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Greening up your Holidays


This past Tuesday the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council hosted its monthly Talking Green event on "Greening Up Your Holidays," and I spent several days gathering tips in many categories to present on.  I thought I'd post it here as well, enjoy!

Halloween Costumes
  • Buy face paints and lipstick without lead, nickel, cobalt, chromium, which can affect brain development cosmeticsdatabase.com
  • Buy safe nail polish from Skin Deep
  • Avoid powder cosmetics which can affect the lungs
  • Skip the hairspray which have toxic chemicals
  • Use non-paraffin (petroleum based) and non-scented candles for cleaner air
  • Create low-impact costumes (used, homemade, etc), or host your own costume swap
Food
  • If hosting larger parties, see our Zero Waste Event Guidelines
  • Compost all food waste
  • Use paper bags instead of plastic for baking the turkey
  • Replace canned ingredients with local foods with minimal travel distance for reducing carbon footprint
  • Buy organic to reduce intake of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and radiation
  • Use reusable cutlery and plates instead of paper or plastic
  • If you must put out non-reusable cutlery and plates, purchase compostable ones and schedule a pickup from Twin Enviro (or your local composter) after the holidays
  • Clean and recycle your used aluminum foil
  • Rinse and recycle liquor bottles
  • Use the crock-pot where possible for less energy usage
  • Reduce energy consumption by only using the large burners for large pots
  • Keep your burners clean, spots on burners can increase energy needed to heat
  • Stop using the disposal and decrease your carbon footprint- this waste goes to a water treatment plant, then the solids get sifted out and trucked to a landfill.
  • Use green or homemade cleaners

 Gift Giving
  • Use recycled papers and papers that can be recycled
  • Even better, use reusable gift bags and boxes, cloth, or newspaper
  • Start a re-gift pile of all the gifts you will not use but don’t want to throw away
  • Purchase local gifts to support the local economy
  • Replace secret Santa game with toys-for-tots drive or similar
  • Make your own gifts by canning your garden produce, and other DIY gifts like homemade bath and body products  
  • Replace family gift giving with group donations to a green organization
  • Buy USA-made toys for kids and earth-conscious gifts for adults
  • Recycle your cardboard boxes
  • Replace holiday cards with photo slide show email
  • If you must purchase holiday cards, buy recycled paper cards
  • Recycle or better, reuse holiday cards you receive
  • Recycle your old cell phone and electronics if you get new ones
Travel
  • Reduce your carbon footprint by:
    • Offsetting your airline and car travel by purchasing Carbon Offsets (www.carbonfund.org, between $10-20 per flight)
    • Try a “Staycation” or more localized vacation
  • If you do travel, buy local to support their local economy
  • Take an “Eco-tourism” or “voluntourism” trip
  • Choose a green hotel
    • IE: Locally owned, one that recycles and composts, doesn’t change sheets and towels daily, has energy reducing programs (such as lights automatically turning off when you leave by just removing your key card), and contributes to the local economy
  • Rent a green, high miles-per-gallon or hybrid vehicle
  • Rent a bicycle in warm climates
  • Use your at-home energy reducing practices while on the road. Just because you’re not paying for their electricity, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help reduce it. 
Decorating
  • Find natural decorations like tree leaves and limbs, pumpkins, dried gourds, etc
  • Make your own wreath
  • Purchase a tree certificate from the Forest Service and cut your own tree, or make sure to purchase a pesticide-free tree
  • Recycle your tree after the holidays
  • Use non-paraffin (petroleum based) and non-scented candles for cleaner air
  • Use low-energy or solar-powered lights outside and on the tree
  • Retain your good-practices for energy consumption during the holidays, encourage your guests to do the same (turn off lights, take shorter showers, use the automatic thermostat, etc)
  • Print holiday fliers on non-neon or dark red, green or blue papers


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