Search
Advertisement

Consumer / Kirstin Cole

E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Dreaming Of A 'Green' Christmas

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print
   Digg    Facebook    Stumble It!    Delicious del.icio.us    Fark
Dec 21, 2007 12:16 pm US/Eastern

Dreaming Of A 'Green' Christmas

Featured Slideshows:
Holiday House Decorations - Send Us Yours!
Hot Holiday Gifts For Kids

TRAVEL: Planes, Trains & Automobiles Guide

Anneris Halady, CBS 2 HD

NEW YORK (CBS) ― With Christmas just days away and greenery at every turn, you might be thinking a little more about how to stay green for the holidays. Here are a few ideas from CBS 2 HD and WCBSTV.com.

The Environmental Action Team points out a few tips for a green holiday.
  • Before you begin driving around looking for gifts, consider car-pooling with friends or family member.
  • E-mail a digital holiday greeting is a great way to stay green! Not only are you saving paper, but you're also saving time and money.
  • Reuse holiday wrapping paper. Don't have any lying around? Then buy recycled wrapping paper or take a step further and substitute paper entirely with fabric.
  • Use special LED holiday lights for decorating your home. LED light use 10-times less energy then the normal miniature lights.
How About Green Gifts?

Think about giving your friends and loved ones something from the oven.

Homemade goods such as cakes, brownies or cookies are a nice touch to the holiday season. Putting in the time and effort to create a homemade gift benefits the environment and demonstrates that you care.

How about the gift of entertainment? For example, take family members on a trip to a museum or give a gift membership to a gym. Movie tickets are nice, and Broadway shows, concerts and sporting events are also very thoughtful.

You can also give a particularly precious gift: Time. Many people would give anything for any extra hour in their day -- especially during the frenzied holidays -- so offer up baby-sitting, pet-sitting, computer help, home repair or your volunteer time with a charitable organization.

What About All Those Trees?

This year, try an artificial tree instead of a real one. You can use it over and over again. If you already bought a real tree this year, wait until after the holidays and buy an artificial one at a steep discount that you can use next year and in the years that follow.

If you have a real tree, be sure to remove the tinsel, lights and ornaments when you place it curbside in January for the Department of Sanitation to recycle for compost.

Think Conservation

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, 30 million to 35 millions real trees are cut in North America, each year. For every tree that is gathered, three or more seedling are planted in its place. It would take approximately 15 years for a seedling to mature enough to be harvested for a Christmas tree that stands around six-feet tall, the NCTA says.

Some 500,000 acres of land are used for tree production, Earth911.com reports. Each acre has the capacity if creating oxygen for 18 people. There are 21,000 producers of trees in North America, with Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin standing as the top tree-producing states in the country, Earth911 says.

Your old Christmas trees can be recycled to become several useful things instead of ending up as landfill. In a national survey conducted by the National Christmas Tree Association, trees become mulch or compost, which create nutrients for plants; trees are also used to prevent beach erosion and for creating water habitats. Trees also are used to manage river and lake sedimentation.

The Department of Sanitation called last year's Christmas tree recycling program a "'Tumulchous' Success."

According to the Department of Sanitation, from January 5 to January 16, 2007, 166,638 Christmas trees were collected.

The mulch created from all these trees was used in parks, community gardens and baseball fields throughout the city. Look for future announcements about how to recycle your tree.

Click here for more information from the New York City Department of Sanitation. 

Holiday Slideshows

'Tis the season to decorate your home. From snowflakes, to reindeer to glimmering lights, WCBSTV.com wants to share the festive sights. So send us your photos and let us help you share the holiday cheer.
    Slideshow: 2007 Holiday Decorations
   Slideshow: 2007 - Looking Back At The Weird
   Slideshow: 2007 - Looking Back At Entertainment
   Slideshow: Santa's Naughty Or Nice List, Hollywood Style
   Slideshow: 2007 - Looking Back At News
   Slideshow: 2007 Celebrity Deaths
   Slideshow: 2007 - A Year in Sports Scandal
  Slideshow: Holiday Images In Bryant Park
  Slideshow: More Holiday Houses
  Slideshow: The Holidays In New York

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.