I decorate my apartment for every holiday. And while I love all my nerdy, holiday decorations, my Christmas tree and holiday ornaments are my favorites. But not everyone likes to hang ornaments on a traditional Christmas trees, and I get that – both live and artificial Christmas trees are not perfectly sustainable.

However, a less-than-conventional Christmas tree (aka a DIY “tree” made out of various knick-knacks) is quite sustainable, as are other various, creative, ornament displays. So, get inventive and start building one of these Christmas tree alternatives to display your ornaments because December the 25th is quickly approaching.

Tis the season... but for what, exactly? Christmas shopping involves two very distinct emotions: the desire to make your loved ones happy with things they'll enjoy and the slow creep of guilt as we spend money buying and wrapping gifts, packaged in cardboard and plastic and wrapped in paper. While there's nothing wrong with storebought gifts, it's much better for the environment -- and the soul -- to make your own all-natural gifts (and while you're at it, wrap them greenly too!). Here are five of our very favorites.

Instead of a plain row of pillows lining your bed, add oomph to your bedroom with a headboard. Headboards make a room feel cozy. They add dimension. And, they create a focal point in the room.

You don’t need a fancy-schmancy high-priced headboard to make your bedroom look good. Think outside of the usual. You can make these four headboards out of items that once had altogether different purposes. And, they’ll look far more elaborate than the amount of work it actually takes to make them. Get ready to create a fabulous headboard out of recycled materials.

The holidays are chaos on a home. All manner of spills and messes occur when holiday parties get a little too merry. Christmas trees leave pinesap stains. There are…new…odors from all of the extra houseguests. Tablecloths end up looking like a food war was waged on them. Before you panic that Uncle Jerry spilled red wine on your new cream rug, check out these five eco cleaning solutions for typical holiday cleaning crises.

Have you gotten your Christmas tree yet? If you've gone to the trouble of choosing a sustainable tree, it wouldn't do to cover it in mass-produced ornaments from the big box store, right? Instead of heading to the mall for your Christmas ornaments, it's simple and fun to make them yourself. Plus, no one else will have your one-of-a-kind handmade ornaments. Check out our tutorial for making a DIY pom pom Christmas ornament!

Completing some of your holiday shopping at secondhand stores doesn’t mean you have to gift items that are dowdy, dirty or cheap. With the right secondhand shopping methods you can find like-new items for steals, or unearth one-of-a-kind vintage items that have personality and style.

Around the holidays especially, there’s just something sweet about going to the effort to comb a thrift store or secondhand shop for a unique gift for someone. It makes the whole present thing a lot more special than just finding something at a mall. Plus, you’re reusing instead of buying new. While secondhand shopping is always hit-or-miss, you can use these five tips to make the most of your secondhand shopping this season.

Making your home more energy-efficient will save you money while it saves the environment. And you can't be energy-efficient without new, double-paned windows, right? Actually, not so much. Here's why buying new windows may be more trouble (and money) than it's worth.

Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for dedication. If you're dedicated to being green this holiday season, you'll want to keep sustainability in mind for gift-giving. While it may take a bit more effort, buying sustainable, green gifts as well as local products, can be quite rewarding. And, if you know where to look, finding eco-friendly gifts for Hanukkah can be simple, too. 

There's something so rustic and classic about an orange pomander, isn't there? What I love about this simple holiday decoration is that it's cheap and easy to make, and it's something you can create on your own or with the kids. If you're not familiar with a pomander, it's a traditional French holiday decoration made by covering fruit in whole cloves.

A thoroughly-cloved orange will keep for ages and makes a great incense alternative. I've had pomanders last anywhere from a few weeks to several months. The cloves help preserve the orange, so you can enjoy your pomander for a long time after you make it. The best part? When it does start to wither and lose its lovely smell, you can just toss the whole thing right into the compost bin!

Ready to make your own orange pomander? Read on...

A Vancouver, BC-based interior plantscaping design professional surrounded by a stunning landscape of mountains, forests and oceans, I am constantly bringing elements of nature into my designs. As I visit with dozens of businesses in the hospitality, retail, transportation, and commercial real estate industries, the trend for the 2012 holiday season clearly favors bold colors that are creative and playful and convey positivity and environmentally-friendly design.