Season’s Greenings Give a gift to the environment this holiday season by reducing waste, conserving resources and energy and choosing environmentally-sensitive gifts.
Decorating
Use edible decorations such as popcorn & cranberry garlands. These can be fed to the birds afterwards.
Buy good quality decorations that will last.
Tie fabric bows on the tree.
Use dried flowers, fruit, pine cones & branches to decorate the house.
Avoid single-use decorations such as window stickers, spray snow & “icicle” tinsel.
The trick is to decorate with items already found in your home.
Involve the whole family.
Packing Materials
Use newspaper or real popcorn instead of plastic foam “peanuts” for cushioning.
Reuse cardboard boxes & paper grocery bags for mailing.
Shred your junk mail to create packing material to store your ornaments each year.
Gifts
The list of environmentally friendly gifts is unlimited.
Ideas include: Compost Bin (you can start composting in the winter) Recycle Bins Travel coffee mug for the office potted house plants Reusable Lunchboxes Charitable Donation E-Reader
Look for gifts that are durable, energy efficient & not over-packaged.
Consider drawing names of family members from a hat—you’ll be able to put more thought into one or two special gifts.
Make gifts rather than buying them. Receiving home-made gifts is always a treat. Jams, jellies or baked goods can be packed in reusable containers and decorated with a festive cloth ribbon.
Spend time rather than money. Suggest to friends that you do something active rather than exchange gifts. Fun times spent together are much more memorable than another tie.
Cards
Choose cards that are made from recycled paper with a high post-consumer content.
Support charities by buying their cards.
Email greetings.
Make your own cards using reused materials.
Wrapping
Tin boxes & gift bags can be reused year after year.
Use brown craft paper & rubber stamps to make your own paper.
Make a “Hollywood Box”: wrap or decorate the top & bottom of a box with a separate lid. Encourage its reuse.
Instead of buying gift boxes, use a cereal or cracker box.
Like the look of silver paper? Cut open a chip bag & wrap with shiny side out.
Make the wrapping part of the gift—tea towels, baby’s receiving blanket, even shirts.
Make gift tags from old cards.
Often a tag is unnecessary—sign your name on the wrapping.
Discover the art of Furoshiki, wrapping gifts in fabric that can be used again. No tape necessary.
Make gift bags from brown lunch bags. Let the kids decorate.
Make a “Santa sack” for each child in the family to put their presents under the tree. Reuse like a stocking each year.
Discover Pinterest.com for more ideas. You are only limited by your imagination.
Entertaining
Buy food in bulk.
Buy ONLY what you need.
Purchase holiday supplies in packages that are recyclable in our region.
Take shopping bags with you.
Use washable/reusable utensils, plates, cloth napkins & tablecloths instead of singleuse paper & plastic. Consider renting party supplies.
Christmas Tree Real or artificial? There is no clear answer to which type of tree Is better for the environment.
ARTIFICIAL TREE: an artificial tree can be used for years if it’s properly taken care of & stored. When it begins to look old & shabby, use the branches to make wreaths.
CUT TREE: buy one grown on a tree farm & as locally as possible. They are in the business of growing Christmas trees on land that is largely unsuitable for other kinds of agriculture.
INDOOR PLANTS: break with tradition & decorate a large indoor plant such as a Norfolk pine or a rubber tree.
After the holidays, recycle your tree. Stick it in the snow next to the bird feeder as a perching site...or cut off the branches & use them to protect plants...or chop it & use it for mulch. Compost it along with wreaths & other “live” decorations.