1. Recycling Real Trees
Many people enjoy having real Christmas trees as opposed to artificial alternatives, but what happens to them after the holidays? In Las Vegas Valley there are 30 locations where you can drop off your tree anytime from December 26th through January 15th. The trees will be chipped into mulch and used in public gardens and parks across the valley to help conserve soil moisture and keep plants healthy.
A full list of recycling points can be found here.
2. Free Christmas Gifts
Why spend money on gifts if you don’t have to? Pledge to do something nice instead. Maybe make coupons for friends, family or the community, committing you to helping those in need.
3. Cut food waste
Try to only buy food that you need. Go to the supermarket with a list and stick to it. If you do have leftover food try to reuse it in new and exciting recipes. Transforming leftovers is a great way to save money, reduce waste and have fun with cooking! If you do have lots of food left over please donate it to local food banks or charities.
4. Gift Wrapping
Try to use “green” gift wrapping or recycled paper. Any leftover paper can be saved for next year or recycled. The same goes for Christmas cards, or even better send an e-card, saving the paper and carbon emissions associated with its delivery.
5. Environmentally friendly decorations
Many Christmas decorations such as tinsel and glitter contain plastic and are often not recyclable. Try to buy environmentally friendly decorations or even spend some time with friends and family making your own!
6. LED Christmas Lights
Everyone loves Christmas lights but they do use up a lot of energy. Try to tackle this by only buying highly efficient LED lights. These will also last much longer than traditional lights giving enjoyment for many years to come. Also make sure the lights are not left on all night. This can be through a built in timer or just by remembering to unplug them before bed.
7. Clothes
Thousands of tons of old clothes will be thrown away this Christmas. So if you do get a new wardrobe, make sure you donate your old clothes to a local charity to help those in need.
8. Travel
For holiday travel, consider sharing a car or waling. If you have to travel by plane or even by car, consider purchasing offsets for your travel. If you can stay at home this will save large amounts of CO2 emissions.
9. Skip Disposables:
Instead of using disposable paper napkins, cups and plastic silverware at Christmas parties this year, use dishes and cloth napkins instead. Not only are they reusable, but you can shop thrift stores to find charming mismatched sets of china and dishes that you’ll use again and again. If you must use disposable, spring for unbleached compostable products that reduce toxins and break down more easily than conventional disposables.
10. Avoid Gifts that need Batteries
Eventually, they may end up in landfill, where they leak toxic metals into the ground. Did you know that around 40% of battery sales are over the festive season? You can also now purchase rechargeable batteries.
