Green Christmas

Okay, I know that Halloween is just over and now I'm already thinking of Christmas. But I am very excited about Christmas this year and do you want to know why....of course you do! It's because I'm going green this year and I want you to be excited too. What that means for me is:

No purchasing of presents (only handmade items and only if I really feel compelled to give. There are so many other ways of giving, spending time with loved ones, baking cookies, or donating my time at charities. Since there will be no presents, I won't be bothering with wrap, tape or gift boxes either. I will not be sending Christmas cards, imagine how much waste is created on just cards alone? just imagine the dumps with everyone's cards in them, what a waste. I think I'll stick with Christmas emails instead. So this year really is a time to celebrate. For me its my understanding of a true traditional Christmas, going back to basics of what Christmas means for me. Being grateful for what I have, and thinking of others, and spending time with loved ones. I've already had my conversations with friends and family about having a green Christmas. It was such a delight to see how freeing it was when permission was given to them to not buy, or spend resources on a holiday that many feel so many added pressures. I can honestly say this is the first time in my life that I truly am looking forward to Christmas in an entirely different way. I invite you to participate in any way you that you can in having a green Christmas.

Here are some creative ways to enjoy Christmas without the waste:

1-Get a living tree and make sure you recycle in the chipper after you're done or buy a potted tree and replant in the garden after wards
2-Don't use plastic/paper plates
3-Use recycled wrapping paper if you must or be creative and make your wrapping paper out of newspaper or recycled paper
4-Give experiences, not gifts
5-Use efficient LED tree lights
6-Reuse your old carrier bags when shopping or use a cloth bag or a bag for life.


What Christmas Means for the Planet

If we don’t watch our consumption over the holidays, it can mean real consequences for the environment. Recycling is the best way to show your environmentally friendly Christmas spirit.

1. Without recycling, up to one billion Christmas cards and as much as 83 square kilometers of wrapping paper could end up in landfills

2. Excessive consumption will kill the planet. It is estimated that the pollution from the manufacturing, transportation, use and disposal of Christmas gifts is greater than that caused by automobiles each year

3. Christmas lights left on for ten hours a day over only twelve days will produce enough carbon dioxide to inflate 12 balloons

All these damaging effects can be avoided if everyone pays attention to consumption over the holidays.