Christmas 2010: Green Your Holiday (PHOTOS)

Forget a white Christmas, let's start dreaming of a green Christmas this year. Along with the presents, decorations, and food we produce this time of year, Americans also produce 25% more trash, culminating in five million additional tons of garbage. So we've made a list of easy ways that you can make your holiday season more eco-friendly, while preserving your family traditions.

From recycled wrapping paper to LED holiday lights, get ready to go green this Christmas.

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Greeting Cards

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Thousands of trees are killed for paper greeting cards during this otherwise peaceful holiday season. Consider switching to electronic cards. If you’re a card traditionalist, choose recycled cards that give back to the environment, like Give-A-Tree cards, where for every card purchased, a tree is planted.

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Thousands of trees are killed for paper greeting cards during this otherwise peaceful holiday season. Consider switching to electronic cards. If you’re a card traditionalist, choose recycled cards that give back to the environment, like Give-A-Tree cards, where for every card purchased, a tree is planted.

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Comments

[HipMarye]

02:17 PM on 12/21/2010

I love the Plant Me cards. They are made of recycled paper embedded with wildflower seeds. We also dry fruit, and string popcorn with cranberries. After Christmas we will put them out for the birds.

[Sarah Lovett]

11:23 AM on 12/21/2010

Ribbon saved from past years packages makes lovely Christmas decorations, I tied on fruit with ribbon bows. It looks fabulous, like a renaissance tree. It can go outdoors afterward as a "giving tree" to feed birds.

[Andrea K-J]

11:17 PM on 12/20/2010

Here's a neat idea: Plant a tree or have one planted for you to replace the one you cut down. Love Trees has great last minute gifts - tree planting certificate that support Love Trees children's tree planting and environmental education projects around the world.
http://www.lovetrees.ca/wp/tree-shop/

[HLL]

09:28 AM on 12/21/2010

f&f ~ Beautiful suggestion ☮

[Culturegeek]

09:19 PM on 12/20/2010

Who buys new ornaments every year? Who buys a new stocking every year? I have had mine pretty much as long as I can remember.

[Culturegeek]

09:12 PM on 12/20/2010

Inspired by a Facebook event (Craftivus AKA Craftmas, Craftukah, Winter Craftstice, I think).

All of the above: hold a crafting bee and make it out of recycled materials with family and friends. I can make a reusable gift bag out of scrap fabric in the same time it takes me to wrap a present in wrapping paper (which is so colossally wasteful, And when I realized it doesn't even save you time, I was just horrified).
Plus I can make any of the baubles at Claire's, and I have dexterity issues, so I know that most to all mothers of teenage girls can. And the best Christmas ornaments are made by your children anyway.

The best part of this plan is that the time you are spending instead of money, you get to spend with your family, which is supposed to be the point in the first place.

As for the economy, if you save money on the stuff that you don't need to buy, you are more likely to actually be able to afford to buy American for the things that you do need to buy. People using credit cards to buy copious amounts of imported crap they don't need is not an economy, and there is no way around the need to reduce our consumption-- the planet cannot take it.

I am skeptical of technical solutions, but this is a no-brainer.

[mow rake sow]

07:06 PM on 12/20/2010

Great ideas. I purchased gifts at Little Seed on Larchmont here in LA for my nephew. http://www.thelittleseed.com/

[Steph Monster]

04:40 PM on 12/20/2010

Love this- get your kids to make gingerbread houses & then use it as dessert!

http://www.fourgreensteps.com/infozone/lifestyle-health/green-guide-to-christmas-tips-tricks-a-recipes

[lightningbolt]

01:13 PM on 12/20/2010

I have the greenest Christmas: no Christmas at all.  No pollution, no garbage, no overconsumption, and no hassle.

[EcoCatLady]

05:52 PM on 12/20/2010

A very merry un-Christmas to you!

[billysixx]

03:33 PM on 12/22/2010

How fun!

[intelliwoman]

12:04 PM on 12/20/2010

My favorite pet peeve, those stupid canvas grocery bags.....they need to be washed every time (water and electricity, anyone), you have to throw them out quite often and purchase AGAIN, you need 3 of them vs. 1 of anything else for your stuff, they are a waste of money

[EcoCatLady]

05:54 PM on 12/20/2010

huh? I have canvas grocery bags that I bought 15 years ago and they're still goin' strong. And why on earth would you wash them every time you use them?!? I wash mine once a year max, unless something spills in them. Plus, you can carry much more in a canvas bag than a plastic one, and the handles never rip or tear. Don't have a clue what you're complaining about!

[Culturegeek]

07:51 PM on 12/20/2010

^What EcoCatLady said!^

[catcrazee]

09:01 PM on 12/20/2010

Absolutely right!

[StarWarsHippie]

05:00 PM on 12/28/2010

wash them every time??? what????

[MJBell]

11:40 AM on 12/20/2010

I try to do my part for the environment but most of these ideas are stupid. Seriously, tying a lightbulb onto a present in place of ribbon? And most people already have lights, ornaments, and stockings and reuse them every year! Imagine that.

[Culturegeek]

09:27 PM on 12/20/2010

I just had a repurposing/re-gifting bee. I would much rather spend time with my family and friends than time and money at the mall.
I can see your point on the most people reuse thing -- I was especially mystified by the stocking bit. I've had my Christmas stocking almost as long as I can remember.

[billysixx]

03:40 PM on 12/22/2010

To save the planet, I give last years Xmas presents I received to others.

[garystartswithg]

11:38 AM on 12/20/2010

vintage christmas ornaments! you can get them by the crate load for next to nothing. scour ebay and etsy. love them forever. nobody makes plastic tear drops with baby deer snow scenes any more, and i mean nobody.

[billysixx]

03:43 PM on 12/22/2010

Yes, ebay is a good idea but shipping the ornaments will harm the planet. I suggest walking to the sellers house to purchase the Xmas ornaments.

[garystartswithg]

04:08 PM on 12/22/2010

Thank you green christmas fairyl! I suggest you go share your christmas cheer with Matt Drudge and Michelle Malkin! Big gay new years kisses!

[istas3]

11:27 AM on 12/20/2010

I've tried LED Christmas tree lights but they weren't too cozy. I'm sure there are higher quality ones out there. Maybe next year I'll try again.
http://loftyminded.com/2009/12/08/oh-christmas-tree/

[LesterH]

10:54 AM on 12/20/2010

Why not try recycling ornaments? For years, I have located vintage ornaments at yard sales and flea markets for pennies compared to purchasing new ones. Between those purchased and those that have been handed down to me, my tree has more ornaments than it can handle and they are all stowed away in storage boxes wrappen in towels.