Dear Santa,

I know you’ve probably received a lot of letters this year from tiny tots (with their eyes all aglow), asking for Wiis, puppies and official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot range model air rifles, but I promise that this letter is a little different.

I simply want to say thank you.

Santa, to be so rosy, you are the greenest man that I know, and I want to thank you for that! After all of these years when you could have easily switched to a Range Rover or a Lamborghini or, heck, even a Rolls Royce…you chose, instead, to stick to what’s good — your trusty, no-fuel-necessary reindeer!

So onward Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen! And yes, I do think I recall the most famous reindeer of all — Rudolph the green-nosed reindeer?

Have a safe trip down south, Santa! And please, for goodness sake, don’t wake Charley!

xoxo,

Josie

Each holiday season, hundreds of thousands of people hop into their cars, head to their local shopping malls, buy lots and lots of presents and carefully (and beautifully) wrap each and every single one of them! Like Clark Griswold, I am a sucker for tradition, but this holiday season, I am going to make more of a conscious effort to be green. Here’s my little list (and I’m checking it twice):

– Use more gift bags. If you’re anything like me, you get caught up in the moment of opening your gifts and completely shred every bit of the paper used to wrap them. Try using gift bags this year since they’re reusable.

– Make your own wrapping paper. For gifts that just have to be wrapped, the Sierra Club suggests ways to make your own. I especially love the idea of using old newspaper cartoons!

– Just don’t wrap at all. Word on the street is that you can write the North Pole and ask Santa to not even bother with wrapping your gifts. It’s not like you’ll be ruining the surprise. What’s in Santa’s bag is top secret for the time being!

– Carpool when you go shopping. Gotta big list? You can bet your bottom dollar that your friends do, too! Save some gas and ride together.

– Give green gifts. Start by checking out TreeHugger’s 2010 gift guide – “low-impact luxury for high-impact giving.” From elephant poo paper to the very cool (and recycled) Elm phone by Sony, you’ll find a little something for everybody!

– Give a gift that keeps on giving. For those that are hard to shop for, try making a donation in their name to an environmental organization of your choosing. A couple of my favorites? The Western North Carolina Nature Center and Morehead Planetarium and Science Center promote science education in the state of North Carolina and are both very awesome!

– Get a real tree. Despite popular belief, it’s more environmentally friendly to use a real tree than to buy a fake one. Don’t believe me? Check out our previous blog.

– Use LED lights. Yes, they look a little crazy, but you’ve gotta love ‘em! According to The Daily Green, they’re 15 percent more energy efficient than regular holiday lights, and even better, at HolidayLEDs.com, you can recycle your old ones!

– Recycle old electronics! Getting a new cell phone? Recycle the old one! A new TV? Recycle the old one! There’s a whole multitude of reasons as to why this is important. I encourage you to explore the EPA’s take on “eCycling!”

Alright everyone! Let’s get to it and happy holidays! See you under the green mistletoe (if you’re lucky)!

Today’s Green Thought Thursday is inspired by the newest addition to the Clairemont team – Charley. Last month, Dana and I ventured over to the SPCA of Wake County, where we fell in love. Charley joins us as Clairemont’s first Pee-R account executive (thanks, Mike Allen!), where he happily plays under the supervision of Billy, CMO (Chief Moral Officer) and fellow SPCA adoptee. So in ode to Billy and Charley (and the SPCA), I would like to share with you a few basic tips on how to go green when it comes to your pets!

When it comes to the icky stuff –

– Doggie lovers, use biodegradable bags to clean up after your dogs.

– Cat owners, never buy clay litter! There are a couple of reasons, says blogger Ecofriend. For starters, clay is strip-mined. Secondly, the sediment it leaves behind is a carcinogen. This is bad for your kitty’s lungs and can be even worse if ingested!

– Wanna get serious? Consider composting your pet’s waste!

– Use vinegar! A little dribble here and there? The ASPCA recommends using vinegar as a bleach alternative when cleaning up little accidents.

– When it’s time to give ‘ol Grover a bath, make sure you use environmentally friendly shampoos and other grooming products.

When it comes to food –

– Go natural and go organic. Just like it’s better for us to skip out on foods processed with chemicals and pesticides, the same goes for our pets, too!

– It may seem like a no-brainer, but buy in bulk! It not only saves tons of waste from going into the landfill, but it also saves you money!

– Put on your apron and bake your own dog biscuits (or other pet treats)!

When it comes to toys –

– Avoid toys with harmful chemicals in them, like PVC!

– Buy pet toys (and products) that are made from recycled materials.

When it comes to searching for that special someone –

– Don’t just go green….Save some green and adopt!

For more ways to go green with your pets, check out the Dancing Dog Blog. It shares lots of important facts about pet medications and other harmful chemicals in your home. Now go green, and reduce that carbon pawprint!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and that can only mean one thing – it’s time to decorate. For those of you who have been patient enough to wait until after Thanksgiving to put up your holiday tree, we ask you to lend an ear for a little green cheer.

There’s a lot of debate these days about which holiday tree is “greener” – the real ones or the fake ones. Fake trees, many folks argue, are the way to go. They can be used year after year, and purchasing one of them means that a tree wasn’t cut down only to be tossed on the side of the street one month later. But for a lot of you, the thought of missing out on the wonderful smell of those evergreen needles is just too much to bear. Well, there’s good news for you!

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, fake trees are made with non-recyclable plastic, metals and other harmful materials like petroleum, PVC and in some cases, lead. They also use up lots of gas – FORTUNE reported 92 percent of them came all the way from China last year. And what happens when you finally do decide to ditch your old one for a new one? It goes to a landfill where it could take hundreds and hundreds of years to decompose.

In chestnut shell (roasting on an open fire), real trees are the way to go! They’re renewable (tree growers usually plant one to three seedlings for every tree cut down) and biodegradable. They travel less miles from the farm to your living room. And, by purchasing a real one, you’re oftentimes supporting local farmers.

Need any more reason to go green this holiday season? Check out this recent blog by Tiny Green Bubble. They’ve got us convinced!

Happy tree hunting, y’all!

When you think of Thanksgiving, what comes to mind? Most likely it’s turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and, of course, a delectable pumpkin pie. All of these delicious concoctions can be made after a single trip to the grocery store. But how about doing something green for a change?

Support local farmers and purchase all of your Thanksgiving ingredients at your local farmers market!

Green beans? They’ve got them. Sweet potatoes? A whole bunch! Turkeys? You betcha! No matter what you’re looking for, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to find it at the farmers market.

We love our local farmers market – the Raleigh Farmers Market. On any given Saturday, we can be found strolling the 30,000 square feet of fresh produce, plants and fun crafts. Buyers beware, though. You always want to buy local products – oftentimes, farmers will come from other states. Gas mileage adds up!

Another awesome initiative in this wonderful state is the 10% Campaign. Our across-the-hall neighbor, Warren Miller of Fountainworks, told us all about it this week. It’s a pledge by North Carolinians all across the state to spend 10 percent of their existing food dollars locally.

And I know, I know. It’s Thursday already. A lot of you may have stuffed your faces with turkey already. So how about giving this green thought a try for your next holiday meal? And happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Clairemont Communications!