Christmas is probably the number one most wasteful holiday. We go crazy on gifts, food, decorations, party supplies, etc. So what can we do to GREEN up the holiday?
Here are ten eco-friendly tips:
1. Buy a quality fake Christmas tree and use it forever or buy a live tree to plant every year.
2. Send digital Christmas party invites and Christmas cards or buy ones that are made from recycled paper.
3. Make your own Christmas tree ornaments using natural and/or edible materials like gingerbread cookies, popcorn, and candy canes.
4. Instead of purchasing the usual lights for decoration, think about using LED lights. LED stands for “Light Emitting Diode.” These lights are controlled by computer chip technology. They do not emit any heat and they don’t use much energy.
5. Use green cleaners such as baking soda, lemons, olive oil, castile soap, and vinegar to clean your home for any parties and events.
6. Use beeswax candles instead of conventional ones. They are made of natural wax without toxic substances and they burn clean.
7. Use recycled gift wrapping paper or use nice cloth bags to wrap up your gifts.
8. Make your Christmas feast local, organic, and vegetarian as much as you can to reduce your environmental impact.
9. Essential oils can be used to scent the home instead of conventional and toxic air fresheners. Combine them with at least four parts of water in a spray bottle to spritz potpourri, silk flowers, and other natural arrangements in your home like holly leaf garland and pine cones.
10. Buy eco-friendly gifts that are sustainable, natural, and fair trade. For starters, check out these Top Green Christmas Toys and Top Green Christmas Gifts guides.
And have a very merry GREEN Christmas!
An original 5 Minutes for Going Green post. You can read more from Tiffany at her blog about Green Parenting, where she writes about green family living, parenting, natural health, safe children’s products, and homeschooling. Subscribe to her blog here.
Great list! Another possible light tip is to use a timer to turn on and off Christmas light displays. I discovered last year that wading out in the snow and cold at midnight to pull the plug on the lights was often a difficult task to achieve. :-)
I love the cloth bag idea to wrap gifts! I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making some for reusable shopping bags, I should make a few more and pass them on!
This is a great post! I love all the ideas you’ve shared.
http://www.sustainablesourcing.com/ has a great organic artisan gift set that would make a great Christmas present. It has a great combination of peppercorns and hamalyan salt.
check it out:
http://www.sustainablesourcing.com/index.php?page=product&category=Sustainable_Sourcing_Organics&display=134
For #5 Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to the vinegar to help with the smell. Peppermint is perfect for Christmas time.
Check out: http://www.sunshinebay.com they have gorgeous beeswax candles specially for christmas. The best thing about beeswax candles is they actually clean the air while they burn.
I love all your ideas on this post. I’m definately going to be making ornaments this year and using fabric bags for wrapping. I also am purchasing eco-friendly gifts for my family.
Anyone know where to buy a non PVC fake tree?? I’m very allergic to the real thing so have to have a fake tree but don’t like knowing it’s off gasing in my living room.
Great list! Bookmarking…
[…] Check out my post on 5 Minutes for Going Green: A Very Merry Green Christmas. […]
Ditto on the other comments! I love all the ideas you shared in this post and will try my hand at crafting our own ornaments this year; this way, we’ll be saving energy and resources and giving our special day more meaning too. Thanks!
Actually, I think real cut trees are “greener” than fake trees. Artificial trees are made of PVC and real trees can be recycled (many areas have tree recycling programs where the trees are turned to mulch).
Real trees are better. Tree farms replant so it’s very green. BUT when you are allergic that doesn’t work lol. By allergic I mean can breathe, end up in the hospital allergic.
Even though I’m from Maine I’ve always had a fake tree. I truly appreciate your list. We try to be as green as possible – in our home and the business. We collect the plastic and take them to our local Fresh & Easy for recyclables.
Soma….
Soma. Soma without prescription 180 count….