"It's beginning to look a lot like... deforestation"

In the last two weeks, I have received more catalogs in the mail than I received all year long. Some are repeats of stuff I'd already gotten, and pretty much EVERY SINGLE ONE is unsolicited.

(Now that I think about it, can I put a "No Soliciting" sign on my mailbox? Will that make the evil catalogs go away?? Please???)

Between all the trees being chopped down to make all these catalogs, and all the tress that will be chopped down to make wrapping paper, are we going to have any left to chop down to decorate?

If you're looking for gift ideas, here are a few:

Plant a Billion Trees (click on Act Now)

Arbor Day Foundation's Holiday Gift Ideas

Or, if you're more the DIY type, here's an instruction manual.

Looking for a card to go along with those gifts? Check out some of these.

To wrap these items, try some recycled seeded handmade wrapping paper. Or just plain post-consumer recycled wrapping paper.

You get the gist. Get creative. (Google it.)

Need some eco-friendly cards?

Check out this Etsy shop!

http://mightymarce.etsy.com

(My favorite is the one with the clouds... but there is a special place in my heart for the chanchitos, too!)

Blogosphere, I need your help on a dire, pressing matter.

Chillin' out at Panera Bread, enjoying an Asiago cheese bagel and free WiFi. About to get started on FINALLY finishing my bloody Master's dissertation.

But first, allow me to procrastinate just a bit:

I own two or three travel mugs, for hot drinks, one that I keep in the car so I have it whenever I stop at Starbucks or Borders and allow myself the indulgence of a Chai Latte, without generating more trash for our sad, abused environment (and, at the same time, promoting Script Frenzy in a hip and trend way).

However, I want an environmentally-friendly way to enjoy cold drinks (sodas and slushies). There's just something odd about filling a travel mug with Cherry Coke. I want to enjoy my Rockin' Red Raspberry slushie from QT without feeling like a louse for drinking it out of a #6 (non-recyclable in my area) plastic cup.

Yeah, QT has huge-o, 44 oz. clear plastic tanks (with a straw), but those are fugly. 7-11 has more reasonably-sized reusable cups (at least they can be reused once or twice), but those are rather fugly as well (so far they've had Hulk designs, and now football). Where can I find something cute and trendy (that fits in my car's cupholder)?

Have cold-drink travel mugs/cups disappeared from the market, or am I just blind? Please help! (Does Etsy have anything that can help my predicament? Because that would be quite rad.)

Okay, done procrastinating. Off to finish my Master's.