Offer valid in US only.
Canadian and International Subscriptions
CLOSE WINDOW
BY Emily Horton
ILLUSTRATION Gwenda Kaczor
Anyone who's ever spent the holidays away from home knows how tough it is to break from cherished traditions. But to be honest, our celebrations could stand to evolve a little, at least from an environmental perspective. Fortunately, it's easier than ever to keep festive without straining global resources.
WRAP IT UP. Most gift wrap ends up in landfills. Instead of adding to the pileup, tap into your creativity: repurpose newsprint, maps, or fabric scraps. Prefer more polish? Fish Lips Paper Designs (fishlipspaperdesigns.com) sells stylish holiday wrap made from recycled paper and vegetable-based inks.
ECO-HOST. Resist the allure of paper plates when hosting a holiday party. If you need to add to your personal tableware collection, browse at a thrift store. As an alternative, Preserve (recycline.com) offers cheery, dishwasher-safe recycled-plastic goods. If you're determined to banish dishduty from your holiday plans, try eco-disposable dishware: VerTerra (verterra.com) collects fallen leaves to make lovely, compostable plates and bowls.
LET THERE BE LIGHTS. Replace incandescent strands with LED lights, and you'll use 90 percent less electricity. EnvironmentalLights.com stocks an especially eclectic selection. If you'll be lighting candles, choose natural beeswax or soy varieties over conventional types, which are made with petroleum-derived paraffin. Global Exchange (store.gxonlinestore.org) carries beeswax menorah candles and colored tapers.
HUG A TREE. Most live Christmas trees are farmed with pesticides and fertilizers, and artificial trees are predominantly made using toxic polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. Seek out a vintage aluminum tree; just keep it from ending up in a landfill. If your heart's set on going natural, decorate a houseplant, or find a sustainably grown tree through Green Promise (greenpromise.com/resources or localharvest.org). Most communities have recycling centers that will give dead trees new life as mulch or wood chips; check earth911.org for local services.
Your subscription includes
3 FREE digital recipe booklets featuring delicious Vegetarian Times recipes hand-picked by our editors.
Pay now and get
2 bonus issues!
Pay now and get
TWO EXTRA ISSUES FREE!
That's 11 issues for the
same low price!
CLICK HERE TO PAY NOW
Print
add to the tree list, plant a new tree each year! be sure to dig the hole early if you live where the ground freezes and only keep your tree inside for 5 days max. OK so it is alot of work to get it up, decorate, celebrate and move it out that particular week, but you get to walk around with your kids as they grow and remember stories from each year, their first, they year they got a bike, etc! great tradition
Also, if you want to go natural, some states National Parks and State Parks offer you to cut your own tree for a small fee. It actually keeps the forests healthier by thinning out trees (all trees cut have to be 6" diameter or smaller). We always have a "Charlie Brown" tree--but it's a great tradition and we're actually helping keep our forests healthier.
I think all these great ideas should be on a Facebook page or other social pages to spread the word. Everyone should care ! Thanks.