I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

They call it the silly season but there are still certain areas that need some sensibility to stay in tact. Yes I am going hippie on you and talking about being eco friendly this Christmas. Here are a few helpful hints to keep in mind.

1. Use recycled products. You can buy gorgeous Christmas cards, wrapping paper and gift tags all made out of recycled ingredients. A creative idea is to wrap presents in fabrics (and of course reuse the fabrics after)
2. Don't forget to take your enviro bags when attending to the hoards of present and grocery shopping.
3. If you are buying electronic goods for someone special you can check online how they rate energy efficient wise (Greenpeace rates Nokia and Sony as the best brands).
4. Whether you have a real or faux tree you can be green with both. Faux - store it and reuse it year after year. Real - purchase from a local tree farm and then after Christmas is over use the tree as mulch or compost.
5. You can look up which Christmas lights are the most energy efficient. While at the time it may seem lighter on your pocket to go for the cheaper lights, you will generally end up paying more in power bills and of course, the environment pays too.
6. If purchasing children's books - I have just read an article that, Disney Publishing Worldwide and HarperCollins both support Idonesian Deforestation (http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/indonesian-deforestation). It also suggest which books are the best to purchase.
7. You can even go one better and buy presents from green gift stores. You can find some great online ones which stock unique presents ideal for that "person who has everything" perhaps.

So these are my tips for really giving something back to the environment this season.

xoLD