Creative ways to go green for the holidays

Creative ways to go green 

Image by nightthree

Most people are becoming more aware of what effect they are having on the environment, especially in their day to day activities.  You probably can’t go online right now without finding numerous creative ways to go green during the holidays, but here are some that you may not have heard of:

1) Recycle – you can recycle and re-use gift bags you got last year.  You can recycle or re-use plastic containers by cleaning them out and decorating them for holiday flowers, candles, etc.  Or even the simplest of all, just recycle – then use the money to help offset holiday expenses.

2) Donate – take all those older clothes, canned food goods, un-used appliances, toys, DVDs, etc and donate them to your local Salvation Army, animal shelter, children’s hospital, food bank, etc. – if you aren’t using them or don’t need them, there are many families who could make good use of them.  It saves space, prevents waste and helps other people in need.

3) Service your vehicle – if you have to travel over the holiday, one key way to go green is to ensure your vehicle is serviced.  Properly inflate your tires, get your oil changed, gas up using a biofriendly fuel or fuel additive and clean out your vehicle.  Doing these simple steps will help improve your fuel economy and make for a greener, cleaner trip.

4) Re-gift – now this may not be the most popular one, but most of us have probably done it at least once in our lives.  Take that box of scented candles that you are never going to use, wrap them and give them to someone on your list you think would use them.  It saves you money, prevents waste and hopefully someone will get good use out of your re-gifting.

5) Use organic and locally-grown foods – you can use organic and locally-grown foods in your holiday meals.  Organic foods aren’t grown using harmful chemicals, so are better for you and the environment and buying locally-grown foods helps your local economy flourish.

6) Conserve energy – there are many ways to conserve energy at home.  You can use candles to help create a nice ambiance at meals or dinner parties.  Put up tree and house lights designed to use less energy.  Make a list of things you need to prepare for your holidays, as this will help conserve both time and energy.  Turn off the TV or video games while friends and family are over – holidays are a great time to visit, play games and catch up anyway.

Okay, so you might have heard of a few of them, but each of these is a very simple way to go green for the holidays.  Not only are you helping yourself, but you are helping others and the environment too.  Have a green holiday!

1 Comment

  • Justin

    Great site, great blog, great ideas! Can I post your link on SaveEarth.ME ? It’s a blog about what people (ME!) can do and if it is more cost effective for an individual to go green on a variety of topics – types of light bulbs, electric versus disposable razors etc.

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