9 ways to green your holiday
Make it a green holiday (Photo by Amy Anastasopoulos)
Here at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), we’re gearing up for an eco-friendly holiday, so we thought we’d share some of our favourite tips on how to “green” your holiday celebrations.
- Bring a reusable bag when heading out to the store for some holiday shopping.
- Make unique and recyclable gift tags by reusing the front of old holiday cards.
- Wrap your gifts in recyclable materials, such as magazine ads, old maps or newspaper, or in reusable items, such as cloth bags, scarves or tablecloths.
- Save used wrapping paper for next year, or use it to store delicate holiday decorations.
- Use a potted spruce or evergreen if a tree is a holiday tradition in your family; they can be planted in the garden afterward.
- Decorate with everyday foods, such as cranberries, popcorn, nuts and fruit, which can be composted after the holidays. You can also go out in nature and collect items to decorate with, such as pine cones or acorns.
- Make your own gifts: paintings, knitted or crocheted items, jams, preserves or baked goods. Your recipient will appreciate the time and effort put into their gift.
- Give “experience gifts” like tickets to the local theatre, a concert or sports event, or gift certificates to local restaurants or spas.
- Donate to a charity in someone’s name. NCC’s Gifts of Canadian Nature are unique symbolic gifts of habitat and species, and perfect for the nature lover on your list. Help NCC protect Canadian habitat today!
About the Author
Amy Anastasopoulos is NCC's manager of direct response marketing.
