Nationally, Partners for Environmental Progress estimate that each year Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, which equates to approximately one million extra tons of trash per week. With this figure in mind, there are steps to minimize waste, raise awareness and save money.

Want to cut down on food waste and expenses?  Check out "Green Thoughts" by Bob Lilienfeld, Editor of Use Less Stuff Report.

The Use Less Stuff organization published An Ounce of Prevention curriculum for middle school students in cooperation with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Take a peek!

Instead of waking up at the crack of dawn to stand in long lines and rush to receive discounts on the latest and greatest new items for Holiday gift-giving, Buy Nothing Day explores the notion of just that, to use the day after Thanksgiving to unshop, unspend and unwind, to relax and do nothing for the economy and for yourself, at least for a single day. Why you might ask? As stated by this movement, if individuals stop and think about what we buy, where we buy it from, how much we are spending and why we are buying, we might find out that we are more deeply tangled in the dragnet of consumerism than we imagined. This knowledge could be life-changing. For more information, visit buynothingday.org and adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd.

Recognizing Waste
The first step to solving any problem is in recognizing it. By examining our own buying and throwing away habits, and how the choices we make impact our resources. Every bit of stuff that we buy has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the planet we live on. The Cost of Cool is a 27-minute video is appropriate for middle school and above focused on purchasing habits and the consequences from our daily purchases. Contact SWANCC to borrow this DVD at info@swancc.org.

Holidays As a Consumption Engine
What Would Jesus Buy? is a documentary film by Morgan Spurlock examines the commercialization of Christmas. It challenges us to reflect upon why we buy so much, how much debt we incur, where we buy from and how we buy - all in an effort to identify what we can do to transform our habits and communities, not just during Christmas, but year-round. This DVD is recommended for high school and above, 90 minutes. Contact SWANCC to borrow this DVD at info@swancc.org.