Posted by Nancy Sabatelli on Dec.20, 2009

ⓒ iStockPhoto - AlexRaths

The holidays are creeping up quickly! That means family, friends, food and festivities, with the trees trimmed, stockings hung and bright lights strung. But to have a beautifully-decorated home, you don’t need to break the bank or buy ornaments that create waste. With some simple, creative ideas, you can make charming eco-friendly holiday decorations to add sparkle to the season!

Buying decorations from the store definitely has an environmental impact. Think of the fuel you burn driving to the store, the energy and materials required to manufacture and ship the decorations from factories to stores, plus the packaging waste that comes with the decorations, (like boxes, Styrofoam and plastic wrap). Some decorations are made with potentially-toxic plastics, metals or paints. And when these decorations break or wear out, they’re thrown in landfills, where they can last for hundreds of years (4, 5).

So how can you still enjoy beautiful holiday decorations while keeping the planet in mind?

Earth-Friendly Holiday Lighting

Light up your lights only at night. This goes for electric candles in the windows, lights on your tree, holiday lights outside on your roofs, bushes, etc. These lights are less visible during the daytime than at night: furthermore, they use energy (and cost money!) to light. Consider putting them on a programmable timer to go on when it gets dark outside (6).

Opt for LED or solar lights. LEDs – or light-emitting diodes – are much more energy efficient and brighter than old-fashioned lights. Because they use less energy, they last longer and cost less, too (3, 5, 6). In fact, based on a U.S. Department of Energy study, “If everyone replaced their conventional holiday light strings with LEDs, at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity could be saved in a month. The savings would be enough to power 200,000 homes for a year,” claims Sears (3).

Choosing an Eco-Friendly Tree

Should you get an artificial tree or a real tree? Each has pros and cons:

Real trees smell, well, real – which are great for people who love that pine aroma. Cutting down a Christmas tree from your own property or from a local tree farm won’t contribute to deforestation: chances are, these trees were grown specifically for the purpose of being cut down, and new ones will be planted to replace them (3, 6). And some organizations, such as volunteer fire departments or civic clubs, sell pre-cut Christmas trees as fund-raisers, with proceeds benefiting these groups. 

But, making a yearly trip to a Christmas tree farm to buy a Christmas tree uses more gas than driving to the store to buy a single artificial tree, which can last for years. And when Christmas is over, throwing the tree out with the trash fills up landfills and dumps (3). If you buy a real tree, be sure to recycle it after the holidays: visit the Earth911 Web site, put in your zip code and find out where to recycle it.

Artificial trees don’t need to be cut down, trimmed, pruned, watered or otherwise maintained. They can last for a long time. With an artificial tree, you don’t have to drive to a tree farm or trudge out in the snow to cut down a live tree. And, it prevents a real Christmas tree from being thrown away at the end of the season. The downside? “Artificial trees use significant amounts of energy and petroleum-based materials during their manufacture,” Sears notes (3).

Holiday Accessories and Décor

Make your own Christmas tree ornaments. Be creative! Use fabric scraps to cut into ornaments and hang them on your tree. You can also use old Christmas cards – cut them up into shapes like trees or snowmen, then affix them to the tree with ribbon. Old CDs and DVDs can be painted and decorated with glitter, beads or other adornments, then hung on your tree. Another option: use real greenery, like holly boughs and berries or pine cones from your yard. Buy a poinsettia plant from a local florist, cut the flowers off and place them on the tree. String a garland with popcorn and berries. Use Christmas-themed cookie cutters as tree ornaments, too (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Pick real plants and berries to use in centerpieces, garlands and wreaths. Bundle up, head outside and gather some nuts, berries, pine cones or fruit slices. You can glue these to wreaths, create figurines, make place card holders for your table, put them in glass bowls – the sky’s the limit! When the holidays are over, compost these natural materials so they don’t end up in landfills (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

Reuse old Christmas cards. Cut them up and arrange them together to form a wreath. Tape them to presents as gift tags. Use them as backing or mats for place cards at your dinner party (5, 6).

Hit antique and thrift shops. You’re likely to find beautiful, older traditional or vintage ornaments at bargain prices. You’ll be reusing these ornaments and giving them new life again, saving materials and energy that would be required to manufacture new ornaments (6).

Sources

1. Heimbuch, Jaymi. 10 Holiday Decorations You Can Make from Recyclables. (December 9, 2008). Planet Green. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/homemade-recycled-holiday-decorations.html

2. Dazzling Holiday Decorations in a Snap. (December 2, 2008). Green Living Ideas. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from http://greenlivingideas.com/topics/special-occasions/holidays/dazzling-holiday-decorations-in-a-snap

3. Go Green for the Holidays – How to Have a More Eco-Friendly Christmas. (November 30, 2009). Sears. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from http://www.mysears.com/Christmas-Trees-Decorations/guides/Go-Green-for-the-Holidays-How-to-have-a-more-eco-friendly-Christmas

4. Worcester, Tracy. Have Yourself an Eco-Friendly Christmas. (December 6, 2006). Telegraph. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3656947/Have-yourself-an-eco-friendly-Christmas.html

5. Use Eco-Friendly Christmas Decorations. (n.d.). GreenYour. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from http://www.greenyour.com/node/13845?subject=13750

6. Green Ideas for the Holidays. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/green-holidays

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Posted under Eco-Friendly Ideas, Living.