Before you head to the store for another string of Christmas lights, one more roll of shiny foil wrapping paper, and that dancing elf that sings Jingle Bells, stop to consider your purchase. Though it’s impossible to escape consumerism this time of year, almost every aspect of your holiday celebrations – from buying and wrapping gifts to decorating the dinner table – provides you with an opportunity to make a better choice for the planet. Here are some suggestions for greening your Christmas… or Hanukka, or Kwaanza.
Get creative with gift wrap
Every year, four million tons of trees are used to make wrapping paper and holiday shopping bags. Two and a half billion holiday cards are purchased. And 38,000 miles of ribbon – enough to circle the equator more than one and a half times – are used to wrap gifts. In fact, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, Americans generate an extra million tons of trash each week.
This year, try wrapping gifts in newspaper (especially the comics), pieces of fabric (which can be saved and reused), old posters, or the unprinted side of brown paper bags. Have kids decorate the paper with stamps or drawings. Instead of ribbon, decorate gifts with pinecones or sprigs of holly.
Save gift bags and collapsible gift boxes to reuse next year.
If you buy new wrapping paper, look for brands made with as much post-consumer recycled content as possible. Avoid shiny ‘foil’ wrapping, which is not recyclable. For something unique, try Bloomin.com’s wrapping paper, cards and gift tags imbedded with wildflower seeds; the recipient can bury the products in their garden and sprout flowers next spring. Or purchase wrapping paper made of banana leaf, kenaf and other sustainable plants from GreenYour.com.
And of course, recycle as much as you can. With the exception of foil wrap and tissue paper, all wrapping paper is recyclable. Never burn it! Much of our commercial wrap comes from China and other countries with loose environmental standards, and therefore may contain lead, plastic film and synthetic inks, all of which, when burned, release toxins and carcinogens into the environment.
When gift bags are worn beyond use, remove the handles and recycle them.
Reduce your power bill with LED Christmas lights, which use less than one tenth the power of regular incandescent lights. The Truckee Donner PUD lets you trade up to three 20-foot strands of regular Christmas lights for three 20-foot strands (or one 66-foot strand) of LED lights for free. The bulbs are indoor/outdoor, medium sized, and available in color or clear. The PUD will even recycle your old strands.
Green your Christmas table.
Cook an organic Christmas meal. Buying organic food not only protects you from pesticide residues, growth hormones and antibiotics, but also supports small family farms and keeps harmful chemicals out of the soil and water.
Try an organic or Free Range turkey from New Moon Natural Foods or the Tahoe House Bakery (call to reserve.) And choose organic fruits and vegetables whenever you can. If you’re on a tight budget, at least buy organic versions of fruits and veggies that are the most contaminated with pesticides. According the Environmental Working Group, the ‘Dirty Dozen’ worst fruits and veggies are (in order): peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes. To download a chart showing the pesticide load of 45 fruits and veggies, go to foodnews.org/walletguide.
Use cloth napkins instead of disposable paper.
Use soy, beeswax or palm oil candles, which emit none of the harmful carcinogens, neurotoxins and reproductive toxins that paraffin candles emit when burned. If you must buy paraffin candles, look for those made of food-grade paraffin. Avoid inexpensive gift candles, particularly if imported; most are made of low-grade paraffin, which feels greasy and releases more harmful chemicals when burned.
Stop the junk catalogs by calling up the company’s toll-free number and asking to be removed from their mailing list. If you still want to receive the catalog, but would like to reduce the frequency, ask the company if they offer quarterly or bi-annual mailings. Many do. And remember, you can go catalog-free by shopping online.
Give green gifts such as fabric shopping bags, or a stainless steel or aluminum water bottle. If you’re looking for a plastic sports bottle, make sure it’s free of BPA (Bisphenyl-A,) a hormone disruptor used in most polycarbonate (#7) sports bottles.
Visit Truckee’s own Fair & Green, just east of Burger Me, for a fun selection of gifts that are, as the name suggests, both Fair Trade and green. Fair Trade certification ensures that the people who grew or made the product were paid a fair, living wage. Fair Trade empowers farmers to invest in their communities, develop business skills and protect the environment.
Chocolate and coffee are two fair trade products that make great hostess gifts and stocking stuffers.
Consider giving a non-material gift, such as a massage, spa treatment, or movie tickets. Or give a donation in someone’s name to a non-profit group working to make the world a better place, such as Seva Foundation, Bead For Life, Doctors without Borders, Children International and Heifer Project.
Try to buy gifts with a minimum of packaging, though admittedly this is difficult. And, of course, recycle as much as possible. All clamshell-type plastic (even if unlabeled) as well as cardboard and paperboard, can go in the blue bag.
Recycle your Christmas tree. Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal provides free curbside pickup of your tree on your regular trash day during the week of January 12 to 16. Prepare the tree by removing all decorations and cutting into three-foot sections.
