Just Do It

Northern Lights — An Eco Solarbration, Sat., Dec. 1, 4:30-6 p.m., free, Liberty Lands Park

by Monica Weymouth

Sat., Dec. 1, 4:30-6 p.m., free, Liberty Lands Park, North Third Street between Poplar and Wildey streets, nolibs.com

Between the wrapping paper, greetings cards, cross-country travel and piles of plastic playthings, the holidays are about as good for Mother Nature as Black Friday was for your savings account. (It's only been a week — time heals all Bloomingdale's bitch slaps.) Northern Lights — An Eco Solarbration seeks to restore the relationship between December and the environment. Hosted by the Northern Liberites Business Owners Association, the holiday kickoff party is keeping things festive yet green.

"Northern Liberties prides itself on green initiatives," says NLBOA president Nina de Costa of the organization's mission to preserve open space and ensure environmentally friendly construction in the neighborhood. At the center of the celebration will be a 40-foot solar-powered tree, which will be lit by Mayor-elect Michael Nutter. The lights are powered by solar panels courtesy of Solaris Energy, a Philadelphia-based alternative energy design and installation company. After the holidays, the tree centerpiece will be reimagined by local furniture artists (any remaining wood scraps will be turned into mulch for Orianna Hill and Liberty Lands parks).

Of course, even tree huggers can't survive the holidays on goodwill alone. Raffle baskets include gift certificates and goodies from boutiques and restaurants such as Conspiracy Showroom, Sovalo, Bar Ferdinand and resident eco-darling Arcadia Boutique. Additionally, most stores are extending their hours for late-night gift seekers. Now that makes for visions of sugarplums.