As we celebrate, decorate, give gifts and travel this holiday season, we also generate a lot of waste and increase our energy use. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the volume of household waste in this country increases 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day; that amounts to around one million extra tons of garbage!

• Wrap presents with recyclable paper (not shiny) or paper around the house (posters, newspaper). Ribbons and bows should be saved to reuse.
• Choose the sustainable shipping and packaging option when ordering from Amazon!
• Reuse or recycle greeting cards, gift wrap, and gift bags.
• Give an experience as a gift (concerts, classes, etc.).
• If your electronics get updated this holiday season, old electronics can be recycled at Staples.
• Put lights on a timer or turn them only when someone is home to conserve power.
• Recyclables can be taken to one of the forty recycling drop-off locations found at oeq.net/recycle.aspx.
• Take a reusable bag along for your holiday gift and meal shopping.
• If you need to purchase additional lights, use Energy Star energy efficient lighting.
• The EPA estimates that these lights use 1/50th of the electricity of conventional lights and last up to 30 years!
• Donate old toys at Goodwill or other local thrift stores.