I’ve had this post started for quite some time and then when I heard today is Green Monday, I figured it was perfect timing to get it finished and posted. I was thinking–how wonderful to have a day during the holiday season dedicated to being more environmentally friendly. Boy, was I wrong! Green Monday is actually a term that was coined by ebay, and it refers to their most profitable day of the December. For some companies it’s more profitable than Cyber Monday and is a huge online shopping day. It has nothing to do with the environment. Oh well, at least ebay does do a ton of resale–lots of stuff on there is being re-used and that is environmentally friendly.

Anyway, here are some tips from some local “green” businesses so that we can all do our part this holiday season. I know it’s very disheartening during the Christmas season when all of our trash doesn’t fit in our weekly trash can pickup–I hate creating all that extra garbage and waste. These are pretty simple ideas, but if everyone did them, collectively it would have an impact. Anyone can do these–they are not extreme or over the top.

Gift wrap

Certainly buying wrapping paper for the sole purpose of wrapping something and then tossing it is really pretty wasteful. But kids love to open presents. So do what you can to salvage the wrapping paper to use again next year, for craft projects or to wrap decorations and other items for storage. For other gifts, use re-usable bags that are available just about everywhere. Be creative–just yesterday I found this pink sparkly Christmas ornament, so I grabbed a marker and made it the gift tag for a birthday present.

Gifts

Consider buying gifts that aren’t “junk” and won’t end up in a landfill a few months from now. Think about gifts of theater tickets, movie tickets, restaurant outings, spas, food and more.

Dismiss the notion that any gift you give has to be brand new, that’s simply not the rule anymore. Some of my little guy’s favorite items are things we purchased as a consignment store or sale, including his birthday bike.

Tara, owner of Scout and Annie Vintage Home Goods in Kennett Square, says,

“Vintage is the most environmentally friendly way to go! “

Their green philosophy is threefold:

• 1.  Great design that’s built to last (it already has!)
• 2.  Re-use in its purest form
• 3. “Fifty Mile Furnishings” – they are committed to sourcing and refurbishing our furniture from local vendors and craftspeople.

You can also make your own gifts using a combination of old and new items. For example, you can make your own bath salts and gift them in Mason jars. Once the recipient has used all of the bath salts, they can hang on to the Mason jar for another craft or storage idea.

You can do lots of creative and unique things with Mason jars or Ball jars.

Decorations

Try to find decorations that are either vintage, have family/sentimental value to you, built to last forever or is environmentally friendly. In other words, not cheap, mass produced junk that you’re going to throw out in a few years.When you get your Christmas tree, cut some greens from the bottom and use those to decorate your home and make it smell good too.

For outdoor decorations, Longwood Gardens has a nice instructional flyer on how to make outdoor ornaments for the birds. This is not only better for the environment but something your kids will enjoy doing.

wildlife tree homemade ornaments that feed birds

Trees

It’s a myth that real Christmas trees are not good for the environment. Most trees are grown on tree farms just for that purpose, so actually by buying one you are supporting a local farm and helping to preserve open space. However, there is an issue with all these trees in the landfills. Ask your local borough or township about mulching options, or cut it down for firewood. While we want to support our tree farmers, we don’t want all these trees in our landfills.

Cards

E-cards and e-gift certificates are very popular and don’t require any paper. If you do purchase cards, look for ones either made from recycled materials or ones that support an environmental charity when you purchase them. Eco Boutique in Kennett Square sells them.  Anyone can sign up for Mail Chimp, and it’s free if you have a mailing list of less than 2000. This can be a great way to send out the annual “Christmas letter” informing all of your family and friends of what you’ve been up to the for the past year.

Use reusable when you can and don’t overbuy

Overall, just use reusable items whenever and wherever you can. Use real utensils, real plates and cups, cloth napkins and tablecloths and so on. Not only will your entertaining have a more sophisticated feel to it, it’s better for the future of our planet. Only buy what you need, don’t go over the top with extras. Food, snacks and anything else thrown in the trash is just like throwing money away. Just buy what you need and buy reusable whenever you can.

This is just a short list of ways to get started. What are some ideas you have?