Tips For A Greener Holiday Season

“Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all, heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.”

~ James Allen

The holidays have arrived, and while it’s known as ‘the most wonderful time of the year,’ it also is the most wasteful.  In honor of America Recycles Day, free to be yoga tees® wants to remind everyone to recycle this holiday season, plus offer tips for a greener holiday season. 

America Recycles Day, celebrated on Friday, Nov. 15, is a nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States.

Did you know...

*Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday period than any other time of the year.

*In the U.S., annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons. 

*If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet.


*If every American family wrapped just three presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.


*The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the United States could fill a football field 10 stories high. If we each sent one less card, we'd save 50,000 cubic yards of paper.

More tips for a greener holiday season...

*Reduce the number of bags thrown out by bringing reusable cloth bags for holiday gift shopping. Tell store clerks you don't need a bag for small or oversized purchases.

*Remember to save or recycle used wrapping paper. 

*Send recycled-content greeting cards to reduce the amount of virgin paper used during the holidays. Remember to recycle any paper cards you receive. You can also try sending electronic greeting cards to reduce paper waste.

*Turn off or unplug holiday lights during the day. Doing so will not only save energy, but will also help your lights last longer.

*Approximately 33 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America every year. After the holidays, look for ways to recycle your tree instead of sending it to a landfill. Check with your community solid waste department and find out if they collect and mulch trees. Your town might be able to use chippings from mulched trees for hiking trails and beachfront erosion barriers.

*Consider the durability of a product before you buy it as a gift. Cheaper, less durable items often wear out quickly, creating waste and costing you money.

*When buying gifts, check product labels to determine an item's recyclability and whether it is made from recycled materials. Buying recycled encourages manufacturers to make more recycled-content products available.

I’d like to highlight that last tip, as I completely agree with that point!  :) As you may already know, recycling is an important part of the free to be yoga tees’ line.  Some of our styles are made from recycled materials--take for example, the unisex t-shirts and hoodies.  They are made from a blend of 50% organic cotton and 50% recycled plastic bottles. In addition to tees, free to be’s eco tote is made from a blend of 80% recycled cotton and 20% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.  Even the shipping materials are made from 100% recycled material--from the envelopes to the tissue paper.

So as we enter the hustle and bustle that comes with the holiday season, lets not forget to be kind to the earth.  While we might all want a white Christmas, a green Christmas is just as important.

Until next time...

Namaste,

Julie

Sources:  US EPA, CBS.com, RecycleWorks.org, Use Less Stuff, AmericaRecyclesDay.org