How to Green Your Holiday
During the holiday season, waste disposal increases tremendously causing billions of pounds of extra waste to be deposited in landfills. Furthermore, travellers will be logging millions of miles and creating tons of greenhouse gas emissions as they commute to spend time with loved ones over the holiday season.
GENERAL TIPS
1) Card giving – choose Tree-free ones; these are made from
- kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus, is a plant in the Malvaceae family. Hibiscus cannabinus is in the genus Hibiscus and is probably native to southern Asia, though its exact natural origin is unknown. The name also applies to the fibre obtained from this plant. Kenaf is one of the allied fibres of jute (a source for burlap) and shows similar characteristics. Other names include Bimli, Ambary, Ambari Hemp, Deccan Hemp, and Bimlipatum Jute)
- Hemp
- other tree-free resources
- Another likely choice is cards made from 100% post-consumer recycled waste content
- Alternately, send an e-card. There are lots of sites to choose from, many of them are free of charge
- Get creative, make your own from cards you’ve received over the past year
2) Don’t buy wrapping paper
- Give old materials new life – wrapping paper you’ve saved from past gifts, magazines, maps, calendars, pieces of fabric that may be turned into table napkins
- Place gifts in reusable bags or boxes
- Recycle packaging from gifts, sort out what may be picked up by your city’s recycle bin service, or what may be dropped of at the nearest hazardous waste depot if the item is not appropriate for blue-bin pick-up or will not breakdown in landfill
3) Green Gifts – give gifts from the heart
- Instead of splurging on commercial goods, consider giving the gift of your time or talent to loved ones – offer to make dinner, walk the dog, feed the cat, help with gardening chores or home repairs
- Gift Certificates or pre-loaded gift cards from a favourite department store
- Let them purchase what they truly want, saves on having to return that “not what I really wanted” gift, you’ll be leaving a smaller carbon footprint and save on time wasted in line-ups
- Make a donation in honour of a loved one to a cause that addresses an issue you, your friends or family members care about or support
- Give gift memberships
4) Avoid toys made with PVC plastic
- Vinyl Chloride is a chemical used in the making of PVC and is a known human carcinogen. Also, additives such as lead and cadmium are sometimes added to PVC to keep it from breaking down. These additives are especially dangerous in children’s toys. PVC is also the least recycled plastic.
5) ENTERTAINING
- Host a Zero Waste Holiday Party – have guests bring their own cups plates, cutlery if you don’t own enough. Recycle bottles and cans, compost food scraps
- Avoid paper and plastic dinnerware and cups
- If you must use disposable, invest in bio-degradable options such as those made from renewable resources, e.g. Biopolymers (corn starch and cotton seeds)
- Have recycling plan in place – bins at your party for guests to easily dispose of glass, aluminum, paper and plastic
- Use fabric tablecloths and napkins. Most stores that sell dinnerware will carry these items. Rule of thumb – good quality ones will last longer
- Add organic & local foods to your holiday feast
- Create a menu of locally grown or farmed foods or choose items that travelled the least distance to get to your plate
- Encourage guests to carpool or use public or mass transit
- Don’t serve bottled water, serve filtered tap water instead
6) Lighting – light up your holidays using 90% less energy with LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs. Search for programs that will allow you to trade in your old lights for a discount coupon towards the purchase of new LED lights
7) Decorations – make your own, shop at a flea market for serving dishes , decorative vases or hold a holiday swap with friends
Tree – find a tree that can be planted afterwards; use a tree that’s already in a planter indoors, e.g. a tall ficus
9) Fireplace – when using your fireplace, turn the thermostat down
10) Shopping – carry your own tote, lots of choices available. If you do this enough times, it becomes a green habit.
11) INDOOR AIR QUALITY
- Regular candles can be made of paraffin (a by-product of petroleum refining) or gel (a mixture of resin and mineral oil, another by-product of petroleum). When burned they release toxic VOCs into the air we breath; this is especially harmful in an enclosed environment which is most certain as we move indoors for winter
- Scent-free candles made from stearin (now produced almost exclusively from palm waxes) vegetable (e.g. Soy, bayberry or carnauba) or beeswax are your best choices. If you must have them scented, check label to see if natural essential oils were used for fragrance
- Organic and local health food stores sometimes carry these items
- Brand – Scents Alive by Vegewax Candleworx Ltd
- Log burning – green options are now becoming available such as
- fireplace starter logs made from recycled coffee grounds
- PINE MOUNTAIN® LOGS –
- 66% LESS Creosote and Particulate Accumulation build-up in your chimney
- 78% LESS Carbon Monoxide
- 80% LESS Combustion Residue
- Green fuel for chafing dishes and fondue pots – e.g. ethanol fuel made from sugarcane rather than toxic diethylene glycol and methyl alcohols
- Get a pesticide-free holiday tree
- Clean up with environmentally-preferable cleaning products. Green products can be purchased almost anywhere
- Best choices – 3rd party verified certification such as EcoLogo, EPA, Green Seal