Green Your Holidays!

Published

It’s that time of year again — the time when American’s increase their waste (and probably their waists!) by 25%. Tomorrow (11/20/12) at B Green we’ll talk about ways to keep the holidays more sane and closer to what we really want. In case you miss the event, here are the materials we plan to share:

In case you don’t like opening pdf’s, here are Cornelia’s Green Ideas:

Ideas for Green Holidays

What to avoid:

  • Avoid petrol products whenever possible and chose alternate materials to plastic.
  • Don’t buy gifts produced using slave labor or sweat shops and animal cruelty
  • Avoid low quality children’s toys that have a short life and quickly grace the landfill
  • Avoid the frivolous, the excessive, the useless (for the person “who has everything”)

What to look for:

  • Shop locally, support local businesses
  • Shop fair trade because it makes a difference
  • Give environmentally friendly gifts such as sold here at GoGreen
  • Give gently used clothing items and accessories (U-Turn Resale Boutique on North Ave)
  • Try non-material gifts: make up coupons for services like car wash, backrubs, babysitting
  • Gifts to spend time together, like cooking dinner for friends, going to a show, opera, movie, concert, sports event or game night. The gift of time together goes a long way in our busy days!
  • Gift cards and gift certificates to favorite coffee houses or a nursery to buy plants for spring
  • Give a house plant: Plants make the air fresher and are a continuing source of joy.
  • Yoga lessons, massage, a spa day, music lessons, or a long wished for family instead of material gifts are nice. Wauwatosa offers many places for such services.
  • Family games

Making useful gifts:

  • Easy projects: Cookies, hot chocolate mix, preserves
  • More advanced projects: make a cook book with your favorite rec. for a friend, make soap, candles, sew an apron for your little helper, crochet potholders or wash cloths, scarves, hats

Gift Wrapping

  • Use cloth pieces, scarves, new dish towels, t-shirts, the cartoon page of the newspaper, colored magazine pages

Trees

  • Get a potted tree for later planting, bows or branches, or an artificial tree which lasts forever
  • Use LED lights. The use 75% less energy
  • Go easy on the outside displays (we know it is Christmas)!

Holiday Greeting Cards

  • Try the creative side of your brain and make your own cards with recycled paper, get your kids on it and you will be surprised!
  • Send mail electronically this saves trees and energy for transportation

Be a friend:

  • Many people have, for all kinds of reasons, a very hard time over the holidays. Open your home and include them in your celebration. This is the best gift you can give to them and yourself!

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