Sandy Wilson, Public Relations, Media Relations, Communications in Jacksonville, Florida

Craving Dos Caminos Guacamole

2 Tbs fine chopped cilantro leaves
2 tsp fine chopped white onion
2 tsp minced jalapeno chile pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 large avocados
2 Tbs. finely chopped plum tomato
2 tsp fresh squeezd lime juice

Mash cilantro, onion, minced chile, and  salt together against the bottom of a bowl.  Add the avocados and gently mash the avocados with a fork till chunky smooth.   Stir in tomatoes and lime juice.  Serve with tortilla chips.

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Full disclosure: ESI is a client.

Michael gave me a DOG book for Mother's Day with a note that said: Pick one!
So, I picked an Anatolian Shepherd & he said: No...too aggressive.
I picked a German Shepherd and he said: No... way too aggressive.
I picked a Bulldog and he said: No... too ugly and they slobber.
I threw in a Chihuahua just to test him and he said: No... too little and they're yappy.
So, I said: Michael, what kind of dog do you think I should I pick?
And he said: Why don't you pick a Lab?
So, now we're looking for a Chocolate or Silver Lab - a really big, yappy, slobbery one that will jump on bad guys who try to break into the house.
I'm giving Michael a fence for Father's Day!
It's going to take a while to pick out the material and design.

What does any of this have to do with green?

Well, the fence will probably be made from recycled materials and when I walk our Lab, I'll use biodegradable doggie bags.

Baskets /Bags
Use grocery store recycle bags. These bags come in a variety of patterns including colorful flowers. This will also give you an opportunity to discuss recycling with your children.

Straw
Use your paper shredder and shred virtually any paper for the basket straw. 

Eggs
If you don't want to recycle colorful, plastic eggs, here are some tips for Naturally Dyed Eggs:

Blue eggs - boil with blueberries
Purple eggs- boil in red wine
Pink or red eggs - boil with beets or in cranberry juice
Yellow eggs  - boil with saffron
Brown eggs - boil in in coffee

Cards
Send virtual cards. I really love My Punchbowl.

Happy Easter!

We're back from our travels and happy to report good green planning all along our ho-ho-holiday way.

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in beautiful Callaway Gardens and loved their natural decorations @ the Lodge and Spa.  Located on top of Pine Mountain, Georgia, Callaway Gardens is committed to eco-friendly living, environmental education and renewable energy year-round!

As we passed through nearby Atlanta on our way to Nashville, we learned that Atlanta  has also established forward thinking green initiatives.  In 2003, the city of Atlanta passed an ordinance requiring all city funded development to be LEED certified. That's thoughtful planning for the future. 

As we headed into good old country musical Nashville, we noticed a spectacularly clean downtown area and we were so pleased to discover a concerted city-wide effort to establish Nashville as a leader in green initiatives and livability.

We're back in Jacksonville now.  We're taking down the Christmas decor, and gearing up for Tree Hill Nature Center's Bring One For the Chipper event on January 9, 2010.  Bring your UNDECORATED  Christmas tree to Tree Hill on January 9 and take aromatic mulch home. Great way for the family to recycle.  (NOTE: Tree Hill is a client and the event is FREE.) 

I avoid paper.  Usually, at this time of year, I send an html greeting to my friends. 

Yesterday, however, I stumbled on these cool eco-friendly holiday cards soooo, last night, for the first time in years, I pulled out my snail mail address book and began some furious addressing.

o<|| : o} > Santa is real darn happy.

We switched to LED lights for our holiday tree last year.

Real or fake tree? We go real to support the local economy.

This year, we're recycling our year-round grapevine wreath and are using solar powered spotlights.  We also bought live plants from a local garden center that we'll replant after the holidays.  We're "wrapping" gifts with reusable shopping bags from PUBLIX.

We're going green gradually - eco baby steps are better than none, right?

More ways your family can go green/er this season:
Holiday Decorations for Green Geeks

Earth 911 Holiday Gift Guide

Wrap Art - how cool is this?

OK, everyone knows I don't do paper business cards, right?

I've tried a few digi-card options but haven't been especially happy with the results. 

Well, I stumbled on a new digital business card "Dub Me Now" in my ongoing quest for cool online gadgets.  I love it!

Check it out - it's the best digital business card (on my horizon, anyway) & the locate button is way too easy.  When two people have downloaded the (free) DUB software on their PDAs, they can press the locate button, and both will be prompted to download each others contact information.  

If you live in another state from the person you'd like to add to your contact list, just add their email address or their cell phone number. The contact information can be downloaded in your Outlook as a V-card, as well.  

In addition, DUB's contact information stays current with automatic updates for all contacts who have downloaded the software.  Did I mention that this service is free? Did I mention that I love it?

If I know you IRL, shoot me your cell # or email if you want to see it in action.

Holiday travel is most definitely on the horizon.

We have a ton of family coming into town for turkey and pies. 

Unless you're a Scrooge, you're probably traveling or expecting family to travel to you for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.  

Travelocity offers a great green resource page to help us all travel as green as we possibly can.  Check it out!

If you're a Scrooge,  however, just throw on your nightcap, close your eyes and wait for your snazzy travel guide : )