Santa goes green with gift-giving ideas

Here is a bit of holiday cheer: Gifts could actually save you money this season.  In virtually every holiday tradition, experts are offering thrifty, eco-friendly tips to help you consume less, conserve more and give Planet Earth a cleaner future.

One of the coolest new technologies for the holidays can be purchased for less than $10. LED lights for Christmas trees and houses are safer, last longer and use 90 percent less electricity than the traditional incandescent bulbs, according to Consumer Reports.  The lights are available in all major retail stores.

Another suggestion for a “green” Christmas is to purchase used tree ornaments rather than new ones. Remember the adage: “One man’s trash is another’s treasure.” Thrift stores, second-hand shops and garage sales offer unique or vintage ornaments. Or, consider making your own ornaments by reusing materials from old boxes, ribbons, photos and wrapping paper.

If you’re vacationing for the holiday break, go green by considering a destination that is closer to home, has public transportation and offers easy walking between locations. That will help cut driving costs and reduce the greenhouse emissions from your car.  If you rent a car, opt for a smaller hybrid that can also save on fuel costs and emissions.

If you do, however, need to make that cross-country ski trip, try visiting one of the top 10 environmentally friendly ski resorts in America this year, as ranked by Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition. You can find the list at www.skiareacitizens.com.

Also, Ian McKeown, sustainability coordinator for the University of Miami, recommends offsetting flight emissions by purchasing carbon credits.

“Some of those credits are directly used to plant exactly enough new trees to balance out your use of carbon for your trip,” he said.

Perhaps one of the most tangible threats to the environment each year is the estimated 50 million Christmas trees that are cut down. More than half of these reportedly end up in landfills. While the artificial trees that have recently grown in popularity seem to mitigate this, they, too, can be environmentally problematic as some are made with non-recyclable or even harmful materials like lead. Many are imported from distant lands.

“We always recommend that people buy real trees,” said Jennifer Berry, public information manager for earth911.com, a database of recycling resources online.

“For every tree that’s cut down, one to three more are planted in its place,” she said. “It’s an easy way to participate in a sustainable resource … and they smell fantastic.”

According to Earth911.com, by recycling trees after Christmas, mulch can be produced and used for reducing beach erosion or constructing fish habitats. A feature on Earth911.com will let you find a place to recycle your tree near Coconut Grove.

Even better, potted trees can also be purchased with their roots still intact and then replanted after the holiday, reducing CO2 emissions and topsoil erosion. (Some new businesses have even begun renting and replanting the exact same potted Christmas tree each year for a price comparable to buying a cut tree.)

Innovative chef and sustainability entrepreneur Arthur Potts Dawson has said that food consumption may represent the most wasteful industry around. But there are many possibilities for going green in the food industry. For starters, families can save money and reduce waste just by keeping track of the number of guests at meals and not preparing more food than is necessary. Several websites, such as allrecipes.com, offer great ideas and recipes for leftover turkey and ham.

The Soil Association, an organic farming and environmentalist organization, estimates that the average Christmas dinner can log more than 49,000 miles in imported ingredients. Buying seasonal and locally grown and organic fruits and vegetables can make a big difference by reducing shipping emissions and environmentally unfriendly chemicals.

Jamie Eagles is director of strategic development at the Shoreditch Trust, an organization of innovative, eco-friendly farmers and communities based in London. For her, being considerate about shopping is not only a matter of preserving the environment, but of preserving traditions.

“At our restaurants, we decide what to cook based on what’s around and in season,” she said. “It’s a pretty old fashioned way to approach cooking, which we feel have been lost recently.”

In Miami-Dade, a county program encourages restaurants to participate in a voluntary water-conservation effort. To patronize one of these establishments over the holiday break, check http://www.miamidade.gov/conservation/green_restaurants.asp.

Going a little classier can be greener, too. By using the china for holiday meals instead of purchasing disposable plates and silverware, Americans can save money and reduce waste.

And for those who really wish to go green, literally, this holiday season, eating green can make a significant difference. According to a United Nations study, the meat industry already contributes to one fifth of greenhouse gas emissions and meat consumption is expected to double by the middle of the century. This has to do to with high methane production, a much more destructive greenhouse gas than CO2, and deforestation from planting crops such as corn and soy beans, which are used in animal feeds.

Thousands of recipes are now available to those who would decide to go vegetarian for the holidays. And many of them are much healthier than traditional meat dishes. One website to check for recipe ideas is thedailygreen.com.

Finally, eco-conscious consumers this season can go green–and save some greenbacks– by carefully choosing gifts. Consider buying things that are durable and practical, perhaps even things such as kitchen supplies that a person would normally use. According to treehugger.com, 50 percent of Christmas gifts end up in the trash within a year. By giving practically, friends and relatives are more likely to use and appreciate a gift.

Ken Rother is the vice president of interactive media for treehugger.com, a prolific sustainability blog that publishes an annual green gift guide for shoppers. 

“It’s good to look for gifts that have a long-term green value,” he said, “like a nice water canteen or rechargeable batteries.”

Another option is to make gifts such as baked goods or crafts. Again, such gifts are less likely to be thrown out and can often be made with materials already around the house.

And for large purchases, like furniture, great deals can found at second-hand stores. Haven Sink is a director of public relations for the Salvation Army.

“We’re constantly getting high-quality pieces of furniture that have been donated by people who went out and bought new stuff,” she said. “So it’s not only putting money back into the local economy, but it’s keeping perfectly good furniture from going to waste.”

Trying to avoid giving the most popular new electronic devices, like cell phones, can be a good idea, too. Such items can quickly become outdated and their batteries, if they end up in landfills, can introduce harmful materials like mercury into the environment.

For consumers who wish to go green, the opportunities are plentiful, and perhaps even a little overwhelming. Berry, of earth911.com, said that the most effective goal is to reduce consumption, which goes up 25% across the board between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“Just even doing some small things can make a real difference,” she said.