Seven Simple Ways to Go Greener for the Holidays
Easy, Affordable Tips for an Environmentally Friendlier Season
Dec 13, 2008
No matter which holiday you celebrate you can cut down on waste, save fuel and energy and go greener.
Don't wait until the New Year. Start with these ideas now.
- Shop locally, whether for food, gifts or both. If possible walk to neighborhood shops or use public transportation to the mall or downtown. If that's not an option, arrange to combine trips by driving to town with a friend or family member. Go your separate ways to shop and set a time to meet up for the return trip. If you must make several stops, plan your route carefully so there's no backtracking. Take this a step further and plan to walk to neighborhood parties and carpool for school and church holiday events as well.
- Buy LED lights for indoor and outdoor displays. Not only are they cooler to the touch, but they save power. Set the Christmas tree, window Menorah, or outdoor display up on a timer so the lights are on only when they are most likely to be seen, perhaps from 4-10 p.m. and not during the day or overnight hours. And do check with your local power company or town recycling department to find out the preferred way to dispose of the old lights.
- Send electronic greeting cards. At 1sky.org you'll find several styles with appropriate green themes.
- Buy a live, potted Christmas tree. if you purchase a small one, and it survives in the warm and dry home environment, you can move it outside for a vacation in the summer sun and plan to re-use it next holiday season. (Remember the larger the tree, the heavier the pot.) Added bonus: the live plant will be less of a fire hazard in your home. If you just can't part with the tradition of a live cut tree, be sure the tree you choose was grown in an environmentally responsible way, with minimal chemicals. And take your live tree down in time to participate in local recycling and shredding programs that turn it into mulch.
- Steer clear of decorative paper napkins and plastic tablecloths. Instead, look for fabric table linens you can launder and reuse each year. Take this idea a step further and look in thrift shops and at garage sales for vintage table linens you can recycle back into use. If you are planning a large gathering consider renting the glassware instead of buying disposable cups and plastic glasses.
- Cut down on buying gift wrap, especially foils. After the gifts are opened, carefully refold and store those decorative holiday gift bags flat in a box for re-use next year. Keep in mind that gifts look just as festive wrapped in newsprint or the funny papers and tied with a bright ribbon or topped with a simple bow. And be sure to recycle the newspapers and collect the bows to use again. Stored carefully, they'll last for several seasons. Best yet, hide some of the kid's gifts instead of wrapping them.
- Cancel the mail order catalogs you don't order from or are no longer interested in receiving. Visit Catalog Choice. www.catalogchoice.org
The copyright of the article Seven Simple Ways to Go Greener for the Holidays in Reducing Waste is owned by Elaine Petrowski. Permission to republish Seven Simple Ways to Go Greener for the Holidays in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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