local community ties and promote environmental sustainability and reuse.” Not a bad theme for this holiday season, eh? Generosity of spirit, strong local communities, a sustainable environment…sounds like just the kind of thing the holidays are about.

So, go take a look at their site. You can search your own area by zip code.  I was surprised to find a Freecycle Network even down here in Mexico.  And while you’re at it, zip over to our gallery of cards right now and send on with wild abandon! With an unlimited number of card deliveries and a myriad of original combinations, you can make a creative effort towards a green holiday season. Or take a moment to mention our lighter footprint option to your circle. Remember, it’s a conscientious gesture without scrimping on the thoughtfulness of your gift.

May you enjoy a truly green holiday season!

Cheers,

Megan

I don’t know about you, but I always find the time just before the holidays a challenge. You know, it’s that time in November where you can glimpse the weeks ahead unfolding into a series of events–work, family, dinners, friends, cold, and of course, the shopping frenzy. It feels a bit like I am poised at the top of a roller coaster. I can hear the gears of the tiny metal car click clack clicking beneath me, and I know we are about to plunge over the side. Just at this moment, right at the top, before the descent, my mind goes somewhere else. It escapes just for a moment. That’s what my bookshelf looks like at the moment—an escape. So bear with me, and the fun and frivolous group of books I have to offer this round.

Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther

Saffron Kitchen tells the dual journeys of a mother and daughter, one caught in a loss decades old, and never resolved—the other is enmeshed in a current tragedy, that is mysteriously intertwined with her mother’s secret past. The mother, an Iranian-born woman, traveling and marrying in England after the Shah’s fall from reign, must return to her homeland to recover a life that seems only half-lived in her adopted home. The central mystery keeps the narrative moving, as peeks at Iranian culture and traditions are revealed. This is a great airplane book (I hope the author will forgive me for saying). I mean it in the best way. It’s engaging, a fluid read, and best yet, compact!

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

A great book. An uncommon and hopeless hero. An unexpected narrator. A wonderfully odd glance at the lives of first generation Dominican children, and their families. In turn funny and tragic. A surprising book. Hmmm, is there a pattern here? I’m reading lots of first-generation-immigrant-family books, eh?

The Serpent’s Tale (Mistress of the Art of Death, #2) by Ariana Franklin

This is the second in a series of mystery novels by former British journalist Ariana Franklin, set in Medieval times. The first book I read ages ago—enjoying its central, brainy heroine, strange cast of characters, and quick pace. It always nice to return to beloved characters that you came to know in a first novel. However, the mystery of Serpent’s Tale is a bit more predictable in this go round, than the first novel. Still enjoyable. A great departure from the day-to-day.

I Am Legend (And other stories) by Robert Matheson

Okay, okay, I have fallen victim to the latest vampire craze, I suppose, and picked up I Am Legend. Though, in my defense this vampire book was written in 1954, and has nothing to do with star-crossed lovers. Many perhaps know the title from the movie starring Will Smith. The original story itself is quite different. Our hero is not the key to a cure, and the salvation of human kind; he is the lone survivor, and hold out against an evolving species. This book had my mind twirling, wondering what it must be like to be the last vestige of a species, fighting against the tide, unable to face that the world has changed, and there is no room for you in it any longer. Chilling in a totally different way than the typical creepy vampire novels. Sometimes sited as the first modern vampire novel, I Am Legend and Matheson first popularized the notion of a disease apocalypse. And both are credited by director George Romero (Night of the Living Dead) and Stephen King as being fundamental influences on their work.

It’s no secret that times have been a little tough of late for many around the world reeling from the effects of a struggling economy and a precarious tomorrow. Small businesses, the retail industry, homebuilders—all are poised, hoping that things will rebound quickly, and that their businesses will have more work soon. On the other end of the market, we as individuals, or as a part of families, all feel the squeeze. Many are making some difficult decisions about where to cut back in expenditures. We’re all being a little more conservative about what we need today, and what can wait for tomorrow. That can be a really daunting choice, I think.

So I have a question for you, the HarmonyWishes community: Can you live well without sufficient money?

That’s a big question, I know. It taps into our opinions and ideas on well being and happiness. And it may be a particularly sensitive issue right now for many of us struggling to make ends meet. For that very reason, it’s worth contemplating. I’ll offer an idea on the subject…

Tequio in Santa Catarina Zapoquila

Down here in Oaxaca there are many living well below the poverty line in some shockingly marginalized communities. And yet, some of those with little access to resources, have found a way to survive, and even grow, under pretty tough circumstances. That is partly due to a practice called tequio. Tequio is work organized for a shared benefit. Members of a particular community can contribute work hours or materials for a collective project. So where a small village might lack the resources to hire someone to build a school, repair a highway or protect and maintain a forest—they can accomplish those tasks by asking each member of the community to contribute his/her part.

The Community's Instruments

I visited a youth recreation center in a tiny village north of Oaxaca City, called Yalalag several months ago. Many of the homes in this small hamlet have aluminum rooftops or lack indoor plumbing; it’s a humble community.
And yet, two years ago they built an amazing cultural center for their children—complete with library, computer lab, instruments for a band, a radio and tv studio, and more. Certainly they received donations and investment from outside sources to help pay for materials, like the computers.

The Center's Library

However, they did build the entire building–a three-story edifice sitting on the edge of a cliff, with unbelievabe views of rolling, green hills–using only the labor of community members. They had it built within three months of receiving the first donation. It’s amazing what people can accomplish collectively!

Recently, I came upon a kind of tequio-like platform that exists around the United States and other countries. It’s called a Time Bank. Have you heard of these? I found the concept so interesting; and wondered if it might have relevance for some of us given today’s reality. The organizers explain it this way: “At its most basic level, Time banking is simply about spending an hour doing something for somebody in your community. That hour goes into the Time Bank as a Time Dollar. Then you have a Time dollar to spend on having someone doing something for you. It’s a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections.” There are many Time Banks around the United States that operate through a central website. There you can post a service you have to offer in the online database; or you can earn Time Dollars by responding to requests listed by others.

Timebanks.org

“It connects you to the best in people because it creates a system that connects unmet needs with untapped resources.” A cool idea, no? Just going online you can find an electrician offering his services, a piano teacher offering classes, someone looking for help painting their living room, or a request to help plant a community garden. And all of these requests will be asked and answered without the use of money. It’s people helping people—connecting and getting things done together.

Could a Time Bank, or something like it help you attain something you need in your home or work space? I must confess, I’m looking around my house right now and starting to make a list. What talents or resources could you offer others in your community? Perhaps you are short on extra funds now; or maybe you just need another set of hands to get something done. Could a Time Bank help? Or perhaps you would find it easier to set up an informal “time bank” amongst your friends, neighbors or family members. It only takes a few to make it work! And it seems like a great excuse to gather people and build momentum towards getting things done, without the need of extra money.

Since our formal, money-based economy seems to be in a coma right now—how about we foment an Informal-productive projects-exchange of services and support Economy? Some people call this the Love Economy. But I like to think of it as the Practical Person’s Economy. I’m interested in imagining the possibilities. How about you?