Green Tips Archive
Action of the Month Archive
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December 2009
Green Holiday Edition
- Holiday cards – Creative Citizen (www.creativecitizen.com), a website dedicated to providing tips on sustainable living, estimates that a consumer can save 5 pounds of waste, 1000 kilowatt hours of electricity, and 1000 pounds of greenhouse gases for every 50 cards not sent. As an alternative, try sending e-cards. With stamps costing $0.44 you will save cash on postage as well as the cash by not having to buy cards. If you still want to send out that paper card, try looking for cards that are made with recycled paper and that can be recycled. If you happen to be at the receiving end of a card, instead of throwing it out, cut them up and save them for next year to use as gift tags.
- Holiday lights – Everyone loves the brilliant colors of holiday lights. Luckily, Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) provide a way to still have those lights without seeing a spike in your electricity bill or increasing your carbon footprint. A November 2007 Consumer Report article tested a 50 foot string of LEDs against incandescent bulbs in three sizes (mini, C7 and C9). The article found that the LEDs used 1 to 3 kilowatt-hours (kWh) compared with the 12 to 105 kWh used by incandescent bulbs. Although LEDs are slightly more costly than incandescent bulbs, the cost is quickly paid back through savings on your electric bill. The City of Portland used LED lights last year to show their holiday spirit and their electric bill shrunk from $35,000 to 9,000.
- Trees – It’s the age-old debate, getting a real versus an artificial Holiday tree. Some would think that an artificial tree saves the real trees and protects the environment more since you can use the same tree for several years in a row. However, getting a real tree is actually less carbon intensive. Why is this? Artificial trees are made out of a plastic called PVC, which is made from petroleum and can contain harmful materials, such as lead, a known carcinogen. Also, since 85% of artificial trees are manufactured in China, they are shipped a long distance (i.e., they use a lot of petroleum and emit a lot of greenhouse gases) before ending up in your living room. Even if you keep these trees for 5, 10, or even 15 years, they are still not bio-degradable, so will end up living in a landfill.
Real trees usually come from tree farms where another tree is planted when one is cut down. Also, when you are done with your tree, you can compost it, or buy a live tree and plant it if it is native to your area. By composting your tree, you will be able to cover and protect other tree roots and provide essential nutrients to the trees when it decomposes. It is good for the environment to purchase trees from a local nursery or tree farm so that the tree doesn’t have to travel as far to get to you. Plus, you are supporting the local economy. Also, local trees will most likely not contain harmful pesticides. - Gifts – Do you know a family member, friend, or co-worker that has everything? Why not buy them an eco-conscious gift such as a rain barrel or composting bin? A rain barrel allows you to capture rain water and use that to water your lawn and other plants and flowers. A composting bin is a great way to compliment your new single stream recycling bin! A composting bin can take items such as food waste, lawn scraps, coffee grounds and paper filters, paper, and tumble dryer lint, just to name a few. Most of those things you can’t recycle can be composted, minimizing the amount of waste you send to the landfill. And, with the monthly fee of the 90 gallon bin increasing here in Austin, reducing your waste and going to a smaller size can help you save money every month.
Also, if you are invited to a holiday party and want to bring a gift to the host or hostess, give the gift of green. Shower timers are a nice token of appreciation, as well as a native plant, such as an American Beautyberry or a Lady Banksia Rose. You can also bring your side dish or dessert in a reusable shopping bag and allow the host to keep the bag. - Waste – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that waste increases 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. Using less wrapping can decrease your carbon footprint over the holidays. Manufacturing paper requires fossil fuels and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Since wrapping paper is made from wood, millions of trees are cut down to make it. Add to that the climate change causing methane emissions from the paper breaking down in landfills, and you’ve got a climate catastrophe on your hands! So, scrap the wrapping paper by opting for reusable bags or fabric to wrap gifts. You can also use boxes or paper bags that you can personalize with your own creative touch.
