What’s on the top of eco-conscious people’s Christmas wish lists? A “greener” Christmas, that’s what! People are searching for eco-friendly, inexpensive holiday decorations and gifts this year. As a matter of fact, Deloitte has announced that one out of five consumers will be purchasing more eco-friendly products during the 2010 holiday season. Consumers will be seeking out companies that maintain sustainable practices and products – and they’re not shy about the price of these “green” products, as 17% of consumers reported that they are willing to pay a little more to do their part conserve and save the Earth.
The top two things on the list for conserving the environment this year are:
1) Skipping the plastic bags. A lot of stores offer handy (and eco-friendly) bags with handles for a minimal fee. Many of these bags are made of canvas and you can use them anywhere you shop. Just because you buy the bags at the grocery store doesn’t mean you can’t use them at the Dollar General or any other store that you choose to do your holiday shopping in.
2) Gift wrapping will be either eliminated or people will use materials including fabrics and vinyl tablecloths that can be reused for the next season or crafting projects. There are also recyclable wrapping papers to choose from, so keep your eyes open and read the labels when you are shopping.
The Christmas Tree Dilemma
People are wondering if cutting down the real Christmas trees is worse for the environment than buying an artificial tree. The answer is: NO! There are organic tree farms that grow their trees without causing any harm to the environment, plus they specifically grow the trees for the Christmas season and plan to plant more each year. Jus the chemicals that are emitted into the atmosphere while making the artificial trees is bad enough, let alone the fact that they are made out of PVC or non-renewable plastics, which will sit in landfills for years to come when they are thrown out.
You can elect to go without the tree this year to show how environmentally friendly you are, but most of us enjoy the sweet smell of fresh pine, so find an organic tree farm in your area and do your part to have a greener Christmas this year.
Green Lighting
What’s Christmas without the lights? LED lights are the environmental choice this year. They use less electricity, which means you will spend less money on your electricity bill also!
Christmas Cards
You can go in several different directions with holiday cards. The e-card is a bit less personal than the traditional holiday cards, but people are definitely trying out this avenue for their holiday greetings this year. If you can’t tear yourself away from the old-fashioned card-and-envelop-in-the-mail routine, try looking for greeting cards made with recyclable paper.
After the holidays, you can pack the cards that you received this year and reuse them next year. Simply cut them up into small square and rectangular shapes and use them as gift tags.
These are just a few ideas to help you green your Christmas this year. If you are interested in more “green” holiday ideas, stay tuned…I’ll be posting up some green holiday decorating ideas for this season in the near future.
Happy Holidays from your Bowdabra Family!
About the Author
Sandy Sandler is founder of non-profit Crafters 4 Kids and creator of the QVC best-seller, the Bowdabra. Her frugal craft projects and activity ideas are designed to transform the creatively-challenged into creative pros. Sandy’s focus is on creative and easy projects that parents can do with their kids and that kids can even do on their own that are both frugal and green in nature. Crafters 4 Kids focuses on projects that can be done under 5 minutes and under $5. Visit www.C4K555.org. Contact Sandy at jaimevivre@mac.com
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