Gifts that Go Outside the Box
Holiday Waste Reduction Tips
Make your gifts greener this holiday season. We have given you great ideas for making your holiday-gift giving greener with no waste gift-giving, gift wrapping ideas, resources for green gifts and throwing a little to no waste dinner party.
Trimming the Tree
In trimming your tree this year use LED holiday and decorative string lighting have become increasingly popular because of the many benefits they offer such as increased safety because they don't get hot, energy efficiency, and ease of use. They used 1 to 3 kilowatt hours of energy, compared with 12 to 105 kWh for the incandescents, saving $1 to $11. Which doesn't include the benefits to the environment. LED holiday lights facts.pdf
Try to Reduce Your Food Waste this Holiday Season
It only takes a little planning and creativity to plan a no-waste party.
Estimate how many you'll be feeding before you plan your holiday menu. For example, if you are serving six, a 1/2 pound per person is more than adequate don't purchase a 20-pound turkey, unless you plan on sharing the leftovers. (But don't share food that has been unrefrigerated for more than two hours).
Freeze leftovers in tightly sealed containers as soon as possible. Soups, sauces and prepared dishes freeze especially well. Remember to label and date everything.
Decorate with plants, fabrics and other greeneries.
Give reusable gifts such as picture frames or a rosemary topiary.
Give no-waste gifts like theater or sporting event tickets, museum memberships, or spa certificates.
Purchase your party supplies in bulk and buy only what you need. Buying the largest size you can use saves packaging.
Use reusable dishes, utensils and cloth napkins. If you need paper products, buy the products with recycled paper content.
Gifts that Go Outside the Box
Make a gift
Everyone loves a homemade gift and they are so fun to make. You can find all kinds of great reasonably-priced used supplies to make holiday decorations and other neat things at SCRAP. All items at SCRAP were donated and most likely would have otherwise ended up in the landfill. Get Artsy! Be Crafty! Buy Used!
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Visit a Wildlife Center,
Educational Farm Community or the Bay |
Organic Eats,
Energy-Saving Twinkles, or Farm-Grown Beans and Jams |
Help Local People,
Animals or the Environment |
Charities
Resources for Finding Charities.
Charity Navigator
 Provides information on America's largest charities. It is an independent charity evaluator, working to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial data of charities.
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Changing the Present
 Lists gifts that can be made on behalf of someone else. The listing features a selection of many charitable organizations arranged by subject.
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