【圣诞我知帖】Ways to Go Green for Christmas Christmas

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Make "green" more than just a traditional Christmas color. Consider the many ways you can "go green" for Christmas:buy local organic foods; give fewer gifts, homemade gifts, or eco-friendly gifts; use old Christmas cards for gift tags and send electronic holiday greetings instead of paper ones. You've been environmentally conscious all year, so don't let the rush of the holidays throw you off track. Even adding only one or two green strategies each Christmas contributes to saving the planet and its resources.

Real Trees
Put up a real Christmas tree this year instead of an artificial one, and do it without guilt. According to the Oklahoma Forestry Service, most real Christmas trees grow on tree farms, not in forests. While the process of making and shipping artificial trees pollutes the air with greenhouse gases, real Christmas trees remove carbon dioxide from the air as they grow. Saplings then replace every tree that is cut down, in turn growing and cleaning the air of carbon dioxide. Buy a local and/or certified organic tree that has not been sprayed with pesticides and you will minimize your Christmas carbon footprint even more.

Recycle Your Real Tree
Real Christmas trees, unlike artificial trees, are biodegradable and recyclable. Yet, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, millions of trees end up in landfills every year. Many cities and states have a Christmas tree pick-up or drop-off after the holidays. The National Christmas Tree Association notes that the state of Georgia turns the trees into high-quality mulch for playgrounds and beautification projects; Burlington, Vermont, uses chipped Christmas trees to provide electric power to homes in the area; and New Hampshire fisheries use the trees in the state's habitat restoration project. Check Earth911.com to find your nearest Christmas tree recycling program.

Replace Incandescent Bulbs
Switch to light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, to light your tree and your home. LEDs consume 90 percent less energy than incandescent Christmas bulbs and can last up to 50,000 hours outdoors and twice that indoors, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Western Area Power Administration. Energy Star notes that the energy used to power one 7-watt incandescent Christmas bulb is enough to power two 24-foot strings of LEDs. If LEDs are not an option for you, use other Energy Star qualified lights, which save 75 percent of energy over incandescent bulbs.

Reduce Paper Waste
During the holidays, Americans generate 25 percent more trash than at any other time of year, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Go green by reducing your Christmas paper waste. Consider not wrapping gifts, especially large gifts, but simply adorning them with a bow. Give gifts in reusable containers. If you must wrap, buy recycled paper, or better yet, use paper you may have around the house. Use the Sunday comics to wrap a child's gift or stamp some craft paper left over from another project.