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3 You can make this a “greener” holiday season adapted from ecocycle.org 1. Use LED Holiday Lights LED lights can last up to 10 times longer, use 80 percent less energy than traditional incandescent holiday lights and are ENERGY STAR qualified. They are also more durable and shock resistant than other lights because they do not have moving parts, filaments or glass. Find them at your local hardware store, and don’t forget to recycle your old lights! 2. BYOB(bag) & Skip the Other Fluff It’s basic, but it’s easy and important. The key to bringing your own bag is to not forget them, and bags that stuff into little pouches are great for that. Also, say “no thanks” to all the tissue paper, ribbons and stickers that retailers so often include with your purchase, especially around the holidays 3. Re-charge it! Every year more than 15 billion batteries are produced and sold worldwide, and many are alkaline batteries that are thrown out after just one use because they aren’t recyclable. Replace your alkaline bat- teries with rechargeable ones. Newer models can charge in as little as 20 minutes! It saves you money and helps the environment at the same time. 4. Make Your Gatherings Zero Waste Rather than offer your guests disposable cutlery and plates, serve food on real, reusable dishware. If you must use single-use table- ware, look for compostable products. Compostable products should be BPI or Cedar Grove certified and can be brought to one of Ramsey County’s organics recycling drop-off sites. More information can be found at RamseyRecycles.com (click on organic waste). 5. Stop Junk Mail With the holidays come unwanted catalogs and other mail asking you to buy, buy, buy – but you can stop them. One quick tip: As soon as you receive an unwanted publication, call the 1-800 number located somewhere on the piece and ask to be removed from the mailing list to prevent any future mailings. Learn more tricks at www.ecocycle.org/junkmail. 6. Wrap it & Pack it Eco-Style Consider avoiding traditional wrapping paper. Its high-clay and low-paper content makes it difficult to recycle. Instead, get creative and choose a reused/reusable alternative like comics, posters, maps, blueprints or calendars (all recyclable), fabric, reusable paper or cloth gift bags, or bandanas. If you’re shipping gifts, replace foam packaging or bubble wrap with plastic bags or glossy ads from newspapers (the ink doesn’t smear like newspaper). 7. Choose Recyclable and Recycled Holiday Cards Make sure your holiday cards can easily be recycled by choosing cards without any non-paper embellishments like foil or ribbon, and look for cards that contain post-consumer recycled content. Or, give the trees a break this holiday season by using e-cards from web- sites like www.care2.com, www.jacquielawson.com or www.evite.com. 8. Try an Alternative to Cut Trees Instead of cutting down a tree, decorate a favorite houseplant or buy a live tree that can be planted in the spring. If you do opt for a cut tree, check with your waste hauler about disposal following the holiday. Most offer free cut tree removal for a limited time. After that, cut trees can be brought to the Ramsey County yard waste site’s White Bear Township location (Arden Hills’ site is not open in the winter). No flocked trees are accepted. Visit RamseyRecycles.com for more disposal questions. 9. Plan for Green Dining Plan your dinner party menu to include seasonal, organic food from local farms. Another easy way to make your meal eco-friendly is to make mostly, if not all, vegetarian dishes. When it comes to leftovers, don’t let them go to waste! Invite your guests to bring reus- able containers to take home any leftover food, or let them borrow your own reusable or recyclable containers. An online search for “holiday leftover recipes” will give you a plethora of creative ways to make your leftovers shine. 10. Go for Eco-Deco When planning a party, avoid streamers, balloons and other decorations designed for one-time use. Create centerpieces from what you have, like pottery pieces, glass ornament balls, fresh fruit, pine cones, squash, gourds and potted plants to provide a year-round green.