Green: A Holiday Color

Here's a gift you can give me.

I read an article recently that stated this fact: the amount of trash produced by people increases by 25% over the holiday season.

I would believe it. I might even go so far as to say it doubles. Think of all of the gifts - the packaging, and the items they replace. Each new cell phone means an old one gets tossed. The same for cameras and computers. This doesn't count the actual wrapping paper, paper made for a one time use, to be torn and then stuffed into trash bags that weight less than one of my boots.

This isn't even getting into the food we prepare and throw away. The parties where we use paper plates, foil baking tins we can toss, and paper table cloths, all because we want to save ourselves the trouble of the clean up.

As you might know, I get a little crazy when it comes to our Earth. I worry about my impact on this planet, and genuinely do not understand people who casually use plastic water bottles or shrug off the amount of waste they make. I had a second blog about it, but I somehow started running out of things to say. That doesn't mean I have stopped trying to make progress, it just means I'm busy doing things other than write about it. I realize that sometimes the problem is so big, and it's easier to either choose to believe a solution will be found without your individual input, or that it somehow doesn't matter. And to you, it may not. You may be dead. But your grandchildren may suffer for it.

I have made it a practice not to purchase wrapping paper. (Santa is allowed one roll.) I use odd things, like leftover butcher paper, coloring book pages the kids have used, all taped together. Sometimes Santa assembles toys and leaves them under the tree with a ribbon! This is one of the ways I (and Santa) try to reduce waste. I re-use ribbons from everything. (I can remember Mom and Linda collecting ribbon off the floor after Christmas when I was a kid and rolling my eyes. How things have changed!)

Anyway, if you want to give me a gift this Holiday Season, please keep an eye on the things you are throwing away. Can it be reused? Recycled? Did you need it in the first place? Please make an effort to take a few extra steps to reduce. If you can't do it because it's the right thing to do, do it because you love me!

Merry Christmas, Planet Earth! This post was my gift to you!