Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
READ MORE ABOUT:
In this the season of overdoing it (i.e. overspending and overeating) the best way to make your holidays green is to buy less and buy smarter. While buying greener products is better than not, the most eco-friendly way to live is always to cut your consumption. How do you do that? Well it's not as hard as you might think.
- Cut WAY back on the amount of food that you buy.
Save money, cut your consumption, and stop wasting food by cutting back on the amount of dishes that you serve at holiday meals and using recipes that don't include a laundry list of ingredients. Make enough for the upcoming meal and not so much that you have leftovers for a week Don't over feed your family and friends this holiday season. According to a study at the University of Arizona, we waste about 14 percent of the food that we buy.
Instead, declutter your pantry and give your nonperishable foods to a local food bank. According to Harvest Hope, since January, the number of families needing assistance increased by between 32 and 39 percent in my home state of South Carolina. - Cut the gift giving to a reasonable amount.
Have your kids pick their top five or fewer gifts. It's a lesson in saving dough and cutting the consumption in your family. Cutting back is even better than buying green gifts because no energy is expended to produce nothing.
Instead, do your seasonal closet cleanout. It's the perfect time of year to get rid of all your gently used clothing. According to Charity Guide, there are 600,000 homeless families in the United States and many are in need of clothing. - Skip the travel and stay at home.
Save dough and reduce your consumption of fossil fuels this holiday season by staying at home. According to the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year's holiday seasons are among the busiest long-distance travel times each year. In fact, during the six-day Thanksgiving travel period, the number of long-distance trips (to or from a destination 50 miles or more away) increases by 54 percent, and during the Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year’s Holiday period that number rises by 23 percent when compared to the average for other periods during the year. That's a lot of fossil fuels.
Instead, celebrate the holidays by volunteering at a local soup kitchen. With the economy like it is you can bet that many people are hurting and need your help. Have a stress-less holiday with your family by staying close to home and donating your time to the community in which you live. You have more time to enjoy the holidays if you don't have to travel.Related Posts:
How to Go Green: Gift Giving
The Black Page
Don't Forget about Buy Nothing DayWant to know what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint? Find out on Planet Green TV's Wa$ted.
-
- {}
