Some people try to make “eco-friendly’ complicated, expensive, or “alternative.” In truth, it’s just a matter of combining common sense and frugality. Take the Holidays, for example. Most of us will spend way too much money, be stressed out, and end up hauling 12 bags of trash to the curb the next day. Not very friendly to yourself or nature. So here are some tips to make the holidays even easier for both of you.

Decorations: the “disposable” ones inevitably fall apart before the season is over, causing you more headaches. Just buy a couple sturdy nice ones that you love and reuse them every year. Resist the urge to buy junk every year. Give away to charity (in November!) all those tangled strings of light. Buy the minimum you need—and make them LEDs. Less time figuring out which ones are the ones you want to use this year, and less energy use, which is easier on the planet and your pocket book.

Gifts: the thought really should be all that counts, because even when you spend hours finding the “perfect” gift, you still can’t predict how well it will be received. Give things that get used up, like food or perfume, or a gift certificate to a restaurant or tickets to an event. You know they’ll use it, and it won’t end up in the landfill or their hall closet when it breaks.
For kids this means finger paints, play dough, art supplies, and stickers. They like these best anyways. When you feel you must buy a toy, buy something with the least amount of packaging: it’s easier on the environment, your back, and the parent’s patience. The blinky-light, vibrating, noisemaker in the flashy packaging needs a parent with tools to unwrap it, batteries to operate, and gets old quickly—except for that one sound button which the child will push over and over because it drives mom nuts!
A heirloom-quality small wooden toy, puzzle, game, or blocks will cost the same, not annoy anyone, pollute less, and will be played with again and again. And it won’t require batteries. Speaking of which, rechargeable AAs and a battery charger would be a fabulous gift for any parent on your list. If this seems too practical, throw in a gift certificate to a movie theater or a video store.

Food: have you ever actually run out of food at the holiday dinner? Neither have I. Don’t buy so much, and the less-packaging rule applies here too! The more packaging food is in, the more chance that it’s bad for you. If you want “convenience food,” order sides (or the main course!) from a local deli or grocers—you can’t get more “convenient” than that. Ask at the Farmer’s market for local meat for your main course: it’ll taste better fresher, and generate less pollution from shipping.

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