Have an eco-friendly holiday

Green Tip #4: Going green for the holidays. When it comes to conservation, it’s the little things that matter most. Give a gift to the environment this holiday season by taking the time to conserve! Here are 10 ways to have an eco-friendly holiday:

1. Buy a potted or “balled” Christmas tree and replant it after the holidays. You can create a year-round habitat for local wildlife.
2. Recycle or mulch a cut tree for use in gardens and playgrounds. Avoid discarding it in a landfill.
3. Replace plastic bows with reusable cloth ribbons. Save gift wrap and ribbons to decorate next year’s gifts.
4. Wrap gifts with colorful pages torn from magazines, the Sunday comics, last year’s calendar or old maps and posters.
5. Instead of wrapping paper use decorative tins, baskets, boxes, or fabric bags.
6. Conserve electricity by installing a timer on holiday lights. And invest in LED holiday lights.
7. Send Internet holiday greeting cards or traditional cards made from recycled paper.
8. Trim your tree with edible ornaments like popcorn, cranberries or gingerbread cookies! Later, move your tree into the yard to give the birds a holiday treat!
9. Enjoy a delicious cup of organic hot coco. Cocoa contains twice as many antioxidants as red wine.
10. Give holiday gifts of “time” to your family and friends. Nothing is more valuable!