A 'Green Christmas' Can Be a Good Thing

The St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership has issued a press release encouraging residents to to make it a green holiday this year by taking steps to minimize their environmental impact while they spread the holiday cheer.

"While the holidays are a wonderful time of giving and celebration, it's important to be mindful of the additional waste that is produced during the holiday season," said Susannah Fuchs, Senior Director of Environmental Health for the American Lung Association of the Plains-Gulf Region.

"From gift wrap and packaging to holiday decorations and paper and plastic dish and flatware, many people don't realize just how much waste is generated. Luckily, there are a number of simple steps we can all take to cut back on the waste we create, lessen our environmental impact and, in turn, help improve the region's air quality as we celebrate the season."

Consider these "green" alternatives:

• You can cut down on that trash by using reusable bags or baskets instead of wrapping paper. Or, if gift wrap is needed, consider using plain brown paper, children's artwork or even old road maps, calendars or the colored comic pages from the newspaper can also serve as more environmentally-friendly options. It's also possible to cut back on ribbon usage by using paint or markers to decorate packages. Recyclable natural fiber raffia can also be a good alternative for ribbon.
• Purchase a live holiday tree that's native to the region and replant it after the holidays. Those who can't replant their live trees are encouraged to recycle their trees after the holidays. Residents can also lessen their environmental impact by decorating their trees and homes with natural, biodegradable items such as cranberries, popcorn, dried flowers and live greenery. Using energy-efficient LED lights instead of traditional holiday bulbs is a more environmentally-friendly means of illuminating the tree and home.
• Cut back on waste by utilizing reusable glassware, flatware and dishware rather than plastic, paper or Styrofoam items, and using cloth tablecloths and napkins. If paper products are needed, consider purchasing products with recycled content and those that are biodegradable. Providing containers for recycling aluminum and glass beverage bottles and cans, serving organic and/or locally-grown foods and preparing only as much as needed can also help to reduce waste at holiday gatherings.
• Give experiences, rather than things, including tickets to a play, concert or sporting event; music or cooking lessons; restaurant gift certificates or even a gift certificate good for a lunch date. These types of gifts are more personal and don't come with wasteful packaging that's harmful to the environment. Other ideas include giving a donation in a loved one's name to a local non-profit organization; choosing gifts with environmental messages, such as canvas tote bags, refillable thermos bottles, coffee cups or other items made with recycled materials; or preparing home-baked treats or other homemade food items and providing them as gifts to loved ones.

"Because less waste in our landfills adds up to less pollution and emissions in our air, the simple changes in the choices we make can have a very significant impact on our environment and in the quality of the air we breathe," Fuchs said.

"That's why it's so important for each of us to choose to make it a greener holiday this year, and we hope that residents continue making these green choices as we head into 2012 and beyond."