5 Tips: How to Go Green During the Holidays
Save and Reuse:
There is nothing like tearing through presents on Christmas Day. However, think of all the wrapping paper that will be thrown out and sent to landfills. Not multiply that times hundreds of thousands. The additional waste is massive. So instead of throwing out all that shredded wrapping paper, reuse it. This does mean that you’ll have to be careful when opening up presents, but its definitely worth it. It’s will be both environmentally-friendly and smart. After all, you won’t have to buy wrapping paper next year. Additionally, gift bags are the easiest to reuse, despite being pricier when you buy them upfront, but they are cheaper in the long run. You can also save boxes from department stores and bows as well. A great idea is to buy a large bin that will store all your reusable packaging for next year. Go with one that can be easily stored, but out of sight.
Send an E-card:
More and more Americans are using email instead of snail mail. Not only is this much quicker and often cheaper, but it too is also more environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, cards can rarely be reused, and are often thrown out after the holidays, adding to the insane amounts of waste there already are. Come the holiday time, send an E-card. Tons of web sites out there offer this great option. What’s better is that you can make and send your own E-card, including one with a family portrait! Use a digital editing program, or find a scanner to create your own card.
Save leftovers:
There’s no wonder why food waste increases around the holidays. Much of the food thrown out can easily be saved as leftovers to munch on at a later time, or even used to create a completely different meal. Meats, such as ham and turkey, are the easiest foods to save and reuse. You can make sandwiches, soups, casseroles, and much more with what you save. Pies and many desserts can also be saved as well too. Just make sure that food items don’t sit out for long periods of time. After your family is done eating, wrap up everything properly and put it into the freezer or the refridgerator as soon as possible.
Fake Christmas Trees:
Tons of people throw out Christmas trees the day or week after the holidays. Like all other garbage, dead Christmas trees accumulate in waste dumps. Fake trees usually eliminate this waste because they can obviously be reused. Even if you can’t afford a Christmas tree, you can always be smart about buying a real one. It is suggested that if you buy a real tree, that you created your own waste compost for it. You can also dry out the wood and use it in fireplaces or bon fires. Dried out pine needles work extremely well for starting fires.
Holiday Lights:
Holiday decorations and lights are known to run up energy and electric bills extremely quickly. There are energy efficient holiday decorations out there. However, it is much cheaper and more practical to turn off the lights for a large portion of the day. When is it very bright out, there is no need to keep holiday decorations on. Also, always turn off decorations both inside and out when you go to sleep. Holiday decorations and lighting inside can start electric fires. Not only is turning off the lights smart, but safe as well.
