Thanksgiving is over, and it is officially Holiday Season!  Here are a few environmentally-conscious tidbits and ideas to help make this month merry and GREEN!

* Be creative with wrapping…use newspaper, reusable bags, or anything else creative that won’t entail a Christmas morning with a floor full of wrapping paper to throw out.  If you do use wrapping paper, find some made of recycled materials, and be sure to recycle it after your rip it off the presents!

* When out doing your holiday shopping, don’t forget to bring your reusable shopping bag (You don’t already have one for your grocery shopping!?!? You can buy them everywhere from Earthfare to chic boutiques like Worthwhile on King Street!).

* If you have holiday lights, be sure to turn them off during the day to save energy (and your $$), or decorate your home with other festive ornaments, and illuminate your front door with a single spotlight.

…we’ve all been told how wasteful it is to cut down a tree only to have it on the tree lawn a few weeks later.  Here’s what some people have been doing to recycle their trees!  (from December 2007 issue of National Geographic)

-In Louisiana, used and unsold trees are mashed up and converted into wooden cribs, which are placed    in the coastal marshes.  As the tides come in, sediment builds up behind the cribs, eventually creating new land that helps rebuild the eroding shoreline.

-A packaging corporation in Wisconsin burns the used trees, and the steam is used to power the paper mill.

-Each year on Baker Lake Island in Illinois, where vegetation is becoming sparse, volunteers cart over 100 used trees across the lake by boat (or sled, if it’s frozen over), and secure the trees on posts.  These "refurbished" trees serve as habitats for herons and egrets who are looking for a place to nest.

-All across the country, trees are fed into chippers, and used for mulch.

Find something productive to do with your holiday "leftovers"!!

Everyone here at LEEP wishes you a beautiful holiday season.