It's the start of the holiday season — the Jewish High Holidays just passed, Halloween is here and Thanksgiving is four weeks away.
Most go to great lengths — and great expense — to make the holidays special. The following Green Quick Fixes will help you shop, cook, clean and decorate your holidays green.
Plan your errands to minimize gas consumption. Put together lists before going shopping and map out your route.
Shop for items that have low impact. Natural fibers for clothes, paper products printed with soy-based ink, items with little or no packaging, books offset by tree planting (look for the Eco-Libris label), and locally produced foods.
When shopping online, reduce shipping costs and global energy impact by buying multiple items from the same vendor. Often when you buy in bulk, shipping is free. Request that items be shipped together instead of separately.
For those far away, consider gift cards and certificates that can easily be sent by post instead of large packages requiring more energy-intensive delivery methods.
Reduce consumption. Using paper and plastic products when feeding the family can produce a mountain of waste. Use what you have in the house, or if your crowd is really large, talk to nearby family and friends about borrowing additional housewares for the party.
During parties, put out separate bins for recycling and composting. Paper, plastic, glass and more. Make them festive by decorating with reused gift wrap, gift bags, ribbons and bows.
Save, wash, and reuse plastic utensils, gift wrap, bows, wreaths and more.
Turn the heat down or off if possible when guests come over. Lots more people in the house will naturally spike the temperature. Put your fireplace on during parties for some added warmth and glow. It's festive, and it's renewable energy.
Be sure dishwashers and laundry machines have full loads before running. Turn off the drying cycle on dishwashers and wash clothes in cold water (most hot water cycles do not reach sanitizing temperatures, so there is no health benefit to heating water for laundry) to save energy and money.
Many items can be cooked ahead of time, frozen and thawed. Cook multiple dishes together to reduce the time your oven is on. You can lengthen the cooking time on recipes calling for higher oven temperatures. Avoid or reduce preheat time to two minutes.
When cooking, have one side of your sink or a bin ready with soapy water for soaking pans with caked on food. This will reduce scrubbing time and water consumption later.
Use soy-based or beeswax candles. Conventional candles made from petroleum-based paraffin not only use non-renewable energy resources, but they release carcinogens and other toxins. The eco-friendly soy is also said to burn cooler and slower, and therefore lasts longer.
Look for reflective yard decorations. Car headlights and street lamps make them come alive without an ounce of extra energy!
Be a pioneer and try solar-powered holiday lights. They are now available all over the Internet, and between your telephone and computer, you may be able to find them locally, as well. Note that solar items contain materials that are hazardous waste. Care for these items well, and they will last for numerous seasons, then dispose of them properly.
If using conventional lights, use a reasonable amount and shut them off when everyone is sleeping. Switch to LED lights, and you'll consume a lot less energy!
Recycle old string lights at HolidayLEDs.com. Click on "Free Light Recycling." Keep them out of the landfill and get a 15-percent-off coupon!
Buy a locally grown living Christmas tree! Though it may seem like an artificial tree is the greener option because it is reusable, Christmas tree farms are sustainable and PVC plastic trees are not recyclable. Call ahead and see if you can find a tree grown pesticide-free. The key to keeping it low-impact is what you do with the tree after the holidays. Replant it if the tree is only indoors for seven days. If you are sure it is pesticide-free, you can sink it in a local pond and it will become aquatic habitat. Or compost it. Some cities have tree recycling programs and will do it for you. Beverly, Salem, Lynn, Swampscott and Danvers pick them up curbside on designated dates. Marblehead and Middleton accept them at the transfer station. Go to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Christmas Tree Recycling page at www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reduce/xmas tree.htm for more information.
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Andrea Fox, a Beverly resident, has been writing about environmental sustainability and eco-topics for eight years. She is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and a watershed protection advocate in Salem Sound Watershed.
