Green & Red – Gift the Environment This Holiday
December 18th, 2009 by Eric Frye
According to National Geographic, Americans throw away an extra million tons of garbage each week from Thanksgiving to New Years. Surprising? Probably not, when you think about all the holiday gift wrapping, cards, packaging, paper plates, party decorations, bottles and cans, and personal sanity you throw away every holiday season! Reduce “seasonal seepage” with these green holiday tips:
Recycle Your Tree: Instead of taking up space in a landfill, recycled trees can be ground up into wood chips to be used as mulch. Christmas tree recycling is localized — perform a simple search engine query to find area receptacles. Recycled Christmas trees go to work in conservation projects across the US!
Send e-Cards or Eco-Friendly Cards: Did you receive Upright’s holiday e-card this week? With over 600 recipients and sending 1 card as a group (vs. individually), we calculated savings of 8,000 cubic yards of paper! Electronic cards require no ink or postage costs, and save emissions by avoiding postal shipping.
Party Green: Avoid disposable products when entertaining guests if possible. When disposable plates and napkins are the only option, consider products from recycled materials. Many eco-minded consumers prefer Chinet Paper Plates and Natural Value Luncheon napkins.
Have a holiday greening tip of your own? Comment on this entry to share ideas with our readers. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa this December! May it be a safe and enjoyable time with loved ones…from the Upright Family to yours.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:05 pm
All great ideas… thanks for sharing. However, growing up in New Mexico, when I hear “green and red” the first thing that enters my mind is chile! They joke that that’s our State question. For example, order an entreé in a restaurant and they frequently ask, “Would you like green or red (chile) with that?” Yummy! Of course, you Cincinnati folks probably have no idea what I’m referring to. I doubt there’s very much good Mexican food in Ohio! =c)
December 21st, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Thanks, David! I’m glad to be able to remind you of home– haha. You’re right about the Mexican food here…it’s really the only reason I moved to Los Angeles (I work remotely from LA and am starting a new Upright office here)
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.