Go 'Green' This Christmas

Like many people, Kay Frank is proud of her Christmas tree. But unlike most trees decked out in silver and gold, Frank's tree is decorated with trash. That's right: trash.

Frank, outreach educator for the Solid Waste Institute, prides herself on recycling and used scraps of paper, candy wrappers, soda cans, egg cartons and paper cups to decorate the tree in her office.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generate 25 million tons of trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Frank tries to do her part to reduce that amount. The artificial tree, purchased about five years ago, didn't come with plastic wrapping or a box. "We found it in a yard sale for $5" said Frank. She also recommend buying a live tree and replanting it after the holidays. "In addition, you may want to recycle your tree by finding a way to have it chipped down. The chips can be used for mulch in flowerbeds."

Frank believes folks should focus on creativity and personalizing gifts, as it reduces the "stuff" and the need to throw away packing and other things during the holidays. "If every family used just 2 feet less of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the planet," said Frank. "Reducing wrappings, reusing ribbons, serving food on non-disposable plates, collecting cans and bottles for recycling all carry unspoken messages about our concern for the planet we live on."

Frank has earth-friendly recommendations for almost every facet of the holiday season - from gifts to mail to table ware. "When choosing gifts, give a living plant, a gift certificate, tickets to a concert or a donation to charity you and the recipient both support," said Frank. "Or purchase durable toys that will last or pass on something old that you treasured as a child." To reduce mail packaging, Franks suggests canceling gift catalogs you don't need, sending e-greetings to friends who are online and sending gifts in reusable cartons. Many families will find themselves hosting many of guests, which creates more soda cans, bottles and paper table ware. "Make sure separate bins for trash and recyclables are clearly marked," said Frank. "Use nondisposable dishes when possible."

Kurt Robinson, president of Save the Illinois River, has an easy solution for reducing waste during the holidays. "Give gift cards at your loved one's favorite stores," said Robinson. "No big boxes, no wrapping paper, no hassle. And to save gasoline, do it all online!"

Meredith Lee, education outreach coordinator for the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, also tries to be 'earth-friendly' during the season.

"One thing my family and I do is to use reusable plates and cutlery and cloth napkins, for meals and also for entertaining," said Lee. I also try to be conscientious with my gift-giving, so as to give items that will be useful and not create waste.

Lee agrees with Frank when it comes giving waste-free gifts. "One thing I've done is to give concert or event tickets," said Lee. "Other ideas are coupons for services, adopting a species or green space, or making a contribution to a charity in someone's name."

Ed Brocksmith, member of STIR and water conservationist, does his part. "I'm not an environmentalist, just a water conservationist," said Brocksmith. I merely try to recycle glass, aluminum, motor oil and paper. I try not to purchase things that are overpackaged, and try to use rechargeable batteries."

Nancy John, director of environmental programs for the Cherokee Nation, believes holiday cards alone make up a large part of the waste.

"Last year alone, we [U.S.] sent around 744 million Christmas cards," said John. "If all these were recycled instead of thrown away, it would help to save the equivalent of 248,000 trees. Talking about saving trees, more than 8,000 tons of wrapping paper will be used on Christmas presents, using the equivalent of about 50,000 trees."

After doing some research Lee came up with some other 'green' ideas for Christmas, including: using LED Christmas lights in place of traditional lights, as they are 90 percent more efficient, emit little heat and last about 200,000 hours; and recycling Christmas trees as Frank suggested. To find the nearest tree recycler, Lee suggests visiting www.Earth911.org.