The holiday season means sharing time and traditions with friends and family. But all too often, it can also mean the generation of a lot of waste and pollution. In honor of the season, the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) offers this special compilation of regional and national web sites that provide tips for making your holiday celebration a little "greener" this year.
Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance Reduce.org - No Waste Holiday: http://www.moea.state.mn.us/campaign/holiday/index.html
Ohio EPA Office of Pollution Prevention - P2 Tips for Reducing Holiday Waste: http://www.epa.state.oh.us/opp/consumer/holiday.html
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection - Recycled Christmas Tree: http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/RECYCLE/Tree/tree.htm. Provides great tips on turning what might otherwise be considered "junk"; into Christmas tree ornaments.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection - Pollution Prevention & You Newsletter, Holiday 1997: http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/fieldops/sw/pollprev/newsletters/p2ltrv1n6.htm. Scroll down to "Twas the Night Before P2 Christmas" for a parody of the classic poem.
Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) News Release (December 2, 2003) - IDEM and Glendale Mall Promote "Eco-Friendly" Holiday Gifts: http://www.in.gov/serv/presscal?PF=idem&Clist=16&Elist=74842
INFORM, Inc. - Tips for a Cleaner, "Greener" Holiday: http://www.informinc.org/greener_holiday.php
Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas From the Adirondack Council (Includes information on Clean Air Certificates--each retires the rights to one ton of sulfur dioxide pollution): http://www.adirondackcouncil.org/holidaypress205.html
City of Toronto - 3Rs Creative Ideas for the Holidays: http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/ourcity/holiday3r.htm
Recycling Council of Ontario - Christmas Fact Sheet: http://www.rco.on.ca/factsheet/fs_gg02.html
Recycling Council of Ontario - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice: http://www.rco.on.ca/publication/rrrr.html
The Green Tourism Association (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Winter 2005/2006 Newsletter includes information on green gift options: http://www.tourgreen.ca/newsletter/tourgreen_winter05.htm?PHPSESSID=80827fc9e274d3241ae45f56a6c94b9c#3
Greening Schools - Waste Reduction - Holidays: http://www.greeningschools.org/resources/view_cat_admin.cfm?id=94
Illinois EPA Tips for Green Holidays: http://www.illinois.gov//PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=29&RecNum=4533
Wisconsin Focus on Energy - ENERGY STAR Qualified Home Electronic Products are a Smart Choice This Holiday Season: http://www.wifocusonenergy.com/data/common/dmsFiles/K_MK_MKPR_PR_1654909879.pdf
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - Tips for "Decking the Halls" With Less: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/news/on/#art5
Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) - Holiday Lighting Cost Calculator: http://www.uppco.com/home/lightingcalc.asp
Great Lakes Radio Consortium - A Lighter, Brighter Christmas?: http://www.glrc.org/transcript.php3?story_id=2481
For the angler on your list, see GLRPPR's "Suppliers of Non-lead Fishing Tackle": http://www.glrppr.org/docs/non-lead-tackle-suppliers.pdf
Recycled, processed-chlorine free wrapping paper and gift cards from Peaceful Valley Greetings (Minnesota Company): http://www.peacefulvalleygreetings.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=69
U.S. EPA - Reducing Holiday Waste: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/specials/funfacts/winter.htm
The Center for a New American Dream - Simplify the Holidays: http://www.newdream.org/holiday/
The Center for a New American Dream - Re-gifting Isn't Tacky; Thoughtless Gifts Are Tacky: http://www.newdream.org/living_green/archives/2005/11/regifting_isnt_tacky_thoughtle.php
Use-Less-Stuff - 42 Ways to Trim Your Holiday Wasteline: http://use-less-stuff.com/ULSDAY/42ways.html
Natural Resources Defense Council--The Great Green Gift-Giving Guide: http://www.nrdc.org/cities/living/ggift.asp
The Green Guide - Green Wrap and Gift Bags: http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?i=111&s=wrap
The Green Guide - Gifts That Get Around: http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?i=105&s=outdoorgear
The Green Guide - Non-toxic Toys: http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?i=105&s=toys
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Reduce Holiday Waste-Have a Green Holiday: http://www.p2pays.org/news/press_releases/112103.pdf
Grist Magazine - Gift Rapt: A Green Gift-giving Guide for All the Folks on Your Holiday List: http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2005/11/22/giftguide/index.html
Sustainable Industries Journal - The SIJ Holidy Gift Guide: http://www.sijournal.com/productspotlight/2038417.html
Union of Concerned Scientists - Low-Impact Holiday Shopping: http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/
University of Nebraska Lincoln Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County - A Green Holiday: http://lancaster.unl.edu/home/Articles/2002/GreenHoliday.htm
Environmental Defense Dreams of a Green Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa: http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentid=1110
Environmental Defense - Turkey Talk: Hold the Antibiotics This Holiday Season: http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentid=2512
California Integrated Waste Management Board - Deck the Halls With Less Waste This Year!: http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/PublicEd/Holidays/
Co-op America’s WoodWise Consumer Guide - WoodWise Holidays: http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/woodwise/consumers/whatyoucando/wwholidays.cfm
EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse - Energy Efficiency Factsheet Holiday Lights--LED and Fiber Optics: http://www.energyideas.org/documents/factsheets/HolidayLighting.pdf
EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse - Holiday Lighting News and Resources: http://www.energyideas.org/default.cfm?o=h,g,gs,ps&c=z,z,holiday%20lights,87
Solar Christmas Lights: http://www.realgoods.com/shop/shop6.cfm?dv=6&dp=601&ts=4110188&kw=solar%20christmas%20lights
Solar Powered Wreaths: http://www.realgoods.com/shop/shop6.cfm/dp/601/ts/4110189
Web Site Offers Charity Gift Options: http://www.whatgoesaround.org/_uploads/documents/live/Thechronicle.pdf
Seattle City Light - Holiday Lighting Tips: http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/light/conserve/cv5_hlt.htm
Keep Midland Beautiful - Yuletide Guide to Using Less Stuff: http://www.keepmidlandbeautiful.org/information/holiday_00.html
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) - Give a Gift of a Cleaner Environment With Our "Windy" Gift List: http://www.awea.org/news/news031209.html
Regional District of Nanaimo - Get in the Zero Waste Holiday Spirit: http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=177
Eartheasy - Sustainable Christmas: http://eartheasy.com/give_sustainchristmas.htm
California Department of Conservation Green Gift Guide: http://www.greengiftguide.com/
London - Trafalgar Tree is a True Ever-Green (Tree decorations are powered by a fuel cell): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1368503,00.html
Defenders of Wildlife - Go Wild This Holiday Season Wildlife Adoption Center: http://wildlifeadoption.defenders.org/site/Ecommerce?store_id=1381&VIEW_HOMEPAGE=true&FOLDER=0&TYPE=&NAME=&s_src=WD06ADOPT&s_subsrc=HADOPT