Pine trees are not going to be the only things that are green this holiday season! Blend a couple of these environmental tips with your typical holiday traditions to craft a holiday season you will want to recycle for next year!
This year, instead of throwing a typical party to show off your Holiday finery, consider hosting an ugly sweater party. Have guests head to parents’ closets and second-hand stores to hunt down a tacky treasure to wear. It is a great way to reuse old clothes, and will save everyone the cost of a new outfit.
Turn down the heat! You can reduce your carbon emissions, save on your electric bill, and have a great time all in one holiday-wrapped package!
No holiday gathering can truly be deemed a party unless there are lights and decorations up. When shopping for lights, look for LED strands. They are comparable in price to traditional strands, yet last 10 times as long and use up to 80% less energy than their incandescent counterpart.
As for party beverages, “green” your holiday beer by getting a keg rather than cases of beer to reduce aluminum can waste. You can rest assured knowing that you “precycled” – reducing your waste before it is even made! And if when wrapping up those presents, use some old newspapers. Your presents will look great, and you’ll have given your old newsprint or magazines a new life.
If you plan on having a gift exchange at your party, venture out to some of the small boutiques downtown Champaign and Urbana have to offer to find gifts. Not only will you be contributing to the local economy, but you can reduce pollutants produced by long distance shipping of products, save yourself a trip to the vastly overcrowded mall, and find your friends some truly unique gifts!
Anne Logisz
No comments:
Post a Comment