“Green” Christmas Tips

While Christmas is sometimes white, it generally isn’t Green. All that one-time-use wrapping paper and packaging, fuel spent traveling and shipping presents, and energy used to light up trees and houses means the holiday season takes a toll on the environment. Green Leaf can help you create a “Green” Christmas in your household this year with the following tips…

• Recycle wrapping paper – or get crafty!

Or better yet, forgo it altogether. Try making your own wrapping paper and trimmings from newspapers, paper bags, art projects, clothes, dish towels, etc. And if you do buy new wrapping paper, go for the kind without glossy metallic coating, which makes it harder to recycle.

• Food: buy seasonal, local and watch the waste

We all end up stuffing ourselves at Christmas, but many of us also end up throwing away tons of perfectly good food – and that’s really bad for the environment. When wasted food is thrown away and breaks down in landfill, together with other organic materials, it becomes the main contributor to the generation of methane – a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere – and is 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide.

Instead of chucking your leftovers, freeze them for a rainy day or get creative and turn them into something else.  You can also make your festivities greener by buying local – food that has been produced close by, rather than shipped in from overseas.

• LED your lights

Switch to LED lighting, which can use 90 percent less energy than regular holiday lights.

• Use real dishes

While disposable plates and silverware are easier if you’re hosting crowds, the environment will thank you if you buck up and do the dishes.