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 An unprecedented number of people will give and receive thrifted presents this year so don’t be afraid to embrace secondhand gifts, once stigmatized but now celebrated.
A profound shift has occurred in the way thrifted gifts are viewed by Americans. Gen Z is leading the charge. Read more here.  If you’re concerned about the health and safety of your family, you might want to stay away from both conventional dryer sheets and fabric softeners, say the editors of Scientific American. Wool dryer balls are a superb alternative.
Both dryer sheets and fabric softeners contain chemicals known to be toxic to people after sustained exposure. Dryer balls usually come as a set of three or six felted wool balls that you put in the dryer with your laundry. By bouncing around with the drying items, they work to separate layers and create air pockets to help fluff, soften, and reduce drying time. Read more on this from Scientific American and Treehugger.com. Photo by Susan O'Donnell  Wood is a renewable resource and easier on your knife blades.
Choosing a wood or bamboo cutting board over plastic not only cuts down on plastic products but is also easier to keep clean and keep free from bacterial growth.* Disposal is also more sustainable: plastic has to be thrown in the trash, but wood and bamboo are compostable. Even if a board is labeled as #1 or #2, which are recyclable types of plastic, they are manufactured differently from bottles and so are not able to be recycled with them. Plastic boards also cannot be sorted properly by the machinery used to sort curbside mixed recycling. For more information, see this article: *https://www.treehugger.com/why-you-should-always-choose-wooden-cutting-board-4858094 photo by Susan O'Donnell  “Ugly” produce is still perfectly good for eating, and buying it reduces food waste and can save you money on groceries.
According to the FDA, 31% of our food supply is wasted by consumers and retail. One source of this waste is food that does not have the desired look for consumers but is perfectly edible. Various companies are working to counter this trend by selling this imperfect produce, sometimes at a lower price. For more information on purchasing “ugly” produce, see this article: https://www.greenmatters.com/p/ugly-produce-companies Photo by Susan O'Donnell |
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