The iconic red British telephone box is recognized just about everywhere in the world. It’s been a symbol of British culture and traditions for generations. But today, with the rise of mobile phones and the inflated cost of caring for these public calling booths, BT has decommissioned thousands of red call boxes. But they offered towns a way to keep their telephone boxes even after the telephones inside were removed: for £1 and a great idea, communities were given the opportunity to give these proud red icons new life.

When BT (British Telecom) decided to do away with the red phone box that’s recognized all over the world, they gave councils a chance to keep their booths without the phones. Their Adopt a Kiosk program called for suggestions on what to do with the booths, and BT received thousands of entries. The village of Westbury-sub-Mendip in Somerset came up with the above solution: a micro lending library, where residents can borrow books, CDs and DVDs 24 hours a day. They simply leave one item for each item they take, and the entire village gets to enjoy both the presence of the iconic phone box and the convenience of a well-stocked lending library.

Would you believe this phone box is actually a miniature art gallery? The Gallery on the Green in Settle, North Yorkshire is thought to be the smallest art gallery in the world. It features postcard-size works of art from individuals, groups and schools. The idea behind the project is for residents and tourists to share thoughts and images from their travels, putting them in a public forum where everyone can see.

Residents in Waterperry, Oxfordshire took a different approach. Their phone box is a landmark for their town, especially since the main road is unnamed and most directions to anywhere in Waterperry include “go past the telephone box.” The town adopted their phone box from BT and turned it into a community center of sorts. Its use varies with the season: in the autumn it’s a fruit and vegetable exhange; in the summer it’s been used for poetry readings; in the winter it hosts a jolly Christmas display complete with carolers.

Loppergarth, in Cumbria, uses their adopted phone kiosk as a visitor information center. Visitors have only to step inside to view maps and learn about the area. The town also uses the phone box to display the crown for the town’s drag carnival queen.

Great Shelford, in Cambridgeshire, was the big winner of the competition. Their phone box is a changeable art installation featuring a (somewhat creepy) mannequin. The children of the local primary school make suggestions for the mannequin’s next persona, and its costume is change regularly. Guy Fawkes was the first historical figure to be honored in this one-of-a-kind public art installation.

Even before BT offered councils the chance to save their telephone boxes, they were removing them from locations all across Britain. Some of them ended up in the rubbish tip (garbage dump) and just screamed out to be saved. That’s just what Warwickshire artist Barry Robinson did when he pulled these three phone boxes from certain destruction and created “Telephone Tree,” a 20-foot-tall sculpture that he mounted in a field in his rural village. His neighbors weren’t quite as in love with the idea as Mr. Robinson, though, and called for it to be removed.

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Sex is oh so good for your health. Getting it on is about more than pleasure. Good sexual health can improve your physical health. It certainly puts you in a positive frame of mind. Conserve electricity, turn off the lights and light a candle. Save water, share a shower and soap each other. Go green between the sheets. Ok who needs sheets or a even a bed for that matter, but sex is eco-friendly. Au Naturale is the most earth-friendly packaging there ever was! This is more than a lifehack for mating, more than an excuse to have sex. Here are 55 fantastic health benefits and legitimate reasons to be having lots of sex.

*Safe sex is wise. This is not advocating sex, but instead listing the overall potential health benefits of hitting the sheets.

Sex Relieves Stress & Eases Depression

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Treat your partner as if you’re dating is a lifehack strategy for keeping the spark alive. As romantic as a fairytale castle is, it’s unrealistic for most of us to plan a “date night” there. When dating, couples are generally more sexually adventuresome than after a couple has been together or married for a long time. Stress is a killer for both sexes. The health benefits of having sex to relieve stress and to ease depression have been proven. For men, their release calms them and sends happy chemicals to their brain. For women, absorbing semen works as a natural antidepressant and helps get rid of stress. So plan that romantic night out together in nature or light the candles for a special date dinner. Depressed and highly stressed individuals tend to have less sex. It’s a trap! Don’t fall into it.

Relieving pain

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Romance your spouse outside the bedroom is a strategy for keeping the spark alive. Most of us can not take our beloved to a deserted island for a romantic getaway, but that is not required to gain this benefit of sex: relieving pain. The best painkiller ever created is the mighty O. No, not Oxycontin but Orgasm. It releases natural chemicals like endorphins in the body, both before and during climax. These endorphins have a similar chemical structure to morphine. Water is used in many therapies, so why not add the glorious and sensual feel of water to your sex life? It’s a win/win/win situation without needing to find the time, finances, and location of the closest deserted island. Having sex, win. Having sex in the water, double win. Having orgasmic sex in the water? Oh baby!

Sex Helps You Forget & Increases Happiness

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Credit cards due? Bills piling up? Money trouble causes most couples to fight. Before it gets really ugly and you turn on each other, have sex. Having sex helps you forget your troubles. It also improves intimacy, lifts your mood, and increases your imagination. Regular humping can keep you happy. It might not cure your money problems, but keeping busy with the horizontal hustle was proven to provide the same levels of happiness as a couple earning an extra $100,000 annually.

Weight Loss & Boosting Cardiovascular Health

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Next strategy to keep the spark hot is: Exercise, preferably together. Rambunctious rolling in the hay can burn off as much as 700 calories while less vigorous love making burns at least 200 calories. It’s surely the best way to control or lose weight? It’s definitely the best way to burn calories.

Ladies, your passion can protect his heart. Shag your guy’s ticker into shape. Sex lowers blood pressure, boosting cardio health, and reduces his risk of heart attack. Lovemaking improves strength, flexibility, and muscle tone. It might even might even protect against strokes.

Organic Orgasm = 10 All Natural “Medicine Cabinet Cures”

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Get busy getting frisky since the big O is the all-natural medicine cabinet. If you have a headache, then bonk your way to temporary headache relief. Forget Tylenol, having a headache is an excuse to have sex right away to cure you. It’s practically the cure for the common cold. Having sex stimulates those wonderful pleasure endorphins as well as antibodies to protect you from getting the flu or a cold. Once-a-week sex produces 30% higher levels of immunoglobulin A, boosting the immune system and fighting off disease.

Sex can relieve a stuffy nose; it’s is a natural antihistamine. It can even help combat hay fever and asthma. After frolicking under the sheets, your hormone prolactin surges and fires new neurons in the brain’s olfactory bulb. This means after doing the horizontal hustle, you have a heightened sense of smell. In fact, after sex all your sensitivities are heightened, including activating your taste buds.

Sex can also help protect those pearly whites, so you have better teeth. And it doesn’t get much more all-natural in ingredients than the minerals in semen, such as zinc and calcium, that have been proven to slow tooth decay. Selenium, an ingredient found in semen, might also serve in protection against cancer.

12 More Reasons Sex Is Good For Her & Protects Her Health

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Getting down and dirty with her could help her reproductive health. The more sex she has, the more hormones she will produce that are responsible for increased sexual desire. That’s right, the more sex she has, the more sex she will want to have. More lovemaking can increase her levels of estrogen, which protects against osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s. Sex can also help prevent endometriosis in women. Ladies who have sex at least once a week have more regular menstrual cycles than those who frolic under the sheets less frequently. All this sex helps promote fertility in women by regulating menstrual patterns. Post romp, a female gets a jolt of natural oxytocin which in turn releases endorphins. This natural painkiller can help alleviate arthritis pain or lessen cramps. Plus all the practice is perfect if you want to hear the pitter-patter of little carbon footprints. After you’ve made a baby, horizontal dancing can trigger the onset of labor when she’s at term. Semen in her system may help with a speedy delivery. Yes, sex can maybe even help her to tolerate a natural, drug-free birth.

Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk

(image credits:amolife,deviantart,frenchlettercondoms)

Yeppers, sex is also the answer for a happier and healthier prostate. Men in their 20s can cut their chance of getting prostate cancer by 1/3 by ejaculating more than five times a week. But older men also benefit from frequent sex, as 21 or more orgasms a month are linked to a much lower prostate cancer risk. The more he climaxes, the less likely he is to develop prostate cancer.

Cuts Risk Of Breast Cancer & Gives Better Bladder Control

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Sex can help reduce the risk of breast cancer for women who have never given birth. A study showed that if a female increases the frequency of sex, she decreases the risks of breast cancer.

Sex strengthens the pelvic floor muscles that control the flow of urine. Kegel exercises occur naturally during sex, giving women better bladder control.

Sex Boosts Confidence & Improves Intimacy

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Lovemaking of course builds and continues to improve intimacy. It also increases desire. If one or the other partner does not have much sexual desire, you can see from the reasons above that the more sex you have, the more sex you will want to have. Women often want more intimacy and is it within her reach. According to Family therapist Michael Gurian, author of What Could He Be Thinking?, a man’s oxytocin level matches a woman’s after his happy ending. Then you’ll both be more inclined to desire cuddle time. For some people, the more they feel loved, the more their self-esteem will inflate. Both parties, however, get a boost to their spirit. When things are great in bed, your confidence will increase. Sex therapist Sandor Gardos says, “When things go well in bed, you feel more confident and powerful in other parts of your life.” This weaves its way into our lovemaking, making us more daring and uninhibited in our sexual endeavors. That, in turn, makes the mighty O even better and makes us want more sex.

Healing Wounds & Hearts

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Healing can be thought of in many ways. Sometimes a relationship needs to heal. Other times, a person needs to heal. It can be a wound or one suffering from something like diabetes. There have been studies in which evidence suggests that sex heals. Lovemaking can help rejuvenate to the point of cells regenerating and wounds healing faster. Set the stage right for the romp and anything is possible. Oxytocin from the big O, it does a body good.

Longevity: Live Long & Hump Often

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Sex could be the Fountain of Youth. To extend your life and increase vitality, have lots of sex. Most especially this is true for men as the more often he has the big O, the more his risk of death lowers. Guys who climax two times a week have a 50% lower chance of mortality than those who orgasm one time a month. Men who engage in sex regularly cut their chances in half of suffering a stroke. To live a long life, happily hump often.

Sex Fights Aging & Improves Flexibility & Lifts Mood

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All our love hormones after sex help us to bond and to build trust, but also help to fight aging. Use it or lose it. Since sex helps us rejuvenate, the more you orgasm the better it is for you. You live longer, are more flexible, and continue to exercise while making love. So keep giving each other a booty biscuit, improving intimacy, continuing the cycle that increases sexual desire. You’ll be much happier and more inclined to have fun together when you know you’re burning hot for each other to be alone again.  Is it any wonder why sex is a mood lifter and the natural cure to mood improvement?

Eco-Sex Toys To Improve Sex Life & Your Imagination

(image credits:thedailygreen,libida,simply4lovers,goodcleanlove,eartherotics,lovemenaturally,smittenkitten)

Ecosexuals needs toys too. Get eco-sex toys and improve your imagination at the same time. There are lots of “green” lingerie like bamboo jersey shorts and sleeping mask. Sola makes a small bullet-shaped vibrator powered by the sun. Kissable Body Paints come in 8 flavors and are made from organically grown fruit. Soy candles are always a good choice. Yet there are other candles that melt into massage oils and are created from natural ingredients like vitamin E, avocado, and almond. How about a handcrafted spanker made from recycled car and truck tire parts? Or get wet and wild by lubing up with organic formulas, fortified with libido-boosting Chinese herbs like horny goat weed. There’s even Bo, the world’s first rechargeable erection ring. Keep stirring those creative juices. Sex will help improve the imagination and ecosex toys will help keep your sex life from becoming boring. Do you need more healthy reasons to see life through rosier-colored glasses and get your organic orgasm on?

Sex Boosts Energy & Helps You Sleep Better

(image credits:amolife,elferide,webpark,weheartit)

Your passionate adventures can be both reckless and wise. The world is starved for romance. Courtesy and chivalry pay off in the bedroom. Let go; you won’t be sorry. For women, the testosterone absorbed from semen can boost her energy. For men, the more sex he has, the more testosterone he produces which is the driving factor responsible for his sexual desire. Both parties get an energy boost from sex.  However, sex also helps you sleep better. The oxytocin released during big O also promotes sleep. Insomniacs, regular romps are the all-natural and most assuredly the best way to help you catch that needed shuteye.

Oh yes, sex is so good for you. It’s a cure-all; not that you needed a reason to have sex in the first place. But for all the 55 mind-blowing healthy benefits you’ve read here, you better get down to business with the horizontal hustle, do the nasty, go green between the sheets, get your ecosex on, frolic and romp. Forget language barriers or silly slang. Love is the universal language. Nothing gets lost in translation when making love.

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When we think about the matra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, the “reuse” part is often overlooked. But an enterprising family in Argentina has reused a huge number of plastic bottles, Tetra Packs and CD cases to make a unique and educational house. Alfredo Santa Cruz and his family built the house (and accompanying play house) themselves using items that would normally end up in the waste stream. Their admirable goal: to remind others that small contributions from everyone can help achieve the common goal of caring for the Earth.

This project started out not as an artistic vision, but as a desire to share a passion for environmental stewardship. The Santa Cruz family believes that each individual should be held responsible for their own impact on the planet, and do whatever they can to reduce that impact. To do their part, the family decided to use waste from their own household and from their friends and neighbors to construct a very visual reminder of how many useful things we simply discard.

The house is located in Puerto Iguazu, near the Iguazu Falls. It’s composed of 1200 PET plastic bottles (walls), 1300 milk and wine Tetra Pack boxes (roof), 140 CD cases (doors and windows), and an additional 320 PET plastic bottles in the furniture. Other recycled materials were used to make the decorations and accessories around the house and playhouse.

(images via: Treehugger)

The family developed their own method for joining the bottles, which they now happily teach to anyone who wishes to learn. They ask for no payment in return, only that hosts help them pay for travel and lodging. The Ecological Bottle House has become a tourist attraction for the Iguazu Falls area, and the family supports the project through donations and selling their artisan items to visitors.

Aside from being a charming and whimsical place to visit, the Ecological Bottle House proves that one doesn’t have to be an architect or have a huge budget to make an impact on the waste stream. This family used nothing more than trash, hard work and their dedication to the environment to complete a project that is inspiring and influencing people from all over South America and the world. For more information on La Casa De Botellas – and information on visiting the structure – take a look at the project’s website.

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Whether you’re a full-time eco-devotee or only light green, doing more things for yourself can be a great way to reduce your environmental impact. Repairing clothes instead of buying new ones, growing your own food instead of buying it from the supermarket, or even (if you have the know-how) creating or modifying your own super-efficient transportation are all possibilities. From our friends at Treehugger and Planet Green, here are some tips to get you started on the DIY path.

Reuse

Use what you already have instead of buying something new: that’s an integral part of living green. Planet Green has tons of helpful articles to help you reuse all kinds of things you’ve probably already got sitting around your house.

5 Reuses for Milk Cartons

5 Amazing Reuses for Dryer Lint

5 Reuses for Business Cards

5 Reuses for Tissue Boxes

5 Reuses for Leftover Soap Bits

5 Reuses for CDs

5 Reuses for Coffee Mugs

6 Reuses for Video Game Controllers

7 Reuses for Rubber Bands

15 Reuses for Envelopes

And they even have a handy use for all of those disposable chopsticks you have languishing in a drawer.

Recharge

Energy consumption is a somewhat controllable part of your ecological footprint. Almost all of us can reduce the amount of electricity we use or bike to work instead of driving a car, and some of us can go a step further by switching partially or completely to alternative energy. Learn all about making your own electric motorcycle, or get inspired from this solar-powered scooter or this 95 MPG modified Civic. A little closer to home, you can reduce your energy intake by making your own super-cheap solar panels or solar heater, build a wind turbine, or use old trash you have lying around to create an on-the-cheap recycled solar collector or solar heater.

Refurbish

If you have old sweaters, t-shirts or other clothes that are just taking up room in your closet, making them over is a great way to get more life out of them and avoid the cost of replacing half of your wardrobe. You don’t need to be a sewing expert to perform surgery on your t-shirts or create a cool mash-up sweater; you just need a few supplies and some creativity.

Regrow

Food you grow yourself not only tastes better; it’s better for the Earth. You can grow organic, pesticide-free produce right in your own backyard – or, if you’re yard-challenged, learn how to get started on home aquaponics or hydroponics, and in no time you’ll be growing your own delicious fruits, veggies and herbs.

Rethink

Before you throw something away, look closely at it. Could it be transformed into something completely new? Even things that you were pretty sure were just garbage (or, hopefully, recyclable) can be made into surprising new items. These articles will clue you in on how to fuse plastic bags into fabric, make a tote bag or quilt squares from that plastic bag fabric, or crochet plastic bag yarn into a cool tote bag.

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If your new year’s resolution had something to do with reducing your ecological footprint, cutting down on energy costs, or just making your home a more comfortable place to live, you’re in luck. Here are 16 resources for making your home a cleaner, greener place to live.

What’s an Eco-Footprint?

Your ecological footprint basically refers to how much of the planet’s resources you use. That includes the impact caused by driving your car, heating your home, eating your meals, buying your belongings, and everything else you do. The first step to reducing your ecological footprint is figuring out just what it is. Treehugger’s Green Basics article on Defining, Calculating and Reducing Your Environmental Footprint is a good place to start.

Go Green and Save Money

One of the benefits of going greener around the home is that you’ll often significantly cut down on utility costs. From heating and cooling tips to reducing electricity and water costs, these 10 Cost-Saving Green Tips For the Home will please both the environmentally-conscious and the wallet-conscious. Of course, one of the simplest and most readily available solutions for adding a bit of green to your house is the venerable CFL bulb. Find out everything you need to know here with Treehugger’s guide to CFL bulbs.

Reduce Heating and Cooling Costs

Heating and cooling a home is expensive – and unless you’re lucky enough to live in a very temperate location, you’ll have to do at least one of those at some point in the year. Aside from insulating your home (which is in itself a fantastic way to minimize heating costs), here are projects to make every room in your home more energy-efficient. Whether you decide to DIY or BUY, your energy bills will be a lot less painful. And, although summer is only a distant dream for the northern hemisphere at the moment, here are 10 low-tech ways to cut down on cooling costs in the warmer months. But for the simplest of the simple tips, just replacing your HVAC filters can save you money on heating and cooling your home.

Monitor Your Energy Usage

There are a ton of dandy little gadgets that will tell you just how much energy your home is consuming. The Home Joule does that, plus it tells you when your energy bill will spike based on weather and time-of-day costs. Keeping an eye on the device’s face helps you determine when you should try to cut back on discretionary energy consumption: green means electricity costs are low, yellow means mid-range, and red means they’re high.

Put Your Garbage to Good Use

Besides recycling, which pretty much everyone agrees we should all be doing, there’s another way to make the most of your waste: composting. According to the EPA, yard trimmings and organic household waste make up 26% of America’s solid waste. Learn how to compost your household organic waste and you’ll not only be keeping a significant amount of waste out of the system; you’ll also be giving yourself a great foundation for growing your own food. A garden provides natural exercise and cuts down on your grocery bills; what more could you ask for? Take it a step further and add worms, and there you have vermicomposting and some incredibly rich gardening material.

Build Some Green In

When you’re remodeling or building a new home, it’s the perfect chance to build some green features right into the house. Most of us won’t be able to afford GE’s new “green gizmo” home, but when you’re remodeling or just improving your home, you can almost certainly fit in some green materials.

Produce Your Own Power

There are no two ways about it: coal-powered power plants are dirty and harmful. But taking a home entirely off-grid simply isn’t an option for most of us. If you want to start powering your home with greener electricity, here are five great ways to get started. For the DIY crowd, here’s how to build cheap solar panels with damaged solar cells found on eBay. Or, if you’d prefer not to hunt around for deals, here’s an inexpensive DIY solar kit: for $600 you could power some, but not all, of the appliances in your home. These solar curtains may not be commercially available yet, but they give us hope for what could be a fashionable energy-producing alternative in the future. And finally, if solar just doesn’t cut it for you, you could always spring for the hallmark of the modern alt-energy home: the wind turbine.

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Is the winter getting to you? The cold, dark, short days have a way of making us yearn for a change of scenery. For many destinations winter is the off-season, meaning you can get a better deal if you go now. Even if you’re not ready to go today, these links from our friends at Treehugger and Planet Green will help you get away in solid eco style on your next vacation.

Eco-Travel Tips

Confused about how to make traveling more green? Here are a few tips to make your travel plans a bit more eco-friendly, and here are a few more to help you find green accommodations no matter where you’re headed. If you still don’t know where, exactly, you’d like to spend your getaway, Planet Green’s Green City Guides can help you out with info on green accommodations and activities in cities around the world.

Meaningful Travels

Many of us wish that we could make our travels not only more sustainable, but more meaningful as well. It’s fun to walk around in a fresh new city and take in the sights, but does it really change the world for the better? This short article about Reality Tours could very well help start you down the path to more meaningful, beneficial traveling.

Top Ten Green Getaways of 2009

Every year since 2003, National Geographic has ranked and published their top picks for naturally beautiful tourist destinations. Treehugger has a slideshow of the top 10 for 2009, along with descriptions of each destination.

Stunning Waterfront Camping

Most of us don’t exactly have camping on our minds this time of year, but planning ahead is always a good thing. Treehugger compiled 10 of the best waterfront camping destinations in the US, from Alaska to North Carolina and lots of places in between. If you’re looking for a non-US camping experience, check out these 10 most beautiful waterfront campgrounds around the world.

Hiking in US National Parks

The great outdoors is what green traveling is all about. Fresh air, new places to explore, and a chance to enjoy your favorite activities in a new way. Visit one or more of these 10 national parks to enjoy some of the country’s best hiking in some of the country’s most beautiful locations.

Weird Eco-Resorts

If your tastes run toward the quirky and unexpected, you’ll love this guide to seven of the world’s oddest environmentally-friendly resorts and hotels. From mushroom-shaped huts to a literal hole in the ground, these accommodations are definitely off the beaten eco-path.

Luxury Eco-Resorts

If you, on the other hand, enjoy the finer things in life, don’t worry – you don’t have to spend your vacation sleeping in a tree to make your travels more eco-friendly. These 7 luxurious oceanfront resorts will give you the experience of a lifetime. Plus, learn which questions to ask to determine if a resort you’re looking at is eco-friendly.

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(image via: wockerjabby)

If you’ve waited a bit too long to take care of the people on your holiday gift list, worry not. Our friends at Treehugger and Planet Green have put together a wealth of information for eco-friendly gifts you can find in stores or make yourself. No matter who you’re shopping or making for, you’ll find the perfect something here.

The Ultimate 2009 Gift Guide

(image via: greenlagirl)

Treehugger’s annual holiday gift guide is always chock full of the most impressive green gifts, and this year is no exception. The 2009 Gift Guide has recommendations for kids, animal lovers, cooks, geeks, and everyone else in your life. Bonus green points if you wrap them in recycled paper, like the one above that’s wrapped in an old bus map.

DIY Gift Guides

(image via: ex.libris)

If you’d prefer to make your own holiday gifts, or if your budget doesn’t allow a lot of wiggle room, Planet Green has an amazing series on DIY gifts that are easy on the environment. Pore through their guides for Music Lovers/Musicians, Gardeners, Pets, Artists, Bartenders (or drinkers), Kids, and more. The entire series of green DIY Holiday Workshops can be found here.

Charities

(image via: Tattooed JJ)

If you’re tired of the rampant consumerism that threatens to take over the holiday season, do something different this year and donate to a charity in your loved one’s name instead of buying yet another knick-knack that will just collect dust. These seven charities let you give a gift that you can feel truly good about.

DIY Ornaments/Decorations

(image via: Artful Danni)

Holiday ornaments and decorations are gifts that keep giving year after year. Every year your loved ones will pull out the handmade ornaments you gave them and think of you. What better way to show your eternal love? These three projects show you how to turn discarded outdoor lights, kids’ toys, and even walnut shells into pretty decorations. You can recycle two wool sweaters into a gorgeous felted holiday stocking with these instructions. For all those catalogs and ads you’re likely to have lying around this time of year, here’s a great project that will show you how to make lovely paper ornaments. Whether you have kids or not, these DIY dough decorations are super-fun to make. Can’t get enough of the DIY ornament craziness? Head over to DIY Life and About.com for even more ornaments you can make yourself.

Living Gifts

(image via: Ava Babili)

Poinsettias are the fall-back gift for a lot of people, but a shocking number of them are thrown away right after the holidays. Here are six plants that are just as festive and beautiful, but that will last much longer.

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Forward thinkers were some of the first environmentalists. Nowadays, most of us recycle. As always, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Some people are just more creative than others, while some folks are a bit bizarre. Before tossing out your trash, take a look at these 18 creative and clever Christmas trees made with recycled materials.

Christmas Trees Made of Recycled Bottles in Portugal

(image credits:all2 pics)

It’s a reoccurring theme to see trees made from recycled plastic bottles. In Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, these Christmas trees were created with discarded trash. The lights were strung as well as tinsel made from the bottle caps. Then these trees were proudly on display within the city.

Mt. Dew Tree

(image credits:Mt. Dew Tree)

Curious what else you can do with approximately 400 Mountain Dew cans? Well the creator of this tree saved three months of soda drinking cans and spent four days constructing this Christmas tree. He used PVC pipe for the trunk, construction markers for the branches and drilled the pipe to fit the construction flags. The end result is quite striking.

Plastic Fork Tree

(image credits:sparklette)

This tree was made from plastic forks. Even the star on top is made from pointy plastic utensils. Keep this in mind before you throw out those disposable forks and spoons. Finally, there may be something worthwhile to do with your sporks.

Postcard, Magazine, Book and Shredded Paper Trees

(image credits: sparklette, MetalRiot)

These Christmas trees have been created from postcards, magazines, books and even shredded paper. The top gift tree was created by cutting and folding postcards into gift boxes and then layered to form a tree. Too many magazines on your hands? The middle tree was constructed from hundreds of magazine face cutouts, folded and then arranged in a tree shape. If you like white Christmas trees, make use of your shredded papers. Another way to use magazines and books when you are done is to fold them into Christmas tree shapes like on the bottom right.

Aluminum Can Christmas Tree

(image credits:sparklette)

The aluminum can has long been a recycled item. If you like shiny trees, however, consider chopping up those cans. This Christmas tree was constructed from sliced tops and bottoms of many cans.

Glass Bottle Trees

(image credits:interbent)

Perhaps you are not a big fan of plastic or aluminum. Perhaps you like your beer from a bottle? These creative Christmas trees were made with glass beer bottles. In fact, wine or hard liquor bottles could be used. It had better be one giant party or else the makers of these cool trees would suffer from many wicked hangovers.

Recycled Circuit Board Christmas Tree

(image credits:sparklette)

If you have a computer graveyard or perhaps only spare circuit boards, you could try your hand at making a technotree. This Christmas tree was created with white ropes, dead computer parts, tinsel and ornaments. Why stop there though? Motherboards and other circuitry can be repurposed into geeky wonderful ornaments.

Environmentally Friendly Sydney

(image credits:thefourthcraw)

In Sydney, Australia, this truly “green” tree was constructed from green plastic bottles. The blue effect was made by leaving the lids on some of the bottles. This Christmas tree is both environmentally friendly and clever. In fact, it looks pretty cool.

5 Gallon Water Bottles

(image credit:bloggang)

Who says sustainable awareness cannot also be attractive? This massive Christmas tree was constructed with five gallon water bottles and PVC pipe.

Bizarre Recycled Christmas Trees

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Some trees made from recycled materials are stuck somewhere between a stroke of creative brilliance and straight up bizarre.  On the left, the tree is made from a collection of various farm, railroad, and engine equipment such as two chainsaws, two lawnmowers, huge hooks and chains. In the middle, the Christmas tree was created with used or otherwise unneeded pacifiers. Lastly, the Christmas tree on the right is made from 1,500 ping-pong balls.

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If you were asked to name a truly wonderful British film, chances are it was filmed at Pinewood Studios. Its great reputation has resonated worldwide, the scene for a thousand iconic images. Pinewood Studios recently had an inspiring exhibition, Water on Lens. It featured underwater photographs from movies such as The Da Vinci Code, Casino Royale, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, as well as television features and music videos. Here are 23 images taken from those underwater shoots as well as a few extra underwater stage filming photos.

Pinewood Studios

(image credits:Mirror,livejournal,Mirror,Pinewood Group)

Filming in water can be a complex and costly exercise, but Pinewood Studios does not excessively waste precious water. Instead they keep their underwater stage permanently filled. The water tank is sized 20m x 10m x 6m deep, holding 1.2 million litres of water. This a globally unique water-filming facility captured images for Water on Lens  to share with us like The Golden Age at top left. Beneath that photo is actor Alan Davies in a scene shot underwater for the TV series Jonathan Creek. Both the top right and the bottom pictures were captured as actors and actresses performed underwater with a complete filming crew.

From Motorcycle Stunts to Commercials

(image credits:BBC)

James Blunt plunged into the water to promote his performance on the British Awards show in 2005, the same year Pinewood Studios started…after after 5 years of being in concept and design. He is in the top two photos. Many advertisements have been filmed at the worldwide prestigious studios, including a commercial for The Quays Shopping Centre in Northern Ireland, shown on the bottom left. In the bottom right image, EastEnders filmed a dramatic car accident involving Peter Beale.

The Studio

(image credits:Mirror)

For a deeper insight into the craft that goes on to film underwater, here are more images to impress you with the work done at Pinewood. The top left photo is from Houdini while the top right picture was taken during filming of Mr. Nobody. Also included above are filming shots from an Oil of Olay commercial, Jaws, and Atonement.

From Sports to Fashion

(image credits: image credit:BBC)

Rugby is a beloved sport to many fans worldwide. The top image was taken in an advertisement for rugby. Underwater action sequences give the impression of weightlessness when bubbles are removed in post production. In the bottom photo, Hollywood actress Kiera Knightley submerged in water while dressed in haute couture dresses and jewelery as part of a charity shoot for Fresh 2o.

Baby to Blue Screen

(image credits:shortlist,Pinewood Group)

Water facilities available at Pinewood Studios include numerous stages with tanks incorporated into the floors, an exterior tank with a blue screen backing measuring 240 x 60 feet, and an underwater filming facility. Amazing results can be achieved for films, TV and commercials from underwater blue screens that are permanently on site to “wet for dry” appearance. The photo with the baby, upside down and submerged underwater, is a stunner. Also pictured above is the famous blue screen which can make any image at all seem to be the background. It takes a large group of people to successfully shoot and film a car falling into the water and sinking.

Imagine

(image credit:short list)

The capsule collection from Water on Lens provided a rare and behind-the-scenes view into one of the world’s most prestigious film and television studios and its underwater stage. Commercial diver and underwater photographer Phoebe Rudomino captured all the iconic moments on camera for Water on Lens, including the graceful and intriguing shot above. She stated, “U Stage provides such a secure and comfortable water filming environment that we’re able to produce almost any type of underwater production shoot. From working with horses and fire to the world’s top actors and models, the scenes are truly fascinating to capture.”

Boxing

(image credit:shortlist)

In this underwater boxing match, synchronised swimmers Emily Kuhl and Asha Randall of Aquabatix showed off their competitive streaks. What you don’t see in the shot is the massive crew for lighting and filming and even for holding the oxygen tanks.

Bond & Golden Age

(image credit:short list)

The photo on the left was a famous filming moment when the elevator plunged into the water during Jame Bond: Casino Royale. The frantic horse trying to swim in the choppy water was captured in this photograph during the filming of Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

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(Images via: Animal Pictures Archive, It’s Nature, Photo Bucket, It’s Nature, PBS)

With the endless run of horror movies, spook houses, candy, pumpkin seeds and other perks, Halloween is about as good as it gets in terms of a holiday that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Now just don’t think that Halloween is for little kids and “adults” like me who may still be considered children. The deep sea has its fair share of scary creatures who were made for this day and are sure to send a chill down the spine. In celebration of the 31 days of October, here are 31 deep sea monsters — some quite large and intimidating, others much smaller but equally or even more dangerous — that could have starred in the B-rate horror flicks getting major play today. For all you ghosts and goblins and trick or treaters out there, enjoy learning about these freaky creatures while having a safe Halloween.

Don’t  Swim in the Deep Sea

(Images via: Deep Sea Anglerfish, China Sea, Star Bulletin, Nette Key If)

Let’s begin our journey of the sea monsters that inhabit the mysterious, cold waters of the oceans, beginning with the deep sea anglerfish in the upper left-hand corner and eventually swimming our way to the fangtooth in the lower left-hand corner. Looking as if it was just shot out of the fiery gates of hell, the small but vicious deep sea anglerfish is also known as the common black devil, which makes sense considering that it deceptively uses the appendage at the top of its head to emit a blue/green light for luring prey into its big mouth. Another ferocious predator despite its diminutive size, the deep sea dragonfish is known for its large, hinged teeth while the longer and slender, female black dragonfish also produces its own light in addition to possessing fang-like teeth that would make Dracula jealous. Speaking of dangerous teeth, the appropriately-named fangtooth features the largest teeth of any fish in the ocean in proportion to its size, and is also known as the “ogrefish” or common sabrefish. No word if this fangtooth wants to suck your blood, but for other fish in the ocean, look out when crossing this bully.

Danger, Danger: Beware of the Bright Shining Lights

(Images via: Wolaver, Sreeh, It’s Nature)

Just as heeding the call of the Sirens was a bad idea in Greek mythology, the same goes for being drawn to the bright lights in the deep sea. Many other scary fish are capable of producing their own light (a process known as bioluminescence) to either distract predators or tempt prey. With the pale apparition of a ghost, the one-to-six inch hatchetfish not only produces light to hide from predators but resembles the blade of…you guessed it…a hatchet, the preferred weapon of Lizzy Borden. As for the Lanternfish, they emit light to attract smaller fish to feed on, and judging by their bright, blue eyes, they may also have telekinetic powers. Last but not least, the small predator fish known as lizardfish may not be the brightest bulb in this bunch, but they certainly make up for it with mouths and even tongues that are comprised of sharp needles rather than teeth. Like a zombie reaching its hand through the ground, the lizardfish sit on the bottom of ocean floor and wait for prey to swim by before ambushing them with their powerful jaws.

The Deadly Bite of the Viperfish

(Images via: Ibiblio, Sumedh, Neat-O-Rama)

What do you get when you combine the fang-like teeth of a vampire with the breakneck speed of a werewolf? The viperfish, of course. Viperfish fangs are so large that they don’t fit in the fish’s mouth but rather curve back to the eyes. Lucky for the viperfish, it avoids poking its eyes out; however, for smaller prey, they are not so lucky. Swimming at its victims at high speeds, the viperfish is believed to impale its competition before feeding on them. So not only does the viperfish act like 80s slasher star Jason Voorhees but it looks like the Camp Crystal Lake favorite without the hockey mask, as evident by the picture in the upper right-hand corner.

Some Deep Sea Monsters Are Just So Disgusting

(Images via: Lazy Lizard Tales, Kusawake, Island Environment Blog, Cute and Weird)

Remember the cute but oh so messy Slimer from Ghostbusters? The Atlantic hagfish is the “Slimer” of deep sea monsters. Looking like an eel but not an eel, the hagfish sneezes slime that contains strong fibers and is thus difficult to remove. Furthermore, the hagfish can emit enough slime to fill a milk jug. At least the hagfish isn’t the bizarre and depressed blobfish, with its large nose, two eyes and sad expression that can make residing in the saltwater coasts of Tasmania and Australia a real downer. Once thought to be extinct, the prehistoric coelacanth is actually still alive, although it is worthless to eat since its tissues spew oil and a nasty odor following death. Speaking of foul smells, the giant grenadier fish is not only known for its giant mouth but a smelly chemical compound that would make Peanuts’ Pigpen embarrassed. And to cap it off, these slow-as-molasses grenadiers love to feed on smelly carcasses. Makes sense, you think?

Night of the Living Dead Fish

(Images via: Vanaqua, Dave Harasti, Flickr, Mex Fish)

Appropriately-named given the theme of this Halloween-related post, the bottom dwelling coffin fish features fins that act like legs and allow it to crawl and walk on the bottom of the sea floor. In a similar light, the rare Australian fish known as the spotted handfish features pectoral fins that act like hands for deep sea walking. As long as these day and night walkers don’t start talking and clamoring for “Brains” like zombies, things should be all good. Speaking of brains, the eyes of stargazers are located near their brains, on top of their heads to be more precise. This may be hard to tell with the above stargazing monster buried in the sand, but is more apparent with the land-based example of this fish. In addition to the weirdly-positioned eyes, stargazers are venomous, with two large poison spines behind the opercle (the upper bone that helps form the gill) and above their pectoral fins. Even more shocking, stargazers can cause electrical shocks, making it very irresponsible for other fish to have their attention diverted to the heavens when a stargazer is around.

Certainly Not James Woods’ Short-Lived TV Series “Shark”

(Images via: Fun Is 2 Cool, UFL, Bog Leech, Supiri)

A list of deep sea monsters would be lacking without the “Jaws” of the sea. While we all know about great white and hammerhead sharks, don’t sleep on the megamouth shark and sixgill shark. Not discovered until 1976, the rare megamouth shark is a mystery, with its large mouth and small teeth, rounded snout that makes it look like an orca whale, and luminous photophores around the mouth. Like the megamouth shark, the sixgill shark can reach up to 18 feet in length, but is distinctive in that it has six rather than five gills and only one dorsal fin (located closer to its tail). A close relative to sharks, chimaeras are kind of what you think sharks would look like in hell. Judging by the bottom images of the fiery red chimaera and the long-nosed chimaera, it’s not wonder these deep sea creatures are also referred to as ratfishes and ghost sharks.

Getting Overwhelmed by Other Sea Giants

(Images via: Fish Govt., Shnock, Pixdaus, One Inch Punch)

When you can reach up to 60 feet in size like the colossal or giant squid, you don’t need any extra advantages. Yet the world’s largest invertebrates grip prey with sucker rings on the ends of their limbs, which also feature sharp hooks for good measure. The only known enemy of the giant squid is the mammoth sperm whale, with males reaching 60 feet and weighing 40-50 tons. It is believed that sperm whales are able to feed on colossal squid because of a dark, waxy substance similar to cholesterol (called ambergis) that is produced in their lower intestines and protects them from squid stings. Now just how tough and intimidating are sperm whales? They’ve been documented attacking and feeding off the mammoth and elusive megamouth shark.

Scaring (and Gripping) the Life Out of Me

(Images via: MLML, What’s the Crack,Flickr, Aqua Views)

If there’s one thing that holds true with deep sea monsters, it’s that size does not always the matter. Only three inches long, the firefly squid is able to flash blue lights on and off, attracting smaller fish and then attacking them with their strong tentacles. Similarly, Dana octopus squid feature glowing arms that lure, stun and blind prey. Once mistaken by researchers to be an octopus, the six-inch vampire squid is equipped with eight arms that can be used like a webbed cape and thrown over its body for protection. Within this webbing are two jaws that are strong enough to crack the shells of crustaceans. Only the size of a golf ball, the blue-ringed octopus is extremely poisonous and capable of killing a human in minutes. Unfortunately, this octopus does not make its blue rings apparent until its ready to attack, putting unknowing humans and prey in danger, especially when considering that there is no known antidote to this poison.

A Creepy Feel for These Eels

(Images via: Flickr, Alloom, Flickr Weird Sea Monsters)

Talk about a deep sea monster that looks like a scientific experiment gone madly wrong, the gulper eel will make you gulp with its abnormally large mouth that is much larger than its body. With 750 vertebrae in its spine, the snipe eel has more vertebrae than any other animal on Earth in its five-foot long body, which is 75 times more long than wide. Adding to the creepiness of the snipe eel, its anus is located on its throat. Rarely seen, the oarfish looks like a mythological sea serpent even though it isn’t one (despite what its 36 foot length may tell you otherwise).

Rounding Out Our Deep Sea Monsters

(Images via: It’s Nature, Flickr, Flickr, Reef Suckers)

How the tables have turned. Small sunfish are often caught in our lakes, but in the ocean, specific types of sunfish called molas can reach up to 600 pounds. As rare as catching these fish are, equally weird is the fact that molas look like they’ve been chopped in half. Despite dwelling at the bottom of the sea, wing-like sea robins look like birds in flight as they swim, specifically because of large pectoral fins that open and close akin to a flying motion. While in the same family of shrimps and crabs, the relatively large giant isopod ranges from 12 to 16 inches in length and is a bit unsettling to look at even for a scavenger, particularly due to its deep sea gigantism and resemblance to an “Alien vs. Predator” creature. Also inhabiting the ocean floor, sea cucumbers are in the same classification of starfish and sea urchins. Now if  you get a sea cucumber when trick or treating, give it back as they are equivalent to eating a very bad fruit. For more information on deep sea monsters, visit the highly informational and interactive Web site, SeaSky.

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