Tread Gently on the Earth This Holiday Season

An estimated 5 million tons of waste is generated each holiday season. Wrapping paper, which is typically used once and then discarded, accounts for most of this waste.

This year, consider one or more eco-friendly alternatives to conventional, store-bought wrapping paper and greeting cards:

• Purchase 100% recycled gift wrapping paper.
  
  
• Use the comics from your local newspaper, or even the sports section for an athletic family member. Use old maps for someone who likes to travel.
  
  
• Consider holiday cards embedded with wildflower seeds that can be planted in spring; green Islamic greeting cards are also available, as are cards for Diwali, the Indian Festival of Light.
  
  
• Look for tree-free greeting cards online.
  
  
• Give gifts that don't need to be wrapped, like gift cards, tickets to a sporting event, movie, play, or concert, or a charitable donation.
  
  
• Use supplies you may already have, like brown paper bags and paper luggage tags.
  
  
• Decorate oversized gifts with just a bow that can be re-used.
  
  
• Come up with creative wrapping materials based on the gift you're giving:
  
  
• Pajamas can be "wrapped" in a pillowcase.
  
  
• Tools can be "wrapped" in a toolbox.
  
  
• A kitchen gift can be "wrapped" in a dishtowel, oven mitt or mixing bowl.
  
  
• A gift for a gardener can be "wrapped" inside a planter.
  
  
• Recycle old boxes or other containers that can be used for packaging at flea markets.
  
  
• Save trees by using banana wrapping paper. It's made from the otherwise-discarded stalks of banana trees.
  

Green Your Home and Yard With Solar-Powered LED Lights

If you use decorative holiday lighting outside and in your home to help celebrate the season, consider using solar-powered LED lights, which come with a battery that recharges during the day and illuminates at night.

Besides being kinder to the environment, LED lights reduce your electric bill, are more energy-efficient than older incandescent bulbs, last longer and are cool to the touch. And one burned-out bulb won't darken the rest of the string.

Eco-friendly Hanukkah lights are also widely available for candles, electric ornaments and menorahs. The paraffin candles used in many menorahs and Hanukkah light displays are often made from petroleum byproducts, but you can substitute candles made from renewable ingredients such as palm oil, beeswax, and soy.

Since even candles made of natural ingredients emit a small amount of carbon dioxide, an even greener choice is using LED-powered menorahs and other illuminated decorations.

For an in-depth comparison of LEDs to incandescent bulbs and a benefits summary, see what the city of Seattle recommends.

Live vs. Artificial Christmas Trees

Although many families look forward to the tradition of purchasing a cut Christmas tree to decorate during the holiday season, many also realize it's wasteful to enjoy a natural resource for a month and then discard it.

There are many advantages to purchasing and reusing an artificial tree. Artificial trees that are reused again and again will save you money compared to the cost of buying a newly-cut tree every year. Artificial trees are maintenance-free and won't drop needles on your floor; they also won't bother anyone with allergies. Finally, unlike a live tree, they're flame-retardant and can be easily stored when not in use.

Cut-tree fans argue that artificial trees are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, and that Christmas tree farms help sustain rural communities by providing jobs. Successive tree plantings that replace cut trees also absorb carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases.

If you want to make the most environmentally friendly choice, there's another approach you can take — purchase a live, balled tree, and plant it after you've enjoyed it indoors. Keeping the tree alive before and after you plant it requires a bit of care. Visit here for tips on doing so.

5 Ways to Avoid Over-Indulging During the Holidays

During the two-month period that begins in late October and extends through the New Year, there are plenty of opportunities to over-indulge. Candies, cakes, cookies and other treats are associated with many of the world's major religious holidays, and many of these holidays occur during this time, whether it's Halloween and Diwali (the Hindu Festival of Lights) in October, Thanksgiving in November, or Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in December.

Whether your weakness is eggnog, Soofganiot (Hanukkah doughnuts) or coconut pie, a popular Kwanzaa treat, it's easy to go overboard. Follow these tips to maintain your weight.

1. Eat slowly, and try to make the meal last at least a half-hour.
   
   
2. Don't go for seconds unless, on a scale of 1 to 10, your hunger rates at least a "5."
   
   
3. Remember that the true purpose of the holidays is to renew your bonds with friends and family; don't let the food become the centerpiece of the holiday.
   
   
4. Go easy on the alcoholic beverages, which contain a lot of calories and increase your body's production of cortisol, which causes abdominal weight gain.
   
   
5. Don't feel like you have to eat a little of everything.
   

12 Tips for Reducing Holiday-Related Stress

The holiday season is often filled with family obligations and over-commitments. Women, especially, tend to stretch themselves thin trying to ensure that others are enjoying this festive time of year, only to find themselves worn out, frazzled and stressed getting ready for what's supposed to be a fun time of year.

If you're losing sleep, feeling overwhelmed, getting irritable or gaining weight, you could be showing signs of holiday stress. Follow these 12 tips for keeping yourself on an even keel during the holidays, and all year long.

1. If you're hosting dinner, cook the main entrée, but let guests bring the rest.
   
   
2. Listen to your favorite music.
   
3. Lower your expectations, and don't try to buy the "perfect" gift or cook the "perfect" dinner.
   
   
4. Baby yourself in whatever ways work, whether it's a professional massage, yoga, a quiet hour in which to read or an early-morning jog.
   
5. Try to stick to your normal dietary, exercise and work routines as much as possible.
   
   
6. Try not to sweat the small stuff, especially when much of it is beyond your control.
   
   
7. Cut back on caffeine, alcohol and sweets.
   
   
8. Get plenty of rest.
   
   
9. Avoid becoming exhausted due to holiday shopping by shopping online or through catalogs.
   
   
10. Learn to turn down invitations to various social functions or other requests for your time without feeling guilty.
    
    
11. If you're traveling over the holidays, consider staying at a hotel rather than in the home of relatives to carve out some private space and time for yourself.
    
    
12. Remind yourself of all the things in your life that you're grateful for — family, friends, your health and your home. A positive attitude and recognition of all that you have can help reinforce what's important in life.
    

Open-Enrollment Season Is Quickly Approaching

Be on the lookout for upcoming open-enrollment communications. It's during this time that you can make adjustments to your health insurance coverage, flexible savings account, life insurance and other benefits for the coming year.

The Health Fair Is Coming!

Mark your calendar — the annual Health Fair is coming soon.

Omaha
October 6, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Second Floor

Norwalk
October 13, 2009
3 to 6 p.m.
Third-Floor Lounge

Each location will offer the following services:

• Flu shots
• Cholesterol/glucose screenings
• Blood pressure checks
• Hand-washing awareness
• Skin cancer screenings
• And much more!

Omaha Employees Partner With Habitat for Humanity

Krista Alba has organized a day of community service for Omaha employees to help build a Habitat for Humanity house this month.

Ninety-five million people in the United States — nearly one-third of the population — have housing problems, including lack of affordability, overcrowding, unsafe conditions and homelessness.

In the North Omaha metro area, six out of 10 children are living in poverty. And the problem is growing even faster during these times of economic uncertainties. The lack of decent and affordable housing creates tremendous instability in our communities, weakens our economy, and even impacts our health and educational success.

Habitat homes are mostly built with community volunteers under Habitat staff supervision. Professional subcontractors complete the electrical, plumbing and heating/air-conditioning systems. The average size of a Habitat house is around 1,300 square feet. Most homes have three to five bedrooms, depending on the size of the family. Most Habitat homes are new construction, but older homes are sometimes renovated, too. It takes about 13 weeks after the foundation is poured for volunteers to complete an entire house.

We appreciate Krista’s efforts in organizing this event and can't wait to hear all about it!

Summer Interns Spend a Day with the Boys & Girls Club

After being tasked with choosing a community service event this past summer, the Summer Interns decided to spend a half-day volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford.

As it turned out, the day the interns were scheduled to volunteer was a field-trip day for the kids, so the interns joined 130 youngsters — all under the age of 12 — in tug-of-war and potato-sack races.

We welcome your input, comments and suggestions.