Before the holiday’s hit, consider doing something good for the environment. You know we love that. We’ve come up with some shopping and household tips to make your winter holiday season a little bit greener!
1.
BUY LOCAL.
There are actually quite a bit of benefits to buying local food and our personal favorite is its smaller environmental footprint. Buying local can potentially cut down on having to purchase packaged, processed foods. 2.
DITCH THE DISPOSABLE DINNERWARE.
You probably don’t know that disposable dinnerware contributes to about a 25 percent increase in household waste during the holidays!
3.
MAKE RECYCLING EASY FOR YOUR EXTRA FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
If you have bins clearly marked for recyclables and compostables, point them out prior to the festivities. 4.
SEND ECO-FRIENDLY CARDS.
With so many greeting cards sent over the holiday season all the way into the New Year, try the green route with recyclable paper and cards. 5.
BUY A REAL TREE.
About 33 million trees are sold for Christmas. Rather than send the tree to the land fill after the 25th, try to find a solid waste department that could use your tree for mulch. 6.
REUSE GIFT BAGS.
There might be some shame in re-gifting, but reusing a gift bag is acceptable. This helps reduce the amount of wrapping paper and eliminates excess. 7.
LIMIT YOUR LIGHT TIME.
Christmas lights on your tree and house can use up a lot of energy. Create a lighting schedule so your lights are on during the dusk to bed time only. In the end, this will be more efficient and save you money. If you have trouble remembering to turn off your lights, there are timers available to do the clockwork. 8.
GIVE GREEN GIFTS.
Encourage being eco-friendly by sharing the power to conserve with a gift that gives back. About 40 percent of battery sales are during the holiday season, so consider buying rechargeable batteries to reduce battery waste. 9.
SPREAD SEASONAL CHEER WITH SERVICE.
If you’re looking for a good project for the family, search for local opportunities to lend a hand. We have a few suggestions up our sleeve on our next blog post. Stay tuned. What about you? What holiday tips do you have for being more conscience of the environment during your celebrations?