Minimize the hassle (and your credit card bills) by planning a staycation instead. Stuck for ideas? Check out Earth911′s handy guide to planning the perfect Valentine’s Day staycation and start saving on cash (without skimping on the holiday fun).

Staycation Tip: Stave off cabin fever on your staycation by spending some time in the great outdoors. Enjoy a picnic in the park, bike an uncharted path or take a walk through a local pop-up park or community garden. Photo: Stock Photo

1. Plan ahead

The best way to plan a satisfying staycation is to duplicate your dream getaway at home. Sit down and think about your ideal Valentine’s Day plans and figure out a way to create alternatives on the cheap.

If you can’t quite afford a five-course meal at the Chateau Marmont, check out our recipe library and prepare a tasty dinner right in your own kitchen. If your Valentine’s Day fantasy involves a pricey spa, try one of our DIY pampering treatments to escape into at-home bliss.

Once you have your plans in line, clear your work schedule, find a sitter for the kids and take a moment to truly enjoy your home with your partner. Turn off the cell phones and don’t check your email for the duration of your at-home vacation to make you feel “away from it all.”

Still craving a real vacay? Cut back on transportation-related emissions (and vacation costs) by choosing a staycation at an inn, lodge or hotel in your area. Check out your region’s tourism website to find lodging near you and use our guide to make sure your pick is eco-friendly. Not sure where to start? A simple Web search with the word “tourism” and your town or region’s name should point you in the right direction.

2. Stay green

Like on any vacation, it may be tempting to let your green habits slip for a long weekend. But resist the urge and keep being green no matter where you go. Whether you stay at a local hotel or your own house, remember to help save water and energy and continue to recycle.

To up the green ante of your staycation, visit green businesses in your neighborhood, or grab a snack at an eco-friendly eatery. If you’re planning a picnic in the park, package your food in reusable containers instead of plastic bags and dine on portable reusable plates, like these from Preserve.

And you can never go wrong with getting outside for an hour or two. Enjoying the outdoors helps you remember why protecting the planet is so important; and you’ll save on energy, too! Instead of setting the thermostat to the perfect temperature and turning on the lights in every room, plan some fun outdoor activities to feel at one with Mother Nature.

Super Bowl XLVI will be powered by 15 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy, provided by Green Mountain Energy Company. Sourcing game-day power from renewables avoids more than 29 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Green Mountain Energy.

The green energy firm will also offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with both teams’ travels, install a residential solar array and plant 1,700 trees in urban Indianapolis – the home of this year’s big game.

Other green initiatives planned for Super Bowl Sunday include recycling, prepared food recovery, materials donations and Super Kids Super Sharing – a sports equipment and book donation project, the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee said.

To do your part to offset the carbon emissions of Super Bowl Sunday, join the 1st & Green challenge – a Web-based program offered by the Host Committee to educate fans about recycling, saving energy and reducing water consumption. Simply log on to join the challenge, and you may be recognized on the Super Bowl Village Stage.

For more information about the environmental impact of Super Bowl XLVI, check out the infographic below.

Infographic by Green Mountain Energy Company

Homepage Image: Flickr/ElvertBarnes

The lumber can be used for a variety of structures, and manufacturers say it is more durable than conventional preservative-treated lumber.

Plastic bag and films can also be recycled back into plastic bags and other products such as floor tiles, plastic cones, cables and trashcans. Helping to drive the increase of plastic bag and film recycling, the plastic industry group – the Progressive Bag Affiliates – announced a goal of 40 percent recycled content in all plastic shopping bags made by member companies by 2015.

If a plastic package cannot be recycled, the EPA recommends energy recovery opportunities before landfilling. Energy recovery is the employment of waste to create energy by burning garbage. Plastics are a great source of fuel for waste-to-energy plants. The 87 plants in the U.S. created about 14 million kilowatt hours of electricity in 2010 using 12 percent of the municipal solid waste stream, including plastics, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The combination of plastics and other wastes promotes the efficient burning of other substances, producing cleaner emissions and less ash. If plastics are unable to be recycled, energy recovery decreases the amount of waste in landfills and generates electricity for homes.

Learn more about energy recovery with these articles: Waste-to-Energy From the Inside and Op-Ed: Using Hard-to-Recycle Plastics For Fuel/

Flowers and other organic materials treated with pesticides can kill beneficial composting organisms – which will throw off the eco-system of your pile, according to the EPA. And with so many reusable centerpiece ideas on the Web, there’s no reason not to give non-floral a try this winter. Check out these five low-waste, floral-free winter centerpieces, and start impressing your friends with the three Rs.

Waste-Saving Idea #3: Collect a few pinecones from your yard and display in a glass bowl with whole coffee beans for a surprising and trash-free focal point. Photo: Flickr/sbest2048

1. Fabric scrap arrangement

Have some of your clothes fallen victim to dryer shrinkage and wear-and-tear? Reclaim your pretty-patterned fabrics and use them to create an eclectic centerpiece that all your guests will love.

As explained in this simple how-to from Better Homes and Gardens, simply cut strips from coordinating fabrics and use glue to adhere them to a ball base. Once you have a collection of fabric balls, display them in a pretty bowl for an unconventional focal point that can be reused for many dinner parties to come.

The magazine suggests using foam balls as a base for your fabric scraps. But if you’re looking to go zero-waste with your centerpiece, start with old sports equipment like baseball, tennis and golf balls instead.

2. Seasonal vegetable carving

For the ultimate reusable centerpiece, why not try a design you can eat? No, we’re not talking about a played-out fruit bowl arrangement. We’re talking about a chic and creative carving made from seasonal veggies.

Foodie, history buff and She Simmers blogger Leela used time-honored Thai carving techniques to transform seasonal veggies like collard greens, onions and carrots into funky lotus centerpieces that are (almost) too pretty to eat.

The Thai food blogger, who admittedly “can’t carve,” provides a step-by-step tutorial that will help even the most craft-wary beginner become a seasoned flower-maker in no time. After your party is over, incorporate the ingredients into some of your favorite recipes.

3. Coffee and pinecone centerpiece

Outdoor finds like pinecones and evergreen branches are perfect for creating a rich and inviting winter tablescape. For a bolder look and a touch of surprise, expand on wintry brown color palettes by adding pantry ingredients like coffee beans.

As explained in this quick how-to from Craft Foxes, just pour out a bag of coffee beans in a shallow glass dish and add pinecones for a simple centerpiece. To pump up the volume, arrange some small candles in the beans for an elegant-meets-rustic look.

After dinner, simply put your coffee beans into a reusable container for later use and set pinecones aside for composting.

4. Twig and paper flower bouquet

Stuck for a reuse idea for all that leftover holiday tissue paper? Since you can’t recycle it, use it to craft a whimsical bouquet for your next winter get-together.

Start by gathering some bare twigs from your yard and arranging them in an old milk jar or wide-mouthed glass bottle. Then use this photo tutorial from Tenacious Textiles to craft colorful flowers from your tissue paper and adhere them to twigs with string.

For added reuse fun, get the kids involved and create a few bright-colored butterflies from scrap paper or junk mail. Check out this easy paper butterfly tutorial from Dana Made It blogger Dana Willard to find out how.

5. Photo candleholder

Nothing adds a personal touch to intimate gatherings quite like a photo display. But rather than simply attaching photos to a piece of poster board, think outside the box and use your favorite snapshots as pretty candleholder centerpieces.

This photo centerpiece craft from DIY maven Martha Stewart is also a great reuse idea for those old and unsightly picture frames in your closet. Simply print your photos onto vellum paper using an ink-jet printer, and place them in the frames.

Then, use cloth tape to hinge frames together to form a triangle shape around a glass votive holder. The vellum paper creates a translucent look, and candlelight will flicker through the images – creating an eye-catching look that will bring a smile to all your loved ones’ faces.

Your old jeans can be cut into strips, sewn, and transformed into kitschy coasters. Photo: Squidoo.com

1. Coasters

You won’t need any sewing experience – just scissors and fabric glue – to make these unique coasters out of jean hems and the seams that run of the length of each pant leg. Just follow these simple instructions from Polka Dot Pineapple blogger Arlette: After cutting out the hems and seams, apply fabric glue to a small section of one side of the denim; then roll it up tightly. Continue gluing and rolling until you have created your perfectly-sized coaster; then lay the coaster on a flat surface for a few hours to dry.

READ: Levi’s Jeans Made with Rocks, Not Water

Craft #2: Help your whole family feel the Valentine's Day love with this cute garland project that's perfect for kids. Photo: Crystal/A Pumpkin and a Pricess

1. Cardboard-box oven

Remember all the fun you used to have with that Easy-Bake Oven? Well now your kids can make their own! This crazy-creative craft from Martha Stewart turns a cardboard box – along with loads of soon-to-be-trashed materials like bottle caps, condiment-cup lids and old CDs – into an adorable mini-oven that’s perfect for playing house.

Along with your trash, you’ll need a hot glue gun, nontoxic paint and double-sided tape to complete this project. Add a battery-powered light to the inside of the oven if desired.

2. Valentine’s Day garland

Spread the love in your home by turning scrap paper or junk mail into a festive Valentine’s Day garland like A Pumpkin and a Princess blogger Crystal. The crafty blogger used paper doilies and baker’s twine, along with old pieces of scrapbooking paper, to create a fun heart-shaped garland that’s sure to get the whole family in the spirit early.

But don’t restrict yourself to standard pink and red garlands. Use the steps in Crystal’s tutorial to make “unconventional” hearts from junk mail, food boxes and magazine pages.

3. Rustic tic-tac-toe board

Get the kids out of the house for a few minutes, and go on an outdoor scavenger hunt to find materials for this recycled craft. You’ll need a large wood slice, twigs, four small pebbles and eight rocks to create a rustic tic-tac-toe board that’s any nature-lover’s dream.

Once you’ve gathered your materials, this craft from Better Homes and Gardens is super-easy to complete. As outlined in the magazine’s simple tutorial, your kids simply attach the twigs and pebbles onto the large wood slab in standard tic-tac-toe formation using nontoxic glue. Then, it’s ready for play!

4. Plastic bottle octopus

Crafters have dreamed up some pretty crazy ways to use plastic bottles. But did you know you could use one to create a recycled toy? This adorable octopus craft from stay-at-home mom and Crafts By Amanda blogger Amanda Formaro couldn’t be simpler to make and is great for younger kids.

As outlined in Formaro’s tutorial, simply cut the bottle to form your “tentacles” and decorate with nontoxic paint and felt. Formaro’s crafty octopus rocks a pink bow, but feel free to be creative to help this project appeal to the whole family. If your son or daughter loves sports, why not give your recycled octopus a basketball or baseball bat to hold? If your child is a bookworm, create some fun glasses or a graduation hat.

5. Food box camera

This toy camera project from Craftzine.com contributor and scrumdilly-do blogger Jessica Wilson is perfect for kids with an artistic side. As outlined in her detailed tutorial, Wilson used an old Animal Crackers box, a paper towel tube and a wooden spool to form the base of her camera.

Once you’ve made your camera shape, decorate with ribbons, buttons and nontoxic paint for a surprisingly realistic camera that will provide hours of play-time fun (and maybe even keep the kids away from your gadgets!).

Photo: Flickr/blmurch

1. Choose an eco theme

Dinner parties are a great opportunity to stretch those creative legs and come up with a theme that will keep all your friends talking. So, why not choose an eco theme for your next soiree?

Plan a potluck party and ask your guests to bring a meal made from soon-to-be-expired food from their fridges. Or throw a “trashy fashion” party and ask guests to wear an accessory made from trash.

An eco theme not only adds extra fun to your get-together, but it will also get your guests thinking about sustainability. Keep the green conversation going by swapping tips with your friends about reducing waste, saving energy and other eco topics you’re interested in.

READ: 10 Green Tips for a Weekend Party

2. Decorate with nature

Planning a fancy tablescape for your next party? Ditch the pricey flower shops and craft a conversation-starting centerpiece from backyard foliage to cut back on waste.

• Cut bare branches from a tree and place in a vase for a rustic look
• Scatter pinecones and needles across the table for an outdoor feel
• Display freshly-picked herbs in a glass container
• Make an arrangement with holly branches and place in a glass bowl

READ: 5 Low-Waste Air Fresheners for the Home

3. Rethink the favors

Party favors can get pricey, and buying them only adds to the footprint of your dinner party. So, rethink your parting gifts by opting for something homemade or reused instead.

Whip up some tasty pumpkin brittle or banana-nut muffins, and package them in junk mail like Junk Mail Gems blogger Gretchen. Use her simple tutorial to create cute gift bags from your junk mail, and show your guests the beauty of reuse.

Don’t feel like making favors yourself? Use the opportunity to find a new home for some unwanted items in your house. In her fun and alternative entertaining book I Like You, comedian Amy Sedaris suggests putting out a table full of items you’re looking to get rid of for guests to peruse during the party.

Expand on Sedaris’ idea by asking all of your friends to bring giveaways from their homes, and have an after-dinner swap. Each guest will go home with a “new” item, and their old items won’t go to waste.

READ: 8 Ways to Inspire Reuse In Your Community

4. Go local and organic

Produce in the U.S. travels, on average, 1,300 to 2,000 miles from farm to consumer, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Produce that has traveled long distances carries a much heavier footprint than local options. These picks also tend to be lacking in flavor and essential nutrients, as produce is often harvested before its time to withstand the long journey.

Choose produce without a passport by shopping at your local farmer’s market, and up the ante by going organic. While many shoppers think that buying local and organic produce costs a fortune, that isn’t always the case. A quick stroll through your local farmer’s market can yield loads of rock-bottom deals, like super-flavorful winter squash for $1 or a basket of apples for less than five bucks.

While you’re at the farmer’s market, take a moment to chat with vendors about their farming practices. Many small framers avoid using pesticides and additives in their produce, but some don’t have the money (or spare time) to go through the process of becoming certified organic. So, some picks may be pesticide-free even though they aren’t labeled “organic.”

And don’t forget to green your beverages! Head to your local grocer, and ask about organic wines from your area. For kids and designated drivers, pick up some homemade juice or cider from the farmer’s market, or give one of our coffee shop-free winter beverages a try.

READ: Your Local Guide to Winter Produce

5. Have a leftover plan

Running out of food is any party host’s worst nightmare. So, most of us tend to prepare more than we need. But don’t let all those leftovers go to waste! One-third of food in America ends up in the trash, adding up to 25 percent of what’s in our landfills, according to Slow Food USA. Fight back against food waste by making a leftover plan ahead of time.

Clean out plenty of reusable containers for leftovers before your guests arrive, and save on frustration by making sure all of the lids fit. After dinner, ask each guest to fill up a container of leftovers to take home with them.

Not sure what to do with what’s left? Rethink your leftovers and use them to create a tasty breakfast, lunch or dinner the following day. Try turning that roasted chicken into a tasty soup, making a casserole out of leftover side dishes or whipping up an omelette incorporating your party’s main course.

READ: This App Has Recipes for Your Leftovers

The Reuseum exhibit at the Northeast Louisiana Children's Museum invites kids to transform common materials like paper towel rolls into creative art projects. Photo: Flickr/Silly Eagle Books

The Northeast Louisiana Children’s Museum is offering an interactive crafts exhibit called “Reuseum,” which invites kids to build art projects from recyclable materials in an effort to get them involved with sustainability.

Visiting children are presented with common recyclables like plastic bottles, bottle tops, newspapers and paper towel rolls, along with reusable items like old toys for artistic inspiration, museum staffer Sarah Maimon told The News Star, a local news source.

READ: Lazy-Day Craft Ideas for Kids

“I’ve seen [kids] make little bugs, masks, picture frames, little wind chimes out of Coke tops,” Maimon told the paper. “It’s a really exciting way to use things that we usually just throw away.”

Participating kids get a fun art project to take home and learn more about reuse, recycling and protecting the environment, Maimon said.

READ: Design Squad Awards Kids for Trash to Treasure Ingenuity

The Reuseum exhibit, held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 14, 21 and 28, is typically only held one Saturday each month, according to the paper. But it was such a hit, the museum is tacking on extra days. So, if you call the Bayou State home or are planning a visit this month, take the kids and enjoy a little fun with the three Rs!

READ: Meet the Conservation Cadets: The Cutest Eco Kids on the Web

Green Tip #1: Use your time off to explore a farmer's market in your area. You never know what you may find! Photo: Flickr/Marc_Smith

1. Visit a farmer’s market

Since you have some free time on your hands, make a trip to that unexplored farmer’s market you’ve been eying. Buying local and sustainably-farmed produce dramatically decreases the footprint of your nightly meals, and these picks tend to be healthier and tastier, too. From heirloom veggies to homemade hot sauce, you never know what you might find from farmers and vendors in your area.

Not sure where to find a farmer’s market near you? Just punch your zip code into the USDA or Local Harvest databases, and you’ll get a list of choices in your neighborhood.

READ: Your Local Guide to Winter Produce

2. Explore your neighborhood

If you’re ever stumped for a green activity, the best thing you can do is get outside. Spending time outdoors helps you remember why protecting the planet is so important, and you’ll also save some cash on your electric bill, as you won’t have to use energy for heating and lighting your home.

So, pile on the winter gear, and head to a local pocket park, botanical garden or uncharted walking path to experience something new in your town. Don’t know where to go? Head to your town or municipality’s Website to find listings of nearby parks, outdoor events and more. Once you get home, get cozy and enjoy one of our yummy coffee shop-free winter beverages to warm up.

READ: 10 Ways to Enjoy the Outdoors

3. Volunteer

Take a page from Dr. King’s book and do a little volunteering in your spare time. Lend a hand at a local community garden or animal shelter, or take part in park or beach cleanup.

Most municipalities have a calendar of upcoming volunteer days on their Website. But if you don’t see an event that strikes your fancy, a simple Google search with your town’s name and the words “Martin Luther King Day (or Presidents’ Day) volunteering” should point you in the right direction.

SEE: Great American Cleanup Kicks Off in Times Square

4. Relax the natural way

Planning a day full of much-needed TLC? Skip the pricey eco spa, and do a little relaxing right in your own home. Dim the lights, spark up some all-natural candles and test out one of these five luxe spa treatments that you can do yourself on the cheap. Most treatments cost less than $10!

And if the winter weather has been taking a toll on your bod, this is a great time to get your fix on. Check out our DIY guide to curing common winter woes like dry skin, chapped lips and frizzy hair using common pantry ingredients.

SEE: Spa Treatments Made from Wilted Roses

5. Do some winter weatherizing

If you’ve noticed a few drafts in your home, apartment or dorm room, your day off is the perfect time to make things a little more comfortable (and energy-efficient!). Start by taking a walk through all of your rooms, and make note of any drafty areas. Then, use our weatherization guides for homeowners, apartment-dwellers and dorm residents to fix the problem.

Also, take a moment to check out your heating system. Make sure the exterior of your system is clean and free of obstructions, and change the air filter if it looks dirty. If you live in an apartment or dorm room, speak to your landlord or RA about heating system maintenance, as an inefficient system can suck up loads of energy and cost you or your school big bucks on utilities.

READ: Cheap Ways to Do a ‘Lite’ Home Remodel

Craft #1: Cut your old CDs and DVDs into pieces and use them to glitz up anything - from picture frames to flower pots to this funky mosaic mirror. Photo: Ada B./Cut Out and Keep

1. Mosaic mirror

Your old CDs and DVDs can be cut up and used to add some sparkle to almost anything. After you’ve cut your discs into small pieces, use them to create a mosaic pattern on drab-looking picture frames, flower pots or mirrors.

Not sure how to get started? Check out this handy mosaic mirror tutorial from Cut Out and Keep contributor Days. The crafty blogger simply cut her discs into square-shaped pieces and attached them in a solid pattern to turn a discount-store mirror into a fun and functional decor piece. To tone down the glitz a bit, try a partial mosaic like this one from Cut Out and Keep contributor Ada B.

2. Jazzed-up jewelry

Craving a bit of bling but don’t have the cash for diamonds? Ditch the faux gems, and create flashy and fab jewelry from your old CDs and DVDs instead. Making jewelry from trash may sound like a challenge, but it’s way easier than you’d think. This simple tutorial from Sew and So blogger and Crafting a Greener World contributor Becky Haas will have you looking like a million bucks in no time.

3. DVD case purse

If you’re looking for a conversation-starting clutch for your next night on the town, skip the thrift store dollar bin-diving and make your own from an old DVD case. Craftzine contributor Samantha Baldwin used the case from one of her favorite movies to create a book clutch inspired by the bag Natalie Portman rocked at the premier of Black Swan.

While Portman’s clutch retailed for more than $1,200, yours will be virtually free! All you’ll need is an old DVD case, a round mirror, some fabric and Baldwin’s tutorial to look like a star this Friday night.