Green Christmas

Happy New Year's, Festivus, Kwanzaa, and Winter Solstice too!

One of my goals over the holidays is to reduce the environmental impact of our merrymaking. We are avid recyclers at our house, as we divert over 75% of our household trash into recycling or composting. It is really helpful that our trash service provides unlimited pick up of unsorted recyclables and yard waste.
The disposal company also replaced our 96 gallon trash can, that was rarely more than 1/3 or 1/2 full, with a 35 gallon can. We received a 20% discount from our bill too, a very nice present anytime of year, :oD.

Some other things I did to have a "Greener" Christmas included shopping at thrift stores for books and kitchenware, reusing gift bags, boxes, and bows, and sending gift cards via email. We are also transitioning to LED holiday lights which are more energy efficient, and we always turn off our Christmas lights nightly.

We have an artificial tree now, but before we had real trees at Christmas, that we recycled by cutting up the branches and trunk, to put in our yard waste barrel. We used to keep a section of the trunk for our yule log for the following year, but that tradition went by the wayside, along with the real tree and wood burning fireplace, now converted to piped gas.

A lesson we try to teach our children at the holidays and throughout the year, is one of caring and kindness. This not only extends to each other, friends, family, neighbors, and the less fortunate, but to our home and world we share.

Thank you so much and wishing you a Wonderful New Years with much Health and Happiness to you and yours!