8 Ways to Green Your Black Friday
This story is part of Earth911’s “Green Eight” series, where we showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas.
Let’s start with a quick explanation of “Black Friday.” Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, when retailers offer special deals to kickoff the holiday shopping season. It’s also one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
If you were looking for how to green that song by Megadeth or the 1940s sci-fi starring Boris Karloff (or countless other Black Friday references), you’re in the wrong place.
Now that we’ve got that cleared up, who’s ready to hit the mall? The busiest shopping day of the year has the potential to leave a size 15 environmental footprint—regardless of whether your shoes are purchased for 50 percent off. This year, consider these eight ways to show your green side:
1. Scout Deals Online
Are you still waiting to find Black Friday deals from newspaper inserts? Sites like black-friday.net and techbargains.com collect all the ads, so you can create a shopping list and choose stores to visit ahead of time. You’ll save paper by reading ads online, and you can reduce gas consumption by planning your trip in advance.
2. Eat at Home
Some of the best deals may require waking up early and leaving the house before sunrise. Instead of grabbing breakfast on-the-go, where you’ll need to dispose of wrappers, napkins and utensils, make a quick breakfast before you leave the house (or eat when you get back).
3. Dress For the Weather
You may have to wait in line for stores to open, so keep in mind this is late November. Wearing layers and a winter jacket will keep you warm while you dream of that new flat screen TV, so you won’t need to spend energy on a space heater while camping out. If it’s too cold outside for waiting, see if a neighboring business is open (like a coffee shop) before sitting in your car with the heat blasting and the engine running.
4. Keep and Recycle Gift Cards
Black Friday is a great opportunity for using gift cards you’ve accumulated from previous holidays. But once all the money is off the card, ask for it back instead of letting the clerk throw it away.
A company called Earthworks accepts everything from gift cards to hotel key cards, which are recycled into new cards. Considering these contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC), why not collect a bunch and mail them off to be recycled?
5. Look for an Open Box
You may have a fear of buying products that are “open box,” thinking it’s another term for “I won’t work when you take me home.” The reality is that many open box products were returned by a customer that didn’t use them, so you’re getting a new product for less money.
You’ll also ensure the product doesn’t have to be shipped back to a manufacturer for repackaging. Be sure to ask one of the store employees why the product is open box though, to guarantee there are no defects.
6. Discuss Eco-Friendly Features
Deals are important on Black Friday. But here’s a few other terms to keep an eye out for when scanning price tags:
- Made of recycled materials
- Energy-efficient (or the ENERGY STAR logo)
- Organically grown
- Fair Trade certified
It may be tough to find a store associate during such a busy shopping day, but make sure to ask these questions if you can’t find the information on your own.
7. Ask About Take-Back Recycling
It’s likely that your Black Friday purchases will replace other products in your home, from computers, to washing machines and even clothing. So what becomes of your now obsolete products? One option is to investigate whether the store accepts these items for recycling when you purchase a new item.
Large electronics retailers have recycling programs you can utilize for this purpose. If the store doesn’t offer recycling, use Earth911 to find local recycling options so you don’t end up storing useless products in your garage.
8. Monitor Bag Use
According to Nielsen research, consumer electronics see the largest spike in purchases of any item on Black Friday. Most of these products will be large enough that you can decline a bag and put the receipt in your pocket.
For other purchases, what about bringing your own reusable bags? Keep in mind that any plastic bags you do get with your purchase are recyclable at the proper locations.
