It's beginning to look like a Green Christmas!

Christmas has begun and we cannot wait for the holidays, gatherings, and let’s face it – gifts! No matter how you celebrate the holidays, I wish all of you a very Happy Christmas and Happy Holidays! But with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s important to consider how we treat the environment through all of the travel, cooking, buying, wrapping, and more. So today we are going to talk about a “Green” Christmas.

First, let’s try to buy less. Yes, you heard me right. Buy less. Not all gifts have to be store-bought. Have you considered buying items of a practical nature that are still personal and unique? Thought the kiddos might favor the new & shiny things straight off the shelf, as we get older we learn to appreciate the thoughtfulness. But as families grow, so do the shopping lists so why not consider cutting the list to not only help your wallet survive the holidays, but less strain on the environment. Why not try having all the adult members of the family put their name in a hat and each person draws one name? Set a limit and then wait for the surprise on Christmas morning! But we will cover gift wrapping in a bit, so hang tight!

Consider “green” gifts by shopping locally. I love craft fairs and artisan shops! Plus I love how unique these items are, plus helping out a local crafter. These are also most often battery-free, another huge plus for the planet. According to the EPA, about 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Discarded batteries are an environmental hazard. Even rechargeable batteries find their way into the waste stream eventually.

As you start to get your gifts together, it’s time to consider gift wrapping. First, let’s talk about the squish test. Wrapping paper is not all the same. Just because it has the word “paper” in it doesn’t mean that it’s recyclable as paper. If the wrapping paper is metallic, has glitter on it, shiny, or textured, then it is 100% NOT recyclable! So your easy fix – just don’t use it! Do you really need to spend extra money on something that will be destroyed in 30 seconds? Silly.

If the paper is just regular paper, then let’s give it the squish test. Squish the paper up into a tight ball. If the paper stays in that tight ball without relaxing, then congrats! The wrapping paper is recyclable. But, if the paper un-squishes, then NOPE, not recyclable. Let’s talk about some alternatives to wrapping paper. You can use gift bags that can be reused, or newspaper, which can be recycled. I used to love getting gifts wrapped in the comics! You can even use bits of fabrics like a scarf and that is part of the gift! Use tape sparingly so that more of the wrapping paper can be reclaimed. Just remember that cardboard boxes, gift boxes, and the squish-passed wrapping paper are all recyclable so take special care in handling those items so you can help Save the World!

Now let’s talk trees! I recently saw on social media that one could rent their Christmas tree. I had no idea that you could replant a part of the tree to continue to grow for next year! I will definitely be looking into this! Plastic trees are made of petroleum products (PVC), and use up resources in both the manufacture and shipping. While artificial trees theoretically last forever, research shows that they are typically discarded when repeated use makes them less attractive. Discarded artificial trees are then sent to landfills, where their plastic content makes them last forever. When buying a live tree, consider live potted trees can be used for years. If you buy a small tree in a large pot, you may be able to reuse the tree for 2-3 years without having to plant or repot the tree. If your tree becomes root-bound, you can replant it in a larger pot for several years extended use.

Let’s talk about lighting or rather lowering the impact of holiday lighting. The cost of electricity goes way beyond the utility bill. Electricity drains natural resources. Reduce the size of outdoor lighting displays with a smaller presentation of lights can still be attractive, and more appropriate in the ‘season of giving’. Use LED lights for house and Christmas tree lighting because these use up to 95% less energy than larger, traditional holiday bulbs and last up to 100,000 hours when used indoors. Outdoor mini-lights will also save energy. A 100-light string uses only 40 watts.

Turn off tree lights and outdoor house decorative lighting at bedtime because it’s simply a waste of energy to leave the holiday lights on at night after everyone’s gone to sleep.

Lastly, let’s talk about reusing and recycling other items. Each year, 50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S. Of those, about 30 million go to the landfill. And added to this is the carbon cost in transporting all these trees to the landfill. Much of the environmental costs associated with the holidays can be reduced by simple awareness and some pre-planning.

Reuse or recycle gift packing materials: Bubble wrap can be stored for reuse, or recycled. Foam packing chips are not as easily recycled; if you don’t want to store this material for reuse, take it to a shipping center like Mailboxes. etc, who will accept it for their own use. Cardboard boxes should be opened flat and set out for recycling; storing and reusing these boxes is even better as no additional energy is used in re-manufacturing.

Recycle Old Electronics: New flat-screen computer monitors, laptops, cameras, cell phones, and other electronic items are common holiday gifts. Older models which are being replaced are usually still in working order, however, and should not be discarded to a landfill. Call your recycling center to see when they might host a Household Hazardous Materials Collection day, which do include electronics.

Save any special gift wrap, ribbons, and bows for reuse. Creased wrapping can be ironed flat. Ribbons and bows are easy to save and reuse.

Christmas trees can be recycled too into useful material for composting. Composting requires a carbon source and Christmas trees are just right for municipal operations which use chippers to shred the material. Look for tree drop-off locations in your neighborhood.

Thanks for reading and make sure you check back for more ways how you can live green and help #SavetheWorld!