Green Christmas
As we move into the holiday season, I find myself thinking about the most eco-friendly way to approach gift-giving, gatherings, and home decor. It wasn’t until recently that I started thinking about the environmental impact of Christmas trees, outdoor lights, and gift wrap.
According to Newsweek, Americans will send 2 billion holiday cards, use 38,000 miles of ribbon and get rid of millions of Christmas trees. Christmas is only once a year and while I fully believe in decorating and celebrating, there are ways we can reduce our carbon footprint amidst the wrapping paper and mistletoe.
Faux or For Real?
Fact: Every year 50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the US. 30 million of those trees end up in a landfill (Environmental News Network)
I used to think that faux Christmas trees were better for the environment because of their ability to be reused again and again. It seems wasteful to cut down a real tree and then discard of it a month later. Unfortunately, faux Christmas trees are petroleum-based and not biodegradable.
The most eco-friendly option is to buy or rent a live, potted tree that can be replanted. If you can’t find a local retailer/renter, be sure to purchase a tree from a Christmas tree farm and recycle it rather than throwing it in a trash can where it will end up in a landfill or incinerated. If you’d rather have the convenience of home delivery, order a sustainable tree from Fresh Christmas Tree.
Light It Up!
As a child I remember how much I enjoyed the brightly lit homes in our neighborhood. I even remember counting them as I drove by! I can’t imagine Christmas without lights but the reality is that they unnecessarily consume a significant amount of energy. Replace those strands of conventional Christmas lights with LED’s (light-emitting diodes) which are 90 percent more efficient and last up to 100,000 hours or twenty years. LED’s also virtually eliminate the possibility of a fire since they barely warm up. Be sure to check out Brookstone’s Multi-Colored,Oversized LED Christmas Tree Lights or the LED Icicle String Christmas Rope Lights from Buy.com.
That’s a Wrap!
Fact: In the US alone, the annual trash from gift wrap and shopping bags exceeds 4 million tons (The Recycler’s Handbook)
The holidays are all about inspiration and creativity and wrapping gifts is just another way to exhibit the wonderment of the season. When I was a little girl, my mother taught me to reuse any holiday wrapping that was salvageable including ribbons, bows, and bags. If the idea of a reusable bag seems boring, check out Gaiam Life’s Top 10 Green Gift Wrap Ideas.
Merry Christmas!
While you’re shopping for friends and family, be sure to check out any of the following Green Gift Guides which will help you find the most sustainable, eco-friendly gifts for young and old alike. Keep in mind that a gift does not always have to be tangible. Gifts that offer recipients an experience, such as dinner or the theater, can be just as meaningful.
I’m a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night. My husband and I savor the warm Southern California sun. We love to travel…so much so that we spent 8 weeks backpacking Europe before moving to Edinburgh, Scotland where we found out I was pregnant with my son. I am a babywearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding mama whose passions include health, fitness, and all things green. If I’m not running after my 15 month old son…or my husband…you can find me frequenting the local tea room, shopping, baking, or reading.
My blog is Rockin’ Mama
December 9th, 2008 at 5:55 am
This will be a green holiday for me. I have purchased all my nephews products from Kids Konserve. They sell reusable waste-free lunch products and just came out with new patterns, butterfly and caterpillar. Instead of wrapping paper this year, I will be using the green drawstring bag (also at Kids Konserve) for gift bags and wine bags. I love the green squiggle pattern on the drawstring bag, it delivers the message without having to say it (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).
The site: http://www.kidskonserve.com