5 Easy Steps to Save Money, Time and the Planet during the Holidays!

December is a time for holiday parties, visiting friends and family, and doing a lot of shopping. For many people it is also a time of great stress. Besides being pressured for time and money, the planet is also under pressure. In December the U.S. generates twice as much waste creating over 2 million tons of waste a week! Seventy percent of Americans say they wish there was less focus on shopping and more on the important things in life. This year you can enjoy the holidays while saving money, time, and the planet when you follow these 5 easy steps.


5 EASY STEPS TO SAVE MONEY, TIME AND THE PLANET DURING THE HOLIDAYS
1. Shop Local. When you shop local you can save money by ditching your car and walking. You can save time by cutting down your time commuting in your car. Or take the train/bus to the closest neighborhood with a shopping district. You can do some fun window shopping, get some exercise, and save the planet some carbon. You also keep the money flowing in your neighborhood, help create jobs, vote with your dollars, get better service, and invest in the community. Now don't you feel better already?

2. Give the gift(s) that keeps on giving. Instead of the latest and cheapest gifts on the market, here are some ideas for gifts that keep on giving - Reusable Gifts. Don't worry, hese haven't been used already! They are gifts that people will use over and over again saving them time, money, and helping the planet.

• My favorite is REUSABLE BAGS. Wait! They can be cute and fun, besides durable and practical. We use over 4 million tons of shopping bags and gift wrapping in December! You can give gifts in reusable bags OR give them as gifts. Try Chico, Baggu, or Envirosax. 
• Stainless steel or BPA free reusable water bottles and mugs. Do the planet, and all the animals and people a favor and help keep as much plastic out of the waste stream as possible! Americans use 2.5 million water bottles an hour and throw away 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups a year! Check out Kleen Kanteen, or discountmugs.com.
• Cloth Napkins. If everyone used one less paper napkin a day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year! Even better, we would save somewhere around 2 million trees a year. Check out Crate and Barrel or prontohome.com for some cloth napkins.
•  Lunch Boxes/Reusable Containers. Making lunch instead of eating out or buying hot lunch at school, is healthier, costs less, and wastes less. Save someone the toxic mess and waste when you buy them an Eco Lunchbox.

These are my favorite reusable gifts because they get everyday use, are better for our health and the planet.

3. Cook less/Eat More. What? Well, after holiday parties Americans throw away 28 billion pounds of edible food. So we need to either cook less, eat more, or get a pack of dogs to eat the leftovers. You can also bring containers for leftovers at family parties, or plan ahead and familiarize yourself with local food shelters and charities who would appreciate the extra food.

4. Just say Foil! And say NO to styrofoam. Many people eat out more often during the month of December. When you are taking your leftovers say yes to foil and no to styrofoam. Styrofoam use is up at restaurants to save money because it's so cheap! Well, it's not good for your health or the planets. Styrofoam, or polystyrene, is made with petroleum, a non-sustainable and polluting resource. According to the EPA it is the 5th largest creator of hazardous waste and it is a possible human carcinogen. It's bad for humans, for animals, and the ozone. So what if it's cheap! On the other hand, aluminum foil is easily recycled and it's up to 95% energy efficient to recycle it! Visit NoFoamChicago.org for more information.

5. Live and let Live. What if you could replant your Christmas tree? At RootsforChristmas.com you can! (Well, at least you can in Chicago). Roots for Christmas is a pilot initiative to transfer live trees from farm to house to city. They will bring your tree to your house and pick it up 14 - 18 days later to plant in a tree starved neighborhood in the city. I love this idea and I think other places will follow suit. Many places offer tree mulching after the holidays, so take advantage because over 30 million trees are cut for Christmas and 10 million end up in landfills.

 

I hope this helps you enjoy December a little bit more, saves you money, and frees up some time. But mostly I hope it helps make the planet a healthier, safer place because that's good for all of us!