Green Décor Galore

The holidays are upon us, and a great way to get into the spirit is to decorate your home and office with the look of the season. There are many fun ways to festoon your home without depleting too many resources. Be eco-festive in style with these décor tips:

Reuse or Lose…

Money and time, that is. Before heading off to your local big box store for more pine made of plastic, tiny little lights, or shiny metal menorahs, look around the house for decorations from years past. Chances are, you have a box (or many!) filled with holiday decorations aplenty. If you are really crafty, there are many guides on the Internet for making your own decorations out of stuff you already have around the house like CDs and yarn. Besides, who wants to shop when you could be outside making a snowman, the ultimate in low-impact seasonal décor?

Neighborhood Swap

If the prospect of hanging up decade-old decorations has you feeling more like Ebenezer Scrooge than Tiny Tim, try swapping some of your décor with that of your friends. Many people save their holiday cheer in a box from year to year and would be happy to trade with you. It’s a great way to reuse, and a fun way to try a different look without buying anything new. Just keep in mind that the ornaments made by your children have to stay on your tree until they are well into their twenties (no exceptions).

Decorate With Savories & Sweets

Instead of making centerpieces out of items that must be purchased and then stored or discarded like flowers or ornaments, try filling your bowls and vases with holiday treats like local produce or fair trade chocolates. Your guests will love the extra opportunity to snack (’tis the season – who doesn’t?!), and you can rest easy knowing that your home has that holiday feel without any of that not-so festive waste.

Low Impact Purchases

If you have exhausted your stock of recycled lights and tinsel and find yourself faced with a trip to the store, buy decorations that go lightly on the land. Here are a few suggestions:

• Trees and wreaths should come from renewable, organic sources
• Avoid products that won’t biodegrade (like those made with plastic)
• Buy energy-effciient lights

Also, many artisans make eco-conscious, fair trade, lead-free ornaments and other household decorations that are widely available on the Internet and in stores. Strands of popcorn and dried cranberries are a good full circle choice too – when you are done with them, they make great festive fodder for the compost!

Leave the High Beams to Rudolph

If your holiday calls for extra sparkle, be sure to buy LED lights, which use much less electricity and present much less of a fire hazard than conventional bulbs. Also, put your lights on a timer, so they aren’t glowing needlessly long after the last spin of the dreidel or ho, ho, ho.

Green Your Greetings

In order to save paper (and time!), consider sending your glad tidings electronically. If you decide on paper cards, be sure they are made with the highest level of recycled paper content. Just look on the back of the box to see how much post-consumer paper has been used to make your card.

Another fun option is to reuse holiday cards from previous years. Unless your friends and family are particularly verbose, chances are that most of your cards can easily be used again to spread more cheer. Just cut off the back for a great repurposed greeting!

Wrap in Style

Many of you may have memories of heaping piles of presents under the tree, followed by heaping piles of garbage from all that wrapping paper the next day. Consider a more creative ways to dress up your gifts, using items like scarves, decorated newspaper or reusable gift bags that won’t require so much of that precious paper commodity.

Bows and ribbons can be reused from year to year too. If you do buy wrapping paper, reuse it whenever possible, and (of course!) buy the kind with the highest level of post-consumer recycled content. Are you starting to sense a paper theme here that is not just for the holidays? Keep the spirit of recycling and responsible purchasing going year round!

Waste Not, Want Not

Guarantee that next year’s stocking is not filled with coal by recycling all of your old decorations. Give them to friends or your local thrift store, and if they are beyond reuse, use Earth911’s recycling locator to find a place to recycle your discarded décor.