Ah, the joys of the winter holiday season: chestnuts roasting on an open fire; Jack Frost nipping at your nose; yuletide carols being sung by a choir – and energy-consuming festive lights, reams of trashed wrapping paper and chopped-down evergreen trees. While the holiday season brings good cheer to humanity, it also can bring increased harm to the environment.
“There can be a tendency to not think about consumption during the holidays,” said Rachel Patten, co-chair of Northwestern’s Students for Ecological & Environmental Development. “The attitude in general is really harmful.”
But there are many ways to enjoy the holidays while promoting a better environment.
To combat the 27 percent increase in national electricity consumption that occurs between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, there are alternatives to incandescent holiday lights, according to Green Mountain Energy, a Texas-based green energy company.
The use of LED-based holiday lights in place of traditional holiday lights reduces energy use by 99 percent each month, according to a 2003 study developed by Washington State University. This year more than 15,000 retail outlets will carry LED-based holiday lights, according to Holiday Creations, Inc., a Colorado-based company that produces the greener lights.
But for those who can’t part ways with traditional decorative lights, limiting light quantity and time lit is an alternative, according to Karen Taira, an environmental educator at the Evanston Ecology Center.
“Just limit the amount that you have,” Taira said. “A string of lights on your bushes is better than having nine of those blow-up things on your front yard. They require constant energy, they require fans and lights and all that, and so I think moderation is really the key.”
There are also eco-friendly alternatives to the traditional packaging methods.
“If you’re an extremist and you don’t want to use any wrapping paper, we suggest that people reuse other paper,” Taira said. “If you have a big calendar that’s used up, you can use the pictures on the calendar as wrapping paper for smaller gifts. That certainly works for things like CDs or books. And you could have a reusable cloth bag as a retainer for your present rather than elaborate wrapping paper.”
Even what you’re reading now can be used as wrapping paper, said Patten, a SESP senior.
“We’re suggesting wrapping gifts in old newspapers or recycled Dailys,” she said.
And as for the gifts themselves, Taira said she hopes people think earth-friendly.
“People are driving around more to shop and they’re also consuming more during the holidays,” Taira said. “There are gifts given that people don’t need or won’t use, so there’s a lot of energy wasted in making things that people either use one time and throw out or that environmentally cost a lot to make.”
Rather than just buying a material item, give a gift of time or a gift that’s more experiential, Taira said. Presents such as a commemorative tree or museum membership have a lower impact on the environment, she said.
In previous years, Patten bought her mother reusable shopping bags and made her brother a clock out of old bicycle parts. But going green doesn’t mean going without gifts and traditions.
“Not that you want to avoid giving presents or anything,” Taira said. “Just be creative.”
Reach Ashley Lau at [email protected].
