Green Christmas

This holiday season has snuck up on us fast, and we are trying to stay as green as possible this Christmas. So what does that mean? Here are my top 10 Christmas green tips:

1. Buy a real Christmas tree. Some people mistakenly think that going green means you should never cut down a Christmas tree, and should instead buy an artificial one. Christmas tree farms are the superior choice over artificial due to the petroleum products used to manufacture the artificial trees. Recycling your Christmas tree is a great way to stay green, and even better is buying a rooted tree you can replant.



2. Buy Local. Find a local artist, winery or the like and buy gifts that haven't traveled thousands of miles from overseas and you will have cut carbon emissions!



3. Use LED Christmas Lights. These will use less energy this holiday season, and last longer, reducing waste and saving you money!



4. Include Rechargeable Batteries with gifts. Less toxic waste for our landfills. These must be disposed of properly when they are no longer able to hold a charge.



5. Reuse Gift Bags and Wrapping Paper. Don't throw it away! Be prepared now with organization to save what you can and reuse it! Reuse newspapers this year with fun ribbon and homemade tags.



6. Buy gifts at antique stores or thrift stores. You would be surprised at how affordable you can shop at a swap shop or antique store. Many of these places have the perfect treasure for someone on your list. Also, many thrift stores have brand new items that were never used that you can get for a steal! Kids don't know if the board game was opened and played with twice! Save some money and the environment!



7. Recycle your Christmas Cards. And buy ones made out of post-consumer recycled content or go paperless and email your Christmas greeting.



8. If you are upgrading, donate your old electronics. Don't let your downgrades end up in a landfill!



9. Buy online. If you have to travel, make a whole day out of it and plan your trip to cut down on gas.



10. Last, but not least, Give Less. This can mean smaller things that take less waste like theater tickets, online downloads like iTunes, etc. Or it can mean just LESS. Don't try to keep up, buy one gift instead of five, and keep it simple.