I’m dreaming of a green Christmas…alright, I’ll spare you my singing, although perhaps I sound better when you read me than when you hear me sing. Every year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans throw away a million extra tons of garbage each week, including holiday wrapping and packaging. This year alone, Americans will send nearly 2 billion holiday cards, use more than 38,000 miles of ribbon, and leave millions of Christmas trees on the curb. My point in telling you these facts is not to make you feel guilty for having a great holiday season, but rather to make you aware that this is a real problem, and we can do something about it. This holiday season; be mindful of what you’re throwing in the trash, and how what you buy affects the environment. This edition of the Green City newsletter aims to help you make better decisions for the earth and for you and your family.
Buy strings of LED lights, which look the same as conventional incandescent bulbs but last longer and use 80 to 90 percent less energy. LED lights, are also safer since they barely warm up. And invest in timers that automatically shut off your lights and cost as little as $9.99.
Always go real, when it comes to Christmas trees. A fake tree is petroleum based. It's not biodegradable. One option is to buy a living tree, put it in a planter, and when the weather gets warmer, plant it in your yard. Or get a cut tree and, after the holidays, take it to the county recycling facility, where it can be turned into mulch (for more information see below).
This year consider going paper-free with your holiday cards. Direct friends to your family blog or create a free multi-photo card or an online slideshow on photobucket.com. You can add holiday music, snowflakes and bits of text, and then e-mail friends and family a link.
At your parties, use metal flatware and real glasses and dishes – especially if you own an Energy Star-certified dishwasher. If you're using disposable plates, pick recyclable paper, not plastic or Styrofoam . Use cloth tablecloths and napkins instead of throwaways and wash them in cold water to save energy. Then kick back and toast the holidays with a glass of (organic) champagne.
Use things that occur naturally to decorate with. Put colorful leaves on your table as a decoration. Pick pine cones from your tree. Make your own wreath from twigs or evergreen branches. Get creative; see what you come up with!
Instead of coming home with 15 shopping bags, bring your own to the store, and visit multiple stores in one trip. Your car runs more efficiently when it’s warmed up.
Instead of buying wrapping paper, get creative with what you have around the house. Wrap presents in posters, decorated grocery-store bags or pages from glossy fashion magazines. Or put a small present in a beautiful scarf and make the wrapping part of the gift. If you love traditional wrapping paper, buy the versions with recycled content.
Instead of buying something brand-new, try making gifts and wrapping by using recycled or salvaged materials. Gift bags can be made by using scrap pieces of colorful cotton cloth. Instead of buying a brand new book or CD, see if you can find one in good condition at a second-hand bookstore.
Ask yourself what kind of crafty skills you have, and use those skills to make gifts for friends and family. Most people are delighted to receive a handcrafted gift because of the investment of time, love and creative energy it represents. If you excel in the kitchen, try making preserves, cakes, pies or bread. If you like to work with wood, use your skills to craft CD racks or spice shelves. If you knit , try stuffing a pair of hand knit socks into a stocking this year. If you're not comfortable making gifts, or simply lack the time, you can give something green by buying products made locally. Buying gifts made by local artisans and craftspeople supports the artists in your midst and boosts your local economy, as well as avoiding the carbon emissions caused by shipping.
What do you give those people who have everything? Instead of buying them another gadget that they might already have and probably don't really need, give them an experience. An afternoon of horseback riding, a massage or pedicure, a session in a pottery studio, a membership to an environmental organization, or tickets to a concert or play are all environmentally friendly gift ideas. Many gifts given each Christmas end up buried in the back of the closet by January, and eventually make their way to the landfill, but an experience will last forever in someone's memory.
With a little creativity and ingenuity, a green gift can be found to suit everyone on your list. Christmas is a great time to put your environmentally friendly thoughts into practice, and the more we practice living green, the more it becomes a natural way of living.
As you read above in the opening remarks, the holiday season brings an extreme excess of garbage to the landfill, but is it all trash, or can it be recycled? Here’s the low-down:
*Wrapping paper should be saved and reused or recycled, as long as it’s paper. (No foil wrapping)
*Gift bags should be saved and reused or recycled, as long as the rope handle has been removed. (Consider saving the rope for tying up your tomato plants next spring!)
*Ribbon can not be recycled, but if it’s good ribbon, save it for someone else’s present.
*Holiday cards should be recycled.
*Cardboard boxes that gifts come in should be reused or recycled.
Be mindful when you’re purchasing gifts. How much packaging does it use? Do you really need a bag to carry it out of the store? Can the packaging be recycled?
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