How to have a Green Holiday
- Plan your meal ahead
of time
If you are having a party, know how many people you will be serving. This will help you purchase your food without buying too much, which will reduce the amount of waste you have after the meal. If you are having a lot of people over, consider buying in bulk to avoid excess packaging. - Buy local and organic
From the main course to your wine or apple cider, try purchasing your food items locally and organically. You can find local farms and farmer's markets on LocalHarvest.. Less transportation = less emissions, and you will be helping to support your local economy. Purchase your side items locally, too, whether from your local farm or from a farmer's market or co-op. - Use Reusable Shopping
Bags
Worldwide, 1 million plastic bags are used per minute. Cut down on this use by bringing reusable shopping bags when you do your Christmas and grocery shopping. - Cook with a pressure
cooker
If you use a pressure cooker to make parts of your meal, you can save 50-70% of the energy you'd use cooking on a stovetop. - Cook from scratch
Guests will enjoy homemade food much more than canned, boxed, or frozen. You will save money and save packaging. - Use reusable and/or
compostable dinnerware
Use dishes and silverware that you already have and have your party guests help you do the dishes after. Really want to avoid the dishes? Buy one time use compostable plates. - Compost food waste
If you do end up with leftovers and can't eat them all, compost them. Not compostable: liquids, grease, cooking oil, plastic, styrofoam, glass, metal - Avoid wrapping paper
Especially paper with metallic content, as it is difficult to recycle. Use reusable gift bags, or pack your gifts in reusable shopping bags that the gift recipient can make use of later. If you want to wrap, try using newspaper and match the store to the recipient, or use colorful magazine pages, cloth, calendar pages, or recycled wrapping paper. Leftover work paper can be an interesting, personal wrapping paper. Blueprints, maps, sheet music, etc. are options personal to your interests or job that can be used as wrapping paper. - Set up Secret Santa
To avoid excess "stuff," you can set up a Secret Santa with your friends or family. Put all the names in a hat, and choose randomly. Set a price limit for gifts, and when gifts are exchanged, try to guess who bought yours. - Avoid Excess
Packaging
When it comes to purchasing gifts (and other items), try to avoid excess packaging when possible. If two items or similar, buy the ones with less or recyclable packaging. - Shop consciously
Consider who made the gift, what it is made of, and whether or not the gift recipient can use it. Will it get thrown out or tossed in the back of a closet and forgotten? If yes, don't buy it. These guidelines can apply to everything you buy. - Give gifts that give
back
A lot of organizations now offer gifts that give back to communities and help others in need. For a donation ranging from affordable to very expensive, you can purchase gifts for communities such as cows, chickens, water wells, schools, and more. Most times the gift recipient will receive a card saying that a donation was made in their name and telling them how the money will help people in need. - Make gift tags
If you saved last year's Christmas cards, turn the unwritten area into gift tags for your presents. Save this year's cards and do the same thing next year. - Send earth-friendly
cards
Many companies now offer recycled holiday greeting cards. Ideally, you would want cards made with 100% post-consumer waste. There are also tree-free options, and FSC certified cards. Cards can be made from other recycled cards, or from magazine ads, calendar pages or catalogs. Making your cards can add a much needed personal touch. - Give rechargeable
batteries
If your gift requires batteries, give a set of rechargeables with it (consider a charger to go with the batteries). - Don't use packing peanuts
for shipping
If you have to ship your gifts, use something recyclable for packing. Recycled newspaper or junk mail are two options. If you just received a package yourself that was stuffed with packing peanuts, you can reuse them to send out your package. - Buy a real tree
Artificial trees are made from PVC, which is very hard to recycle and off-gases carcinogenic chemicals. Cutting down a tree for decoration may not seem earth friendly, but consider that well-managed tree farms are set up just for this purpose. For every tree harvested, 2 to 3 are planted in its place, and purchasing from a local tree farm helps support your local economy. To find eco-friendly tree farmers near you, check LocalHarvest or GreenPromise. For information on what it takes for a farm to be certified by The Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers, which ensures that growers are utilizing sustainable farming practices in the production of Christmas trees, visit CECG. - Decorate with with
food
String cookie ornaments and popcorn for decorations on your tree or in other areas of your home. Make sure they aren't in areas that might be prone to bugs, especially if you are in a warm climate. If you string popcorn, let it go stale for at least a day or it will fall apart. Store the popcorn in a tin and you can reuse it next year. - Decorate with nature
No plastic or even recycled ornament can beat the beauty of nature's decorations. Berries, twigs, holly sprigs, pinecones, and acorns can all make beautiful decorations when used separately or piece together into ornaments, centerpieces, or other pieces. - Display your kids
artwork
If your kids made decorations in school, display them proudly. These pieces are sure to be cute, and displaying them will encourage your child to continue making creative artwork. - Make something old
something new
Use an aluminum can as a vase. Wrap brown craft paper or old grocery bags around the cans and tie a ribbon or twine around it. Use the cans as vases for organic flowers, twigs, or evergreen. For a unique centerpiece, line the cans down the center of the table. Used incandescent lights can be painted and hung as ornaments. - Use LED lights
Using LED lights can save you 90% on your energy bill over standard decorative lighting. Set your lights on a timer so you don't forget to turn them off! - Make origami box
ornaments
From Michele Patrick, "Each year when I receive Christmas cards from friends and family, I cut and fold them into little origami gift boxes. I take a piece of the card trimmings not used to make the box and write the senders name on it and the year it was sent. I put this piece of paper into the box and use small pieces of ribbon (bought from resale shops) to finish off each gift box. I hang the gift boxes on my unconventional Christmas tree which is this fabulous 3’ tall tree branch that is spray painted gold." - Use sand instead of
floral foam
If you plan on making floral arrangements for decorations, use sand in lace of floral foam. It costs less, isn't petroleum based like foam, and the arrangements last just as long. - Avoid petroleum based
candles
Paraffin wax candles are made from petroleum, and they release harmful chemicals into the air. Use soy based or beeswax candles, and go for unscented. If you buy scented make sure they use essential oils for the scent rather then chemical fragrances. Dine by candlelight to save electricity. - Recycle your tree
Don't throw away your tree after the holidays. Trim off the branches and use them as mulch for perennials. If you don't have a garden, search Earth911.com to find a tree recycling center. - Bundle up and walk
Or bike, if you can. Tour your neighborhood to view the holiday decorations without your car. You can enjoy the beauty of the season much more if you take it slow rather than driving by, and you'll save car emissions and gas. - Turn off the TV
Watch a few of your holiday favorites, of course, but turn off the TV the rest of the time. Take the time to read your kids a Christmas story, or let them read to you. Invite friends or family over for story time, or to sit in front of your fireplace with cups of organic hot cocoa just spending time together.
Republished with permission from Stefani at http://focusorganic.com please check out her web site for other great articles!
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