December 1st, 2008 
Tushar Mathur December is here and with the holiday season in full swing, we’ve got some tips and resources to share with you to make this the season of giving to others as well as mother nature. Eco-practices for the holidays can be creative, simple, and even save you money!
- Treehugger Holiday Gift Guide – www.treehugger.com/giftguide
- Pangea – Eco-friendly beauty products www.pangeaorganics.com
- GWG – online boutique www.greenwithglamour.com
- Ella Vickers – sells bags made from recycled sailcloth www.ellavickers.com
- Pink & Brown Boutique – children’s organic clothing and toy boutique www.pinkandbrownboutique.com
Want to give gifts that give back? Check out:
- Alternative Gifts International – support global humanitarian causes that will gladly accept a holiday donation in the name of a loved one http://www.altgifts.org
- Tom’s Shoes – for every pair purchased Tom gives a pair of shoes to a child in need www.tomsshoes.com
- Better World Books – Collects and sells books online to fund literacy initiatives worldwide www.betterworld.com
1. When buying presents, keep an eye out for those with minimal packaging, or items packed in recycled or recyclable materials (e.g. cardboard).
2. Don’t throw your wrapping paper in the garbage or fireplace. More than 8,000 ton of wrapping paper will be used on presents, using the equivalent of 50,000 trees. Reuse or recycle!
3. Buy recycled wrapping paper and holiday cards. Around 744 million holiday cards are sent each holiday season. If all these were made from recycled paper, it would help to save the equivalent of 248,000 trees.
4. Send an e-card instead! There are lots of sites offering free holiday e-card services.
5. If you are buying toys or electrical goods that need batteries, buy rechargeable ones, then add a battery charger to your shopping list. Make sure to recycle those old batteries instead of tossing them; Battery Solutions is a great service for this.
6. Most people buy too much food for holiday gatherings, much of which goes to waste. This year, try to plan your meals and only buy what you need. Alternatively, put a compost bin on your shopping list, significantly reducing the trash going to landfill.
7. When you have finished eating all your chocolates and biscuits, keep the tins and reuse them as storage containers.
8. If you receive electronic goods this season, don’t throw your old ones away. Recycle or donate them using Earth911’s recycling locator.
9. Around 125,000 tons of plastic packaging are thrown away over the holiday season. Take your own reusable shopping bags when you do your shopping.
10. Make your own food-based gifts such as homemade chutneys, cakes or chocolate truffles. You could also make your own flavored organic olive oil, adding dried chiles, garlic or herbs.
11. If you’re having a party, avoid serving food and drinks on disposable plates and cups. If you don’t have enough reusable plates, have everyone bring their own!
12. Make your New Year’s resolution to live more sustainably in 2009!
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