Tips to a Greener Holiday Season

The holidays are coming! With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, we begin to think about all of the things we’ll need to purchase; whether it be food, gifts or decorations. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency and Use Less Stuff, between Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is when household waste increases by more than 25%. Added food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons – it all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills.

This year, start thinking ahead and consider green and money saving alternatives to reduce, reuse and recycle this holiday:

• Go trick-or-treating using reusable bags, paper bags, or even a pillowcase!
• Trade costumes amongst friends
• Reuse unused clothes to make your own costumes

• Visit discount or thrift stores for extra necessities (e.g. gravy boat, vases, utensils)
• Decorate the table with natural materials that can be found in your backyard (e.g. pine cones, dry leaves, flowers from your garden, etc)
• Illuminate a room with candles instead of turning on all the lights in the house

• Instead of buying wrapping paper, wrap presents in reusable materials; newspaper, holiday bags, old maps, towels, etc
• Save holiday cards you receive and use them as gift tags
• Cut down on holiday cards and use e-greeting cards instead

What green alternatives will you consider this year?