Tips for a "Green" Holiday

When shopping for presents or preparing for the holiday season, don't forget your mother-Mother Earth, that is. Here are some ideas to help keep the holidays happy and green:

• Bring your own bags when you go to the store. Consolidate gifts into one large bag rather than getting a new bag at each store.
  
• Be creative! Package holiday gifts in reusable containers. Make the "wrapper" part of the gift.
  
• To stop unwanted catalogs and junk mail, write the Mail Preference Service, c/o Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 908, Farmingdale, NY 11735.
  
• Stop waste before it starts. Consider an item's packaging and environmental impact before you purchase it. Look for products with the least amount of packaging. Avoid individually wrapped items and ask clerks not to bag small purchases.
  
• Show your strength as a consumer-buy items made with recycled material. The kinds of product choices we make affect manufacturing decisions.
  
• Buy used products and goods when they will do the job as well as a new item. They cost less, and using them helps reduce waste and conserve energy and raw materials.
  
• Give your holiday tree a new life as useful mulch. See the back page for holiday recycling information.
  
• Recycle gift wrapping.