Dec 10 2008
8 ways to Green your holidays
this entire article came from ENN… see more here
‘Tis the season to give, celebrate and renew. It only takes a small commitment to protect the environment. Here are eight simple ways you can make a difference this holiday season:
1. Rethink the Gift Wrap
It’s time to think outside the box, for real. Not only are most wrapping types wasteful, but its been done, year after year. Break out of your comfort zone and create some great looks with reuse items found around your house.
* Bows
* Bags
* Fabrics
* Newspaper comics
* Magazines
* Decorative boxes
These scrap items can be used to make that gift even more special. They can also be reused year after year.
2. Keep the Trees Truly Green
If part of your celebrations include a Christmas tree, choose to recycle it once the festivities are over, find local treecycling centers through Earth911.
If you want to recycle your tree, do not use tinsel or spray it with fake snow, as tinsel and white trees cannot be recycled. You can also use a live, uncut tree and replant it after the holidays or just decorate a house plant or tree in your yard.
3. Hang up your Cheer
Though ornaments have traditionally been used with Christmas trees, they can be hung from any place in the house. String them with lights to dress up a window or hang them outside. Either way you approach it, ornaments are a great craft and reuse project.
Make ornaments at home with items you may normally recycle:
1. Paper towel rolls
2. Old calendar pictures
3. Holiday wrapping paper
If you have any left over ornaments from holidays past, donate them to your local thrift store or pass them on to family and friends.
4. Keep Energy Low & Excitement High
It is easy to let energy get the best of you during the holiday months, but you can fight back with some easy ways to keep the bills down. Use a timer on your house and tree lights to avoid keeping them on all night, cuddle up next to a fire burning an eco-friendly log and keep your water heater warm with insulation.
5. Just Call
Some of the best holiday greetings don’t come in the form of paper. Forget that card and pick up the phone. It is pretty likely that most of your family and friends would prefer some real talk time over words in a card.
If sending cards is part of a die-hard tradition, save old holiday cards and create new ones by cutting the card down. Old cards also make great ornaments or can even get laminated for coasters. You could also send e-cards and save paper, or you can buy new cards made with post-consumer content.
6. Celebrate in Style
Holiday parties are some of the best times to see friends, share gifts and eat a lot of food. Instead of opting for paper and plastic, use dishes, silverware and cloth napkins instead of disposable utensils and paper products.
Don’t have enough reusable plates for everyone? No problem! Make it BYOP, and have everyone bring their own plates, forks and cups. You can even make a game out of it and have people trade with each other. In addition, give out leftovers so you won’t waste food. Plus, your guests already brought their own to-go containers!
7. Shop Smart
This holiday shopping season may be tighter than years past, so it’s time to get strategic. Many online retailers not only offer free shipping, but by getting it directly delivered to you, your car can stay parked in your driveway. If you do venture out to the mall, plan a trip with friends to carpool and save resources, and try to consolidate your shopping trips into as few as possible.
8. Resolve That Resolution
Though New Year’s is still a ways off, now is a great time to begin planning your changes for 2009. Want to buck that plastic habit, get that commute to be a group affair or increase your recycling efforts? The new year is a national time where change is praised and encouraged. Do some research, and start the new year off with a plan. Hold onto your hat 2009, here we come!


