How are you planning to reduce/reuse this holiday season?

[kristen.c]

With Thanksgiving drawing near, and more people beginning to think about and shop for the holidays, I thought it was important that we discuss what our plans are for reducing waste and finding ways to reuse this holiday season.

I plan on looking into buying recycled wrapping paper if I can find it for a reasonable price, and I'm also hoping to get some recycled card stock this weekend for the homemade Christmas cards I do each year.

What are your ideas or plans?

[Prizm99]

I'll be honest, I haven't done much to reduce and reuse this holiday season yet. I of course reuse gift bags/boxes every year. I am saving all the cards I get to reuse in craft projects or to donate to a place that recycles them.
This year my family did agree to setting a limit on the gifts so there won't be as much wrapping paper used.
I am also going to try to make some homemade gifts especially those light bulb ornaments.
I'm open for more suggestions!

[OHeather]

One idea that you can do with old X-mas cards is to save the front and reuse them to make new ones. Just glue onto plain cardstock and write your own message on the inside. It would be a great activity to do with kids too. You could just use the back to write a message, then you wouldn't be using all the extra paper. You could also just cut out a part of an old card also and make smaller cards, or don't do Xmas cards at all. I've always thought that they were a waste of money! They are also taxing on the environment when you think about how much paper/energy it takes to make them, how much it takes to deliver them etc etc.

I am doing family presents this year for close friends instead of gifts for the kids and for the adults. Last year I got tickets for a sports game, so we could all go together and have fun. Yeah it only lasted one night, but it was a fun night!

We also reuse bags and tissue paper each year, as well as boxes. My MIL also reuses the wrapping paper each year--not my favorite idea, but it is better for the environment and her wallet!

Other than presents, there's also food to think about. How wasteful is it to throw out all the extras on plates & pop it into the trash? I plan on throwing ours into the compost and making some good soil for the garden. Now if I can get whomever clears the dishes to do it...

We are also not planning on buying new LED Xmas lights, just b/c they will save a few dollars this year. The lights that we have still work, so I think buying new ones would be more wasteful than using what we already have.

I will also be making our own wreaths from the extra bows/limbs that are cut off the tree. I save the wreath ring each year and just make my own. They turn out much nicer than the ones you buy. :)

[Prizm99]

I forgot to put that we have an artificial tree so that is one less tree cut down for Christmas. We only leave our Christmas lights on only for a short period of time each day when we are home.

[moon and stars]

I started making my ds2 a ragged quilt - I need to get busy on it again. A lot of the material used for it is from clothing we no longer wore. i did the same thing for ds1 last year.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

I have not even begun to think about the holidays yet other than buying a few gifts here and there. I tell you the biggest thing for is the packaging that gifts come in. All the plastic clam shells (I think you can reclycle them as plastic), twist ties that secure the toy in the box like a lock on Fort Knox (I save them, use them for cord organization and whereever else a twist tie can come in handy), cardboard (recycle), etc.

I have gobs and gobs of wrapping paper from years ago when someone traded me 100 gift wrap winetags and I hit after christmas clearance. I also love gift bags and boxes and I have a good assortment of wrapped shoe boxes (Hollywood wrapped so you just untie the ribbon and open the box and you don't have to rip off the paper) Christmas printed shirt boxes (so you don't have to wrap them) and then dollar store gift boxes and thrift store cookie tins. All of which we use over and over again each year to put gifts in to decrease the waste we throw away.

We also have a fake christmas tree since live ones are my only asthma trigger.

The biggest thing I am doing this year is to just watch the packaging and try to give gifts with minimal packaging. And trying to make or buy local handmade gifts too to cut down on shipping and cost (although I do order a lot of stuff online...I am sure it is so bad for the environment!)

[mmandjsmom]

I am reducing my budget most of all....I am giving teachers, babysitters, mother-in-law, grandma, etc gifts of stuff from my bargain stockpiles. I seem to always pick up tons of "this would make a good gift" stuff all year long, then never give it away. This year I am going to give it away!!! It's not so much about budget....but that doesn't hurt...it's about reducing the amount of stuff in my house. Right now, we have a big 10x25 foot storage room. We want to finish it off into a rec room for the kids (and hubby). To do so, we need to clear it out. It will also feel good to have some of the stuff gone.

[spiderdust]

This has been a goal for us for the past couple of years... we realized a while ago that we have more than enough *stuff*, and so does everyone else that we know. Rather than giving just any old thing and adding to everyone's clutter, I try to give things that are either consumable or actually wanted. I may also give gift cards to places like grocery stores or gas stations (esp. for my siblings who are struggling college students). If I can, I try to make my gifts do double duty... buy my gift cards through an elementary school fundraiser, buy wild rice pancake mix from the White Earth Land Recovery Project, buy yarn made from recycled silk saris from an organization that fights domestic violence (ooh, that one does triple duty!), etc.

Sometimes I've given gifts of charity. For example, we have a friend who owns a yarn store and is a master knitter. One year we gave her a "knitting basket share" from Heifer International... the Knitting Basket sends 2 llamas and 2 sheep to an impoverished village. The villagers raise the animals and are able to use the wool to earn extra income.

[ocean_brez]

Like some of you, we also have a fake Christmas tree that we purchased for half price about 4 years back. Although we miss the smell and look of a real tree, the trade off has more than paid for itself in many ways. The best part about our tree is that it came pre-strung and so all we have to do it put it together and arrange the branches to our liking. Electric-wise, we have timers inside and out, that we set to turn on/off our decorations at certain times. Can't beat that.

As for wrapping, I save all of the gift bags, wrapping paper (within reason), and tissue paper that I receive, as well as the presentable bows to reuse for other gifts. Because of this, I rarely have to buy wrapping paper. Tape on the other hand gets wasted, so we won't talk about tape. As to cards, I get so many cards, labels and calenders in the mail from different non-profit orgazations (I wish they would stop selling my info.) that I sometimes don't know what to do with them. So, instead of having to buy cards, I use those most times. And, when I think about it, I donate the extras.

This year I am going to make more of an effort to cut down on buying the extra non-necessities. I will still buy gifts for the kids and DH, but the gifts that they receive are going to be more focused along the lines of what I think they really need (and would appreciate) as opposed to what they think they should have. It is going to be a bit tough and I am already not looking forward to shopping with DH for Chrismas stuff.

[Prizm99]

Originally Posted by queenofthehivemomof5

We also have a fake christmas tree since live ones are my only asthma trigger.

My hubby is allergic to pine trees so that is our main reason why we don't do a real one. The smell of a real one is just wonderful.

[kristen.c]

We have pine allergies over here too. I sneeze and get migraines, and when we were little my brother would get really sick every year around Christmas.

Last year we needed to replace our artificial tree because all of the fake needles were falling off. My mom had two artificial trees in her garage that her and my dad used in their classrooms back when they were teaching. We tried those, but one was much too big for our apartment and the other one had an older tripod stand which didn't come off, and fell over twice while we were trying to put it together...not good with a crazy dog in the house. So we did end up buying a new tree at Target but sent all of the other 3 to the thrift store for people that weren't as picky and just wanted any tree.

[spiderdust]

You know, that brings up an interesting point... we're going to have to replace our own Christmas tree before next year (we have a fake one due to allergies, too -- not to pine, but to fir... and I grew up on an abandoned Christmas tree lot!) and I'm not sure how to dispose of our old one. I don't suppose there's any way to recycle them?

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Originally Posted by spiderdust

You know, that brings up an interesting point... we're going to have to replace our own Christmas tree before next year (we have a fake one due to allergies, too -- not to pine, but to fir... and I grew up on an abandoned Christmas tree lot!) and I'm not sure how to dispose of our old one. I don't suppose there's any way to recycle them?

Some ideas...

Donate it, freecycle it, sell it on craigslist. Someone out there might want it.

Reuse some of it: I pick up discarded artifical christmas trees off the street durring our citywide clean up week and have been able to turn the branches or parts of the branches into wreaths and swags. With some good wire cutters you can snip that part pretty quick. I decorate them up with florals, pinecones, ornaments and ribbon and they turn out really cute.

What is left usually is the metal "truck" and a few leftover metal ends from the "branches" which can be recycled.

[searcher]

I have been saving usable gift wrap from gifts received for a few years now. I reuse gift bags as long as they are in good shape. I reuse bows if possible. Last yr we had to throw out our fake tree so we bought a real one. It was so nice. We haven't had a real tree in yrs! The cat enjoyed it and knocked it over trying to climb up! If I can find a good one at the thrift store I will buy one, otherwise, I will probably go out and get another real one this yr and watch for sales after christmas for next yrs tree. I purchased my turkey for 29 cents a lb and ended paying $2.60 for a 12-13 lb bird! I save my bread heels and leftover cornbread in the freezer to use for dressing. I recycle everything. I have a recycle drop off close to where I live and I take all my plastics, glass, cans there. I give my newspapers to the local Goodwill and they are always in desperate need of paper to wrap breakables. I throw all my food scrapes on a compost pile. I burn all our personal information. I can take the cardboard and other paper to the recycle drop off. If I am burning personal info I will ususally go ahead and burn any paper lying around. My waste from the litter box I have been taking to my sons trash for trash day. If anyone knows how to recycle that please let me know!! I wash and reuse ziploc bags for as long as they are good. As for gifts I have found a lot of good ideas here for gifts that are more environmentally friendly and more personl.

[txvillan]

We also have a fake tree. I am planning on making my own gifts this year. I wanted to make cookie mixes, baking mixes in jars for gifts. However not sure if I can reuse Pasta and Sauce jars for this would that be ok to reuse them for this purpose?

[kristen.c]

Originally Posted by txvillan

We also have a fake tree. I am planning on making my own gifts this year. I wanted to make cookie mixes, baking mixes in jars for gifts. However not sure if I can reuse Pasta and Sauce jars for this would that be ok to reuse them for this purpose?

I reuse those all of the time for storing stuff like dried beans/grains I get from the bulk bin. They can retain an odor, so what I do is wash and dry the jar really well. Then put some vinegar in the jar (about 1/4 full), put the lid on tightly, and then turn it upside down. I leave it like that for at least 24 hours. I try to remember to shake it a few times to coat the inside of the glass. Then I wash it out again, and leave it air dry on the counter top with the lid off and there's usually no more odor. If you do find that there's still an odor, repeat the process. I usually have at least one jar going so I will reuse the vinegar from one jar in another so that you aren't wasting it.

[OHeather]

I found a great way to reuse something I already had and minimize the amount of non-eco-friendly packing material I needed to ship a package... Toilet paper and paper towel holders can be used as spacers between boxes/packages within one bigger box.

[kristen.c]

Originally Posted by OHeather

I found a great way to reuse something I already had and minimize the amount of non-eco-friendly packing material I needed to ship a package... Toilet paper and paper towel holders can be used as spacers between boxes/packages within one bigger box.

That's a great idea!

I've added something else to my lists too, I will be making some ornaments for my extended family members instead of buying something this year. The felt I got for part of the ornament is made from recycled soda bottles! I didn't even know that existed!

[RedSoxRosie]

From Food Network Magazine:

5 Ways to make you Christmas earth-friendly:

1. Hang LED string lights. Holiday lights are an energy drain, but what fun is Christmas if you don't illuminate your house like the Vegas strip? Opt for LED light strings. They're up to 98 percent more energy-efficiant than traditional bulbs.

2. Use recycled wrapping paper. No need to wrap Mom's sweater in the funny pages. Choose pretty wrapping paper made from post-consumer waste. One ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees, four barrels of oil and 7,000 gallons of water.

3. Run the dishwasher. Fill 'er up after those big meals. A fully loaded dishwasher uses less energy and water than washing by hand. Avoid prerinsing, and choose the lightest cycle.

4. Light soy candles. Decrease your oil dependency with candles made from renewable waxes, like soy and beeswax. Traditional paraffin-wax candles are petroleum-based.

5. Buy a real Christmas tree. Fake trees seem like the eco-friendly choice, but may are made of petroleum-based vinyl and shipped from China. Most real Christmas trees are from tree farms-and an acre of evergreens prduces enough daily oxygen for 18 people, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

[kittensqueak]

This year I'm pretty much making cookies, candies and breads for Christmas gifts. I may buy a few select things, but there is nothing anyone wants or anything I see that I need/feel the need to buy anyone. (I may be getting my mom this super cool new cookbook!! - Love PW)

I stocked up on canned milk at the (dreaded) Kroger and Flour, Sugar and canned Pumpkin at WAG. I got all kinds of nuts and dried fruits at CVS and WAG. I'm slightly proud of my haul - so perhaps I'll get some pictures!

[IFALLSMICHELLE]

We purchased the energy efficient holiday lights last year.

I am try to give "green" gifts - I am giving several people nice quality reusable shopping totes. I am still searching for some other "green" gifts.

[kristen.c]

Wow-- I can't believe it's already been a year since this was started!

Some new things for us this year: I'm making all of our gift tags out of card stock scraps that I've been collecting over the year specifically for that purpose. I finally finished out my stash of store-bought tags last year, and I resolved not to buy new ones this year.

This weekend, we bought LED light strands at Home Depot to decorate the outside of our house with. I'm also going to try to use some of our Holly tree clippings and collect some pinecones to decorate the planters on the front porch.

I also have plans to make some decorations for the inside of the house, but that may be put on hold until next year as things are already hectic and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!

[Frugal Cook]

Originally Posted by RedSoxRosie

From Food Network Magazine:

5 Ways to make you Christmas earth-friendly:


5. Buy a real Christmas tree. Fake trees seem like the eco-friendly choice, but may are made of petroleum-based vinyl and shipped from China. Most real Christmas trees are from tree farms-and an acre of evergreens prduces enough daily oxygen for 18 people, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

This to me makes no sense. You don't buy an artificial tree every year, but if you have a real tree you cut one down each year.

We have an artificial one because of allergies. We also don't do outside lights, just the lights on the tree.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

I have heard conflicting stories about which is better a real tree or a fake one.

On the one hand a real tree takes 8-12 years to grow to 6-7 foot height and then it is cut down. During those 8-12 years while it is growing it is providing oxygen and whatnot. When a tree is cut down a new one is replanted and farmed trees are grown in a cycle where some are cut, some are planted. When you are done with a real tree it can be composted or mulched and returned back to the earth.

A artificial tree however is usually made of petroleum products and metal (steel) and not usually of recycled materials (I wonder if anyone makes a fake tree from recycled materials?). They are shipped long distances, usually from China. And they are usually used 5-7 times before they are thrown in a landfill.

Personally I use a artificial tree because of allergies, and we have had our 9ft tree for 10 years now...and I can see us getting quite a few more years out of it because it was a quality tree.