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have a green christmas!
Posted by Alicia Silverstone on Dec 14, 2009

 

Hey everyone!  The winter holidays are here, and I have some thoughts on how to make your Christmas a little more green....

Your Christmas Tree

If you're gonna have a tree, it might seem like an artificial tree is the more eco way to go, since they are reused, but really, it's not.  Surprising, right?  People usually only use them 4 times or so and them toss them out where they will sit in a landfill forever.  They also use lots of energy to produce, package, and ship them....not to mention that they are made with really gross toxic materials.

If you are going to get a cut-tree, search for an eco-friendly tree farmer near you.  Check out LocalHarvest.org or GreenPromise.com.  Your most green option is to find a sustainable grower from a certified organic farm.  You will also be supporting your local farmers.  If you go this route, be sure to recycle your tree after Christmas by chipping it into mulch or composting it.  You can also visit Earth911.com to find tree recycling.

You can also always decorate a live tree you have in your home or in your yard (my favorite!).  And in some areas, live, potted trees can be rented.  Ask your local nursery about this or go to LivingChristmasTrees.org....or just plain google it.

Tree Lights

The lights you've been using for years are probably not the most super crazy eco-friendly ones, but don't toss them.  The most green thing to do is to keep using them until you want to either pass them on to a friend or until they just stop working altogether.  HolidayLEDs.com offers free Christmas light recycling and will give you a discount on new LED lights if you do this.  Follow this link. Their recycling program ends in February.  You can also look into your local eWaste program.

If you are replacing your lights, less lighting is the way to go, and always use a timer with them.  LED lights are also a good choice because they use 80-90% less energy than regular lights.

Tree Ornaments & Decorating

Just a few notes on this....I like to use things I've found or made to decorate.  This will also save you $$$ instead of buying them all new from the store.  You can use a baby shoe or an old children's toy as an ornament and add a little one's name and date.  Hang cookie cutters from ribbon, use memorabilia like concert tickets, airlines tickets...any tickets!  You can use craft supplies to adhere them to wood patches too.  Make ornaments from nature!!  Pinecones and twigs and pebbles.  Go crazy....buttons, silverware, things in your sewing kit....glue photos onto wood scraps or lids.  Use cutouts from old holiday cards and magazines.

If you do buy ornaments, try to find groovy used ones on eBay, Craigslist, or from your local thrift store.  If buying new ones, choose the most eco ones you can get your hands on.  This usually means lead-free, Fair Trade, or ethically sourced options.  You can visit CelebrateGreen.net for ideas.

Stockings!

They don't have to be something super fancy, in fact the more you use them, generally the more you start to love them and enjoy pulling it out each year.  You can look for used stockings and big socks, or even big oven-mitts from your local thrift shops, garage sales, Craigslist, or eBay.  If you buys a new stocking for the holidays, look for ones made from recycled or organic animal-friendly materials (that means no wool, too).

Holiday Cards

I save the fronts of holiday cards and reuse them.  I keep them in a little box and pull them out when I need them.  Try to reuse old cards, or make them out of stuff you have at home...magazines, old wrapping paper, etc.

But if you will be purchasing new ones, definitely try to go for 100% recycled cards....made from 100% post-consumer waste.  And if they are printed with soy-based ink, that's even better!  GreenFieldPaper.com sells recycled cards and hemp cards too!  And BorealisPress.net is another great green card resource.  You can also send seed embedded cards....card that you soak and then plant.

Gifts & Gift Wrapping

Visit my gift-giving blog HERE for some tips.

Holiday Meals & Parties

I've chosen my favorite recipes so far in the past recipe blogs.  These would all be great for your holiday gatherings! (will link to your thanksgiving posts with meal ideas)

Try to make your party a little or no-waste event.  Go for your own plates, cloth napkins, glasses, and silverware, but if you will be buy disposable, try for recycled or compostable/biodegradable dishware and utensils.

These are just a few of my thoughts and notes on all things Christmas.  Will you share with me how you make your Christmas green?  And any fun holiday recipes you want to put out there?

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Very useful, thanks for the Tips on the Christmas Tree, we have had our artificial tree for 3 years now and hope to keep it for many years to come! We also had spotlights in our living room put in by the person that lived there before, they keep blowing! Will now refit the blown ones with LED's, shame we will lose the dimmer switch though! :-(. Thanks again Alicia. Happy Christmas!
Where we live, we buy a fresh cut tree (we cut it ourselves) from a local grower who plants new trees each spring for the ones harvested during the Christmas season.  Also, our local recycling program collects the used trees after Christmas.  They are used in local lakes as habitat for the fish, where they eventually decompose. 

Love all the ideas!! Wow!!! I thought that having a small artificial tree was the eco-friendly thing to do-cuz it doesn't involve cutting any trees. My hubby and I have had one for 3-4 years---so we'll have to decide what to do with it.......either keep it forever--or donate it?? I'm already tired of storing it :). I'm in Queens-NY....so I don't know of any local farmers. I'll be better prepared for next year :). All the tips are really fab!

You are really an inspiration.
My parents had the same artificial tree for about 25-30 years. The artificial tree I have now I've had for about 5 years. Haven't had any plans to change that. I've never heard about people getting rid of artificial trees. How strange.
I can't see the original post from Alicia.  The first post I can read is from Project Greenbag.  How are you guys viewing it?  I seem to always have this problem.
Melissa - these are comments/responses to posts on the main page, so you have to go to the main page, not the forums, to read the original post.
Another great gift wrapping idea if you don't have any left over paper or bags liyng around  is to wrap presents with tea towels. This is also a good way to give an extra small gift. A tea towel is never wasted in any house!

And of course this is the time of year when there are all sorts of strange gifts being given to you before Christmas even comes around with work parties etc. There is no harm in passing these gifts along to other people if you really have no need or want for them.

Happy Green Holidays To All :-)
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