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Greening the Holidaysby Paul Tick We like to think of the holiday season as a time of family get-togethers and "peace on earth." Unfortunately, with the extreme commercialization of our holidays, they too often become times of wastefulness. According to Sierra magazine, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Americans produce an extra five million tons of trash, an increase of 25 percent over our "normal" over-consumption. Additionally, by the end of the holidays, ten million trees will be killed, decorated and then tossed away. These trees were cut from one million acres of mono-crop tree farms that could have otherwise been used for sustainable agriculture or replen-ishing our forests. On these farms, over forty different pesticides are used, including those identified as hormone disrupters and those linked to cancer. Some growers even spray their trees to make them greener, and some are experimenting with cloning. Americans actually spend more money on gift wrapping than the total food budgets of many countries around the world. Additionally, the trees being killed for the wrap, the fuel used to turn trees into pulp, and the chemical dyes used, make gift wrap an ecological disaster. I have no figure on how much electricity is wasted lighting trees and houses - but I do remember that when President Carter turned off the Christmas tree lights at the White House in order to save energy, there was an outcry. No politician has tried it since. It would also be telling to know how much fuel is wasted driving to shopping malls and looking for parking spaces this time of year. Maybe the best gift you can give at this time of the year is to celebrate holidays with future generations in mind. The following are a few small suggestions. 1. If you buy a tree, you can buy a potted one and plant it after the holidays. For more information on this option, go to www.realchristmastrees.org/livecare.html. You can also decorate a live tree that is already growing outdoors. Some people buy some potted trees and keep them in their pots, and use them year after year. Plastic trees are just that-yet, as Sierra points out, "& if you use the same one each year, you're only tapping into our petroleum supply once, not burning up gas on every trip to the tree lot. Plastic trees may, like live trees, contain chemical fire retardants. If you don't have kids in the household, it may be easier to give up the tree thing altogether, but who knows; maybe your kids will get into protecting the earth. 2. If you use holiday lights, make sure you put them on a timer and shut them off when you are not around the house. Use those tiny LED lights, which use up to 90 percent less electricity then ordinary bulbs. If you have regular bulbs, you can loosen a few so that only some go on. 3. If you buy or light candles, look for those made of natural products likes beeswax. Most candles are made from petroleum. Be careful of the scented candles, as the scents are often made from harsh artificial chemicals. 4. Gifts do not have to be material items. They can be memberships to environmental or other social change organizations, or a pledge to do something special for a loved one or a friend. Buying or baking organic foods is usually a guaranteed hit. If material items are the way you choose to go, you can buy goods that support artisans in developing nations, and who often work in coops, by shopping in Albany at Peace Offerings, 33 Central Avenue (434-4037); or at Ten Thousand Villages in Stuyvesant Plaza (435-9307). Most important of all this season, each of us can think about our willingness to change our consumer habits so that we are always moving toward a truly peaceful season. |
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