Green Holiday Tips

Holiday cards-Did you know 2.6 billion holiday cards sold each year could fill the size of a football field 10 stories high? Consider switching to emailed holiday cards or try a photo sharing site instead of a traditional card.  Buy cards on recycled paper.  Buy cards that donate proceeds to a good cause (like Cancer Research).  Reuse holiday cards you receive and create gift tags!  Recycle your cards when the holidays are over.

Buy a Live Tree-Nearly all Christmas trees are grown on farms, meaning they are planted yearly and not depleting our forests. Artificial trees are made with petroleum-based products and cannot be recycled.  Recycle your tree at the end of the holiday season. CR&R and Waste Management will pick your tree up and compost them.  Rent a live Christmas tree- Find a location in your area that rents out and picks up your live tree.

Lights-Switch to LED lights. They are 90% more efficient than incandescent lights.  Set lights on a timer to save energy and turn them off when you go to bed. You'll be able to enjoy them without using energy all night long.  Try using solar powered lights when possible.  The smaller the bulb, the lower energy cost.

Paper, paper, paper!  Did you know that there are an estimated 20 million tons of EXTRA waste between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Four million tons are wrapping paper alone.  Skip wrapping whenever possible. Do you really need to wrap a bicycle?  Try hiding gifts and giving clues where to find them.  Make the wrapping part of the gift by using scarves and kitchen towels.  Use fabric gift bags that can be reused again and again.  Recycle ribbon. If every US family reused 2 feet of ribbon it would save 38,000 miles of ribbon.  If you must wrap, use wrap made of recycled paper. Shiny, metallic and plastic coated wrapping paper cannot be recycled.  If you are mailing, use recycled packing material (never the foam peanuts-Styrofoam counts for 25% of the waste in our landfills and can never be recycled)

Cut Back!  A recent survey showed that 78% of Americans wished holidays were less materialistic!  Give a gift of yourself such as family recipes, a night of babysitting, a hand car wash, a homemade dinner.  Donate to a charity or non-profit in the name of your family. Most feel the best gift is being together.

Shop Smart!  If you are out shopping, organize your list first to save on gas. Buy local.  Opt for battery free toys whenever possible.  Look for eco-friendly tops that are BPA-free, lead free and made from sustainable or recycled materials.