"GREEN HOLIDAYS"

A guide to a greener, cleaner holiday season

Regardless of which holiday you are celebrating or which faith you identify with, the holiday season is a time of family, celebration, and good will. The Interfaith Environmental Council has compiled a list of green practices that will help you fulfill your moral and ethical obligation to care for creation. Help our community create a better future for our children and our grandchildren by ensuring that our holiday seasons are always healthy and happy ones.
  • Gift-wrapping and holiday cards are among the items that are often made from recycled content. For some creative ways to approach wrapping and holiday cards this season, see the Department of Conservation's "Green Gift Guide" on the Web at www.greengiftguide.com. For additional information about waste reduction, visit the California Integrated Waste Management Board on the Web at www.ciwmb.ca.gov
  • Remember to recycle your Christmas tree. California Christmas Tree Recycling offers a hassle free way to recycle your tree and give something back to our environment. They will come to your home, remove the tree from its stand, vacuum the floor, and take the combustible tree to the recycling center. The mulch is then used for local plantings and a portion of all proceeds goes to TreePeople to plant new trees. For every Christmas tree they recycle, they will plant a new tree with TreePeople. Call 818-215-4070 or visit www.recycletrees.com
  • Think before you buy a gift. Look for items with less packaging, gifts made from recycled content or presents that are earth-friendly. How about a season pass to California's State Parks or Heal the Bay's Ocean Discovery Center as a gift, designing a calendar with favorite photos or children's artwork, or giving plants in hand-decorated pots? Or give your friend or family member a Faith2Green membership. You can also give the gift of rechargeable batteries with charger for all those toys that use batteries. Batteries can be recharged hundreds of times.
  • Save gift boxes and use them again. Many gift boxes fold down and take little room to store in a closet or cabinet. You can also purchase recycled or used cardboard boxes from www.solarintegrated.com
  • Conserve! Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120ºF). By changing the setting to 120ºF you'll not only save energy, but also avoid scalding your hands! Also, lower your thermostat 3ºF. By lowering your thermostat just 3ºF, you can reduce your energy consumption by nearly 10%. For fully integrated energy solutions for your business, contact next>edge by visiting www.next-edge.com
  • Consider buying a hybrid vehicle, such as the Toyota Prius or the Lexus 400h, for the holidays. Visit www.toyota.com and www.lexus.com
    NOTE: If you buy your hybrid vehicle in 2006 or later, you will be eligible to receive federal tax credits.
  • Have a candlelight dinner. Shut off all of your lights for an hour and enjoy your last evening of latkes with the full Hanukkiah glowing or Kwanzaa with the Kinara lighting your meal. (You may want to light a few extra candles; it is traditional that we do not use the Hanukkiah as a functional lamp).

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

FROM THE INTERFAITH ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL
Powered by NonProfitSite123