The holidays are here and the air is brimming with excitement. Shops are buzzing with busy shoppers, rushing to get those last-minute gifts. For those of us who are already overwhelmed with the accumulation of stuff in our homes, something that doesn’t occupy any space would be great. You know all the usual picks…gift cards, a night out on the town for a lucky couple, a cruise to Alaska (yes, I think big).
How about planting a tree?
Retale has teamed up with the Arbor Tree Foundation in a global effort to reduce the use of paper.
With their Green Gestures initiative, Retale has promised to plant a tree simply because I’m helping spread the word. Every little step helps to make our world a better place for our children. Do your part.
Slim Down! Put your mailbox on a diet – Opt out of receiving paper phonebooks, junk mail and credit card applications. Now, isn’t that nice?
Switch off! Turn the lights off if you are not in the room, something both Mom and Dad used to say all the time when we were kids. Set the thermostat in your home to the low 70’s. Switching things off will really help lower your energy bill, as well as saving the planet. If you are keen to save on your energy bill, then make sure you consider switching to a provider like Amigo Energy, as they may be able to help lower your energy bill.
Recycle! Commit to recycling paper and plastic products. Look for the triangle logo embossed on the bottom of plastic containers and toss those into the blue bin instead of the trash.
Repurpose! Reuse! Be creative and reuse whatever you can. I’m shameless – I’ve repurposed burlap rice bags as shopping bags. And those plastics you recycled? They could end up in your backyard thanks to clever folk who make it into Composite Decking Australia like Futurewood.
Being eco-conscious is most fashionable, Dahlink.
Get an Oil Change! Did you know that both the old oil and filter are recyclable?
Shop Conscious! Support businesses that are eco-conscious. Cost Plus World Market is my favourite place for furniture, because the lumber used to build much of their products comes from sustainable forests.
Look for the sticker under the table, chair, etc.
Get Your Hands Dirty! Plant a tree. Offer a new home to neighbourhood birds, bees, butterflies. But, if you’re worried about your fresh manicure, donate a dollar.
Spend a Dollar! The Nature Conservancy will plant a tree for every dollar you donate. This would be the coolest Christmas gift ever.
Talk, Tweet, Type! Give a shout-out. Help spread the word. If you have a blog, join the Green Gestures campaign.
It’s really easy to reduce your carbon footprint. You can sleep better at night, knowing you are doing your part to help keep the snow caps intact for the penguins and polar bears, the trees thriving to support woodland creatures, and the air fresh and clean for our babies and our babies’ babies.
That’s the legacy I choose.
Dear Colette, This is the perfect post for Christmas. You just gave us the perfect gift, and all we need to do is pass it along to family and friends. Thank you for this. 🙂
Warmly, Anna and Liz
Hi, ladies. Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed the post. Wishing you a very sweet holiday season! xo
this is one adorable post just in time for the seasonal celebrations,thnks for the inspiration 🙂
excellent tips!
A perfect post for the season, Colette. Thank you for sharing.
These are wonderful ideas Colette – thank you for them and keep them coming!! we so often get caught up in the whirlwind of the buying we forget about the bigger and far more important picture.
Mary x
thanks for the lovely ideas!
Glad you stopped by, Kumar!
Colette, what an important post, especially at this time of year – we do forget about these issues far too easily.
Hope all is well with you at this very busy time of year! Hugs to your darling Daisy, please!
Andrea
The Nature Conservancy sounds like a great use of a dollar!
Sending big hugs to you, too, my dear!
Thanks for checking in, Shashi. And happy bday to your bday. That chocolate cake ROCKS. xo
What could be better than this gift, thank you Colette for sharing these wonderful ideas.
I'm a bit behind in my blog reading – this time of year is always busy, but especially so this year. Thanks for this wonderful reminder that not all gifts have to be just more “stuff”. Environmental sustainability and accountability are very close to my heart, so I thank you for sharing this wonderful information with us! xoxo
Thanks for stopping by, Ambreen. Happy holidays to you!
Hiya, Carly. I know it's a very busy time of year. Glad you had a chance to catch up.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday season. xo
Hello, how nice! We need to restore oxygen to the earth
(Ciao, che bello!!! Dobbiamo ridare ossigeno alla terra)
Hi Colette,
Totally agree that having a good future is the greatest gift of all… I like the way how you bring us into this awareness. Let us do our part to create a better, greener future 😀
Have a lovely “green” and “clean” Christmas…
Zoe
Grazia, bella!
Thanks for reading, Z. Glad you enjoyed it. xo
This is a great post for the holiday. Most of us already have too many material things in our lives.
Colette – this may be my favorite holiday post this year! We stopped giving gifts many years ago. Instead, our family takes turns choosing a local/national/international charity and each member of our family – we are at 30+ now – makes a gift to that charity. It feels much better than getting more stuff that we probably don't need. Just to make it fun, we draw names and each give a gift (or multiple gifts) the total of which cannot exceed $5! It is a hoot – ad everyone gets very creative with their $5…
What a fun tradition, David. I love it. I wonder what I could do with 5 bucks….
Really great tips! And ones we should all be thinking about. Thanks for this.
These are fabulous ideas and ones we should all be thinking about. A wonderful post for this holiday season, thank you. I will be joining some of the initiatives you listed!
Thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed my post. Happy holidays!
That's great, Nazneen! Thanks for stopping by. Glad I stumbled on your blog. Happy holidays!
nice tips 😉