How to Keep the Green in your Holiday Celebrations

It is possible to be green and save a little green this season full of celebrations. The holidays can be a time of excess, but it's important to remember that holiday extravagance can have long-term effects on the environment (and your wallet). With minimum effort and a little less fuss this season you can be good to the environment and your bottom line.

A quick tour through the internet to websites like Earth911.com and Yahoo Green can garner plenty of information about the consumer impact on the environment. This time of year people are shopping more, driving more, mailing more and spending more money. Here are some less than festive facts:

* Americans use over 380 billion plastic (polyethylene) bags per year.

* Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene bags per year.

* It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down.

* Plastic bags do not biodegrade, they photodegrade, which means they slowly break down into smaller and smaller bits that can contaminate soil and waterways.

* In 2007, the amount of paper recovered for recycling averaged 360 pounds for every person in the United States.

* Each American sends about 300 pounds of packaging to the landfill every year.

* Each year, Americans throw out almost 180,000 tons of batteries.

* Batteries are comprised of heavy metals, which include nickel cadmium, alkaline, mercury, nickel metal hydride and lead acid. These can threaten our environment if not properly discarded or handled.

* Many toys are made with Polyvinyl Chloride, or PVC #3 plastic, which is often difficult to recycle.

A good way to save money, time and gas is to sit down and make a list of everyone you plan to give gifts to this season. Be realistic about your budget and time by setting a budget and a time frame for holiday spending. Knowing exactly how much you can spend and that you will have it all done by a certain date can cut down on the stress of the season.

Once you have a budget and list, do a little research. Look at the sales fliers in the paper and search websites for the best prices. Make a plan of what you can buy online and what can be purchased in one-stop shopping trips to the mall or shopping centers. These tips work for food shopping as well. Make a budget for special holiday cooking and make lists of what you'll need. The key to making this work is sticking to the budget and following your list. Of course, remember to bring reusable cloth bags when shopping.

Recycling doesn't just have to mean your plastic,glass and paper. Try shopping children's resale shops for toys and games. Often you can find barely used or even brand new items. It can also be a good way to make a little extra money, too, by recycling gently used toys, games and clothes.

Consider that perhaps a special outing can be more meaningful than a present and is certainly something that comes with less packaging. Be creative with gift wrapping by using cloth bags, hand decorated paper bags for wrapping paper, or even make part of the gift the wrapping.
Also, batteries can be a safety hazard as well as an environmental hazard. It might be a good idea for the well being of your little one to skip the loud electronic toy (It may be good for your well being, too). When it comes to the must-have electronics for older kids, try to use rechargeable batteries.

For mailing gifts out of town, reuse material like boxes, bubble wrap, and peanuts. Plan ahead so that you can ship things by land instead of express mail by air, which not only costs more but uses more fuel.

Turn decorative lights off during the day and at bedtime to save energy. After the holidays, recycle your Christmas tree. The program at Zilker Park is so easy you don't even have to get out of your car. They use the trees for mulch, so your holiday spirit is recycled into the New Year.

Jill works for Inside Real Estate. They operate sites about the Corpus Christi real estate market and the El Paso real estate market. They also have a site covering San Antonio real estate.