Michal and Avi Lenchner know how to rescue the planet and make the holidays green.
“We try to address the shopping, not the holidays,” says Michal Lenchner of Palo Alto, who with her husband launched Avi Green Now, an educational organization that provides free eco-presentations about green living in homes, businesses and the community. “Many of us realize that all this buying at holiday time does not bring us happiness.”
What can make us happier at holiday time, she says, is being environmentally responsible about gift giving. So the couple offers a practical guide that people can implement gradually.
The Lenchners have delivered their presentation, “Holiday Gifts Go Green,” at several places around the Bay Area, including the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto.
One greener holiday option, they note, is an alternative to traditional gift-wrapping. “People have plenty of old maps, maps from National Geographic magazines, that can be used to wrap gifts,” Michal says. “I also use a sewing machine and collect scraps of fabric, which I stitch together to make wine bottle bags.”
Lenchner also recommends that people use eco-friendly dinnerware for the holidays. Instead of disposable utensils and plates, which are bad for the environment, she advises using regular dinnerware or compostable alternatives, such as corn-based cutlery from companies such as World Centric, a sustainable firm in Palo Alto.
Avi Green Now also recommends having people share their talents in lieu of buying more stuff.
“For example, you can make something or professionals can donate their services,” Michal says. “It is valuable to donate talents and time. Even kids can participate. They can give their parents coupons for massages or car washes, something the kids can offer.”
Michal and Avi’s two teenage children helped motivate them to start Avi Green Now, which is a nonprofit offshoot of the Lechners’ Palo Alto–based business, Avi Decorative Painting.
“Our family has a passion and a strong commitment to the environment,” says Michal, who has been an environmental activist in the Bay Area for more than 20 years. “We found that not much functional information is available and that people are hungry for useful information and want to learn about specifics, such as environmental hazards, toxins in our homes, and what can individuals or families can do to get greener.”
She adds, “We strive to educate and increase public awareness to living green. Through knowledge we empower everyone to make choices and gradually take green action.”
Another Holiday Gifts Go Green morsel of advice: legitimate re-gifting. “If I have no emotional or intellectual connection to certain books I’ve received and are in good condition, why not wrap them and give them to others?” Michal says.
She adds that books in general and potted plants are sustainable gift giving alternatives, as are supporting local, independent businesses, which generally pour money back into the local communities.
Community is vitally important to Avi Green Now. Most of the Lechners’ neighbors love that they have turned their front yard into a garden filled with colorful tomato and squash plants, Michal says. But a few people have reacted negatively.
“Some neighbors prefer the manicured lawns, which take up so much water,” she says. “But that’s not our style. I think we have beautified our corner of the street. We’re not fanatics about changing, but what’s wrong with saving money and improving our planet’s health at the same time?”
Avi Green Now will host a free “Holiday Gifts Go Green” event 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7 at Avenidas Palo Alto, 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto. Information: (650) 289-5400.