A lean and green Christmas!
Haven’t finished your Christmas preparations yet?!? Don’t stress! Keep your gift-giving simple this year with these lean and green ideas:
Batches of plain and peppermint fudge ready for delivery to neighbors!
- Donate to your loved one’s favorite charity in his/her name instead of buying more “stuff.”
- Does he/she really need another shirt/perfume/toy? Try giving tickets to an event or movie.
- If you need more inspiration to buy less “stuff,” check out “21 Surprising Statistics that Reveal How Much Stuff We Actually Own” by Joshua Becker.
- Do you want to show your neighbors or friends how much you appreciate them? Make them something homemade. They’ll appreciate the thought even if you’re not Alton Brown.
- Sending e-cards instead of paper saves time, money, and paper. You can still make them personal and it is the environmentally-friendly option!
- Here are some DIY last-minute gifts you can make out of re-purposed items from the Sierra Club.
To make your Christmas more green this year, remember the old adage “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” As mentioned above, keep it lean by buying less – Reduce! Do you really need new Christmas decorations or lights or a new snowman statue? Aren’t the ones you have now just fine? If you absolutely have to have new stuff, donate the old stuff to a thrift store – Reuse! And when things are completely used up, go ahead and Recycle! Here are some options for common Christmas season recycling:
Christmas Recycling Guide – Great ideas for the whole Christmas season from the St. Louis County Health Department.
earth911.org – Type in your zip code and material to recycle. Even expanded polystyrene that you get in that new television box is recyclable!
Traditions of thanks
Some people say grace before every meal. Others have a tradition of sharing what they are thankful for before opening gifts. What traditions have you developed with your family to emphasize gratitude for what you have (rather than “stuff” you want) during the holiday season?
If you believe in the work we do at St. Louis Earth Day, consider donating this Holiday season! After all, we help YOU make St. Louis greener!
