Eco-Friendly Holiday Greetings

The Christmas season is a time for giving. Every year, gifts and cards are given out in celebration of this season. The season also represents a period of abundant, almost excessive celebration. Due to a renewed consciousness on saving the environment and promoting a sustainable lifestyle, there have been increased efforts in eco-friendly practices during the Christmas season. A few of these eco-friendly practices include:

Recycled Wrappers – When wrapping gifts, opt for recycled materials like old newspapers, last year’s recycled wrapping paper, or scratch paper.

Christmas Lights Off – Instead of keeping the Christmas lights on all night, save on electricity bills and avoid overtaxing electric circuits by turning the Christmas lights off after guests, family, and the carolers have left for the evening.

Food Consumption – There really is no need to spend and consume more than what a family will normally eat. A wasteful lifestyle does not promote sustainability as more resources are taken to meet the demand. If there is excess, it’s a good idea to share with those who have less or none at all. This is the true meaning of the holiday season.

Sustainable Christmas Trees – Another sustainable holiday practice being promoted is the use of Christmas pine trees grown from sustainable forests. If fake plastic trees don’t satisfy the festive mood, purchase a tree that’s guaranteed to be replaced with a new one in the forest.

Eco-Friendly Printed Materials – Printing companies now practice eco-friendly greeting card printing. Apart from the convenience of having printing services online, these companies deposit all printing paper scraps and inks at recycling centers. What’s more, eco-friendly printing companies use 10 to 30 percent recycled paper stocks certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forest Initiative. They also print greeting cards with vegetable-based inks and water-based aqueous coatings with low volatile organic content (VOC) for their paper stocks.

These eco-friendly tips give the Christmas season another reason to celebrate. These practices help promote a healthier and more sustainable future for everyone.