Dreaming of a Green Christmas

by Brandon Frazier
Tis’ the season of holiday preparation, bringing together culture, camaraderie and profit, all in the name of good cheer.

According to National Geographic News’ Cameron Walker, however, the holidays also come at a steep price, with “an environmentalist’s worst nightmare” bringing nearly 1 million additional tons of wrapping paper, packaging, chopped-down trees and other garbage throughout the country each week between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

So, while we all celebrate ‘Peace on Earth,’ there are a several ways we can protect it too; it’s the holiday gift that keeps on giving!

• Recycle Holiday Gift Wrap - If every family reused just 2 feet [0.6 meter] of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles [61,000 kilometers] of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet.
• Recycle your Tree - Recycling fresh trees after Christmas can make a huge difference in reducing holiday waste. Instead of taking up space in the landfill, trees can be ground into wood chips, which can be used to mulch gardens or parks or to prevent erosion at a local watershed.
• Purchase Low-Energy Lights - The newest energy-saving stars on the holiday scene are Christmas lights made with LEDs, used to light calculators and watches and 90 percent more efficient than traditional Christmas lights. According to one U.S. Department of Energy study, if everyone replaced their conventional holiday light strings with LEDs, at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity could be saved in a month, enough to power 200,000 homes for a year!

Just a few tips to make your holiday’s eco-friendly!