A guide to environmentally responsible decorating ideas for the holidays.
This year, rather than buying your holiday decor on impulse at the mall or big-box retailer, why not make some greener decorating and entertaining choices that also help keep our planet healthier and more beautiful?
Think lasting, not disposable. Paper holiday napkins, placemats and tablecloths offer convenience, but waste resources. By investing in attractive, more environmentally responsible alternatives, you help save trees, avoid the need for repeat shopping trips to restock your supplies and – over the long term – can actually save money too. Companies that specialize in organic and sustainable linens include VivaTerra (http://www.vivaterra.com), Natural American Home (http://naturalamerica.stores.yahoo.net) and NOVICA (http://www.novica.com).
Use live greenery as decor. Rosemary, thyme and sage are all evergreen, wonderfully fragrant and can be used to season recipes all year long. Other fragrant herbs include basil, chamomile, lavender and mint. And small, living evergreen trees can be later planted in your yard for year-round beauty; however, bringing live trees inside can cut their survival chances (for more information, see The National Christmas Tree Association at http://www.realchristmastrees.org). Using live plants also reduces the fire risks that come with cut greenery, which can become bone-dry by the end of the holiday season.
Grow your own. If you have the outdoor space, start a tradition now of planting a new evergreen tree every year. After a few years, you’ll be able to decorate them outdoors, cut one down to bring inside, or trim a few branches to use for decorative indoor garlands and wreaths.
Decorate with edibles you can enjoy later. Bowls of nuts or fruits, colorful squash, pomegranates, whole pineapples and more can create a festive look that’s later useful – and healthful – as well. While not quite as nutritious, a homemade gingerbread house can be both attractive and tasty too.
Create a fragrant holiday home with natural scents and oils. Rather than using potpourri sprays and traditional scented candles, sprinkle a couple of drops of a natural, essential oil like cedarwood, rose or sandlewood on pinecones or dried flowers (note: don’t apply undiluted essential oils directly to the skin as they can cause severe irritation). If you prefer candles, go with the more eco-friendly soy or beeswax varieties. And, of course, there’s always the traditional way to make a home smell welcoming: baking cookies, pies or other invitingly aromatic goodies.
Reuse last year’s holiday items to dress up this year’s celebrations. Cut up old greeting cards to use as gift tags or placecards, tape the front of old cards to inexpensive, plain-color gift bags, gently press old wrapping paper to unwrinkle and use again, add fresh double-sided tape or glue to make last year’s ribbons and bows sticky again, or frame especially attractive old greeting cards to hang on your walls as holiday accents.
The copyright of the article Going Green for the Holidays (3) in Green/Simple Living is owned by Shirley Siluk Gregory. Permission to republish Going Green for the Holidays (3) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
