How to Go Green for the Holiday Festivities

In this day and age it is very easy to be festive while being eco-friendly at the same time; to go green on your holiday festivities you just have to follow these simple tips.

What you will need to go green on these special days is; purchase heritage meats, heirloom fruits, vegetables produced locally, napkins made of cloth, energy-efficient lighting and consumable presents/gifts.

When having a holiday dinner, serve heritage meats; these are meats that come from animals raised on sustainable or organic farm environments. These come from less popular breeds, heritage turkeys, pigs, and cows are just some of the choices that are available. The best part is that you are helping the planet and most of these animals are also antibiotic and hormone free, plus the flavor of the meat is more pure and tasty.

Get heirloom fruits and heirloom vegetables for the side dishes you will serve with the entree. This in essence will help preserve varieties that aren't produced by industrial farms that are in the business of mass-production.

To find out where to get these meats, fruits and vegetable you can use the Eat Well Guide website as a resource to find farms and markets that are close to your area and sell both heritage and heirloom foods.

Another great way to support the environment and your local economy is by buying foods and beverages that are produced locally or in your area.

Try to get rid of the habit of using paper products as much as you can. Use cloth napkins, clean up spills with dishcloths that are washable and if you really want to take a stand wrap presents with old newspapers or magazine pages. Also use technology to your favor by sending e-cards.

Consume less energy by using LED lights on your holiday lights display and if you are planning or if you're planning on giving a battery-powered present, include a rechargeable battery and charger with the gift.

The best way to go green with your gifts is by giving consumable presents like food or movie tickets, or coupons for a personal service. Also if possible make charitable donations in your recipient's name this is a great option mostly if the recipient already has everything they really need. Last resort is giving something that ultimately helps the environment.

Purchase your presents locally as well. Spare the environment all the emissions that are used in the shipping process.

Lastly try to skip gifts altogether by giving presents to the children in the family only. To make it less complicated throw the names of all the children in the family in a bucket and have every adult pick a ticket randomly to know who to buy a gift for.

According to environmentalists, if every family in America saved and reused just two feet of ribbon per household, the 38,000 miles of trimming saved in this effort alone could literally tie a bow around the whole planet. It shows how much we consume doesn't it?