(This post was originally written December 2008. It has been edited.)
Photo: Jamie McCaffrey/Flickr
- Bought a real Christmas tree from a tree farm. Find out why this is a greener option than reusable, artificial trees. Made an enjoyable evening of decorating said tree with family while drinking hot cocoa and listening to A Dean Martin Christmas.
- Saved carbon emissions (and avoided annoying shopping crowds) by buying most gifts online. When buying from sellers on Amazon, chose those closest to Rhode Island so that less energy would be expended in transportation.
- Gave a homemade and eco-friendly candle as a holiday gift in the office exchange. The candle was made from unscented soy wax molded in a recycled aluminum can decorated with paper scraps and hemp string.
- Celebrated a snowy Winter Solstice with friends. We turned off our electricity for several hours, lit candles and drummed at sunset. While the energy saved may have been minimal, we enjoyed maximum reward from the intimacy of live music, dining by candelight and watching our children frolick barefoot in the family room.
- Spent two hours manually shoveling snow from the driveway, unlike my neighbor who used a loud, gas-guzzling, air-polluting snow blower. Added bonus: The cardio workout provided by shoveling reduced my guilt over indulging in some leftover pudding cake!
- Made holiday treats for the local wildlife. Sofie and I spread peanut butter on stale crackers and sprinkled it with birdseed. The following morning, we took a family walk leaving the treats for birds and squirrels in the park.
- Ditched the physical holiday cards for an e-newsletter, which spouted all the year’s news about the DeForbes family to friends across the country in less than 1 megabyte.
- Elected to spend the holidays at home instead of traveling to Philadelphia to see family. Assuming I did the math right, this saved 520 pounds of carbon from being emitted into the atmosphere via our car. Merry Christmas, Mom!
- Requested gift cards to Whole Foods so that I can continue my gradual switch to non-toxic hair and body products. Of course, you can get truly natural products at many other places, but I love that Whole Foods’ Premium Body Care standards does the label work for you.
- Saved all wrapping paper and holiday gift bags for reuse next year. Did not adorn my gifts with shiny bows or crinkly ribbon, as they are typically made from petroleum-based products and are not recyclable.
- 11. Remembered to bring reusable containers to a restaurant for bringing home our leftovers, thus avoiding Styrofoam and other harmful plastics. If you feel embarrassed by whipping out your grungy, plastic Tupperware, invest in some of these sleek stainless steel containers.
- Made a list of Green New Year’s Resolutions, some of which I actually plan to keep.
