One fine new year’s eve many moons ago, a handful of friends descended upon The Deer Mountain Inn in upstate New York, to ring in the new year.  It was a beautiful snowy night, and given the mountainous terrain, this “evening out” was to be quite an adventure.  Evening attire was required, so we got all dolled up before leaving our cabin in the woods.  It being a best friends’ new year’s eve gathering, a mini pre-party celebration was also requisite.

After catching a little buzz, we headed for the Inn, which was already in full swing.  As we bellied up to the bar, an assortment of revelers made way — Eastern Europeans with heavy accents who greeted us strangers most warmly.  When the barkeep asked, “What’ll you have?”  For some strange reason, I was compelled to say, “What he’s having,” as I pointed to a friendly stranger on my right, who laughed, and said, “ah, The White Blur.”

Needless to say, this particular eve turned out to be a most festive occasion, full of crazy memories.  Here now, is the concoction for anyone looking for a white blur (not to be confused with a white-out, which should be experienced on skis and makes for a whole other story).

In a champagne flute:  pour equal parts organic vodka and peppermint schnappes; top with organic champagne.  Enjoy the buzzles (bubbles, buzz and fizz); drink til you drop, responsibly.  Cheers!  May your new year be more than a blur.

I guess it’s officially time to reflect on the past, and consider plans for the coming year or decade.

How are you doing?  For some reason, I awoke with thoughts of life being like operating a car.  Weird.  But here goes.  Can’t drive too slowly, it causes congestion.  Can’t drive too quickly, it’s reckless and could cause lots of hurt. Can’t idle, it’s very wasteful.  Coasting’s okay — feels great, and it’s easy on the environment.  Guess 2010 is the year of coasting.  I’ll have to meditate on that.

Was 2009 a good or bad year for green?  On balance I’d say it was a net positive: we got rid of G.W. Bush and his oilman cronies, saw the Obama administration throw some significant seed money at alternative energy R&D, and got the EPA back doing what it was created to do.  On the down side — the economy makes changing anything that costs money a tough sell; Congressional Republicans are stuck voting “Nay” on everything and won’t be changing that approach anytime soon; and big money still runs Washington.

What follows is a list of some observations on the year past, some green – some not, some funny – some not.

• The Copenhagen Climate Summit ended up looking like a typical Congressional vote on healthcare reform. The gap between the climate “haves” and the “have nots” isn’t going to get much smaller in the next year.
• Some purloined emails, a few warm days and Senator James “Junkscience” Inhofe and his global warming naybobs have new momentum in their fight against science and reality.
• Charlie Sheen and Tiger Woods continued their efforts to fight zero population growth, the sanctity of marriage and net worth of their corporate sponsors.
• I nominate Lady Gaga for my “Biggest Affront to Nature 2009″ award.  Her costumes are the most appalling waste of natural resources since the 1971 Yugo and her singing has driven at least 3 endangered species to extinction.
• 2009 saw the gray wolf taken off the endangered species list and gleefully hunted by folks in states like Idaho and Montana.  This ain’t over yet…
• The blundering performance of Congressional Democrats energized Fox News blowhards Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity in their shrill effort to promote fear of healthcare reform, climate change legislation and black Presidents.
• Also in entertainment…Stephen Colbert and John Stewart countered the Fox blather with intelligent humor and insightful truthiness…
• Finally, the one thing we learned in 2009 – change is one tough nut.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

If one of your new year’s resolutions is to lose weight, here’s a nifty eco gadget to help you monitor the situation.

Japanese precision electronic scale maker, Tanita, has made the common bathroom scale a little greener.  In addition to being solar-powered, Tanita’s new HS-302 Solar Digital Scale is made with ABS plastic using biodegradable resins.  The new material, Terramac, is purported to reduce carbon emissions in making the scale’s housing by 20% while making the scale more landfill friendly, (biodegradable).

The HS-302 retails for $59.99.

sources: tanita.com / designnews.com

Now here’s something I’m going to have to try…since even smart cats or kittens get themselves into trouble now and then.

If your New Year’s unexpectedly hits level 5 on the party scale, don’t be caught hung over.  Reach for Party Relief, a “natural rx” to alleviate headache, dehydration and nausea.

Trick is — spray it in your mouth, under your tongue, before you start drinking and every hour you continue to imbibe.  It’s a homeopathic remedy, gets into that bloodstream fast.  Now we can be the life of the party, and live to tell about it.  ($20) @ sprayology.com

Unlike many items made from upcycled or recycled materials, this clock made from old bike parts looks kind of cool – in an industrial, bike obsessed kind of way.  The swinging pendulum is made from a recycled bike cog and chain section.   The 12″ tall clock runs on one, AA battery.

Comes in green, blue or red – $85 ea. @ olivebarn.com

• Nasty business…Nat Geo Photos: Dolphin Drive Hunts Continue in Japan and Europe
• No…Charlie Sheen wasn’t driving by…Snake Saves Family From Fire – ananova
• Great Lakes States in a Fish Fight Over Asian Carp Invaders – cs monitor
• There goes the neighborhood…Famous San Francisco Sea Lions Leave in Droves – yahoo! news
• It’s cold outside…don’t go hanging your bare heinie out any car windows…Rare New Year’s Eve ‘Blue Moon’ to Ring in 2010 – myway
• Glacier Melt Adds Ancient Edibles to Marine Buffet – sciencedaily
• She’ll still probably get you a bad sweater…Robot Helps Grandma Shop – livescience

Seems I’ve been seeing a lot of Beatles docs on the tube lately – these coasters made from cut-down, recycled Beatles 45′s can help feed any lingering Fab Four obsession.  The records are embedded in a high gloss acrylic casting with cork backing.  The set, featuring the iconic Apple label, consists of Let it Be, Come Together, The Ballad of John and Yoko and Hello Goodbye.

The boxed set of 4 goes for $50 @ rockandrollcoasters etsy shop where you’ll find a bunch of other classic 45s reborn as coasters

Sometimes freezing temps bring out the bear in me.  I’d like to hibernate in a cozy, Adirondack style den and wait for the first signs of spring.

Designer Ron Seelig goes all rustic making custom Adirondack style furnishings without harming earth or animals in the process.  No trees are cut down, white birch bark comes from dead trees, and all twigs are hand tacked rather than hotgun glued.

Everything at Ronz is handmade and one of a kind.  Fetch a fabulous custom mirror for a mere two to three hundred bucks, an 8×10 frame for $85 or a planter for $45 @ Ronz.