Tips for a Greener Holiday

Four easy ways to reduce waste during the holidays

With the holiday season upon us, here’s a little seasonal sharing of some alarming stats.

According to Stanford University, “Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of the year.” The article goes on to put that into perspective by demonstrating how many football fields can been covered with paper or how we could tie a bow around the earth with the miles of ribbon saved if we reused.

So with the same holiday spirit of sharing, here are four tips on cutting back on the holiday waste. Hopefully those crazy stats motivate you to try something different this year.

  1. Get others to join you in the effort – Encourage your secret Santa group to get creative in how everyone wraps their presents. Make it a new rule that everyone must use recycled material to wrap this year’s gift, and give a creative award to the group’s best reused/recycled gift wrapping effort.
  2. Donate vs. buy – Instead of picking up a gift from a big box retailer at the mall, consider making a donation on a person’s behalf to a charity that matches their personality. For instance, if the person is an animal lover, why not make a donation to your local shelter?
  3. Pass on the disposable dinnerware – If you’re hosting the holiday party, be sure to go with the washable items versus the disposable ones. Don’t be reluctant to ask everyone to bring along extra plates, silverware or cups if you’re short.
  4. Mom/dad, it needs batteries – Don’t forgot to check those boxes (which hopefully you’ll recycle) to find out what type of batteries Suzie’s new toys need. But most important, pick up the rechargeable batteries.

Photo credit: Flicker user Mooslcorn Ranch

Senior Manager, Public Relations & Giving for Coldwell Banker. Grew up in Sarasota and attended college at Western Carolina University. Athena wanted to wake up in that city that doesn’t sleep so headed to Madison Avenue to start her marketing career. She has been with this awesome brand for more than 15 years and can be found generating buzz about CB in every way possible. Athena helps to grow the brand’s position as the most storied real estate company within the industry and has led many high-profile endeavors; she was at the forefront of the brand’s pioneering smart home campaign, raised $6 million in two years to build 130 Habitat for Humanity homes, and led the Homes for Dogs program in partnership with Adopt-a-Pet.com that resulted in tens-of-thousands of dogs finding their furever home. She currently leads the CB Supports St. Jude program, which encourages the Coldwell Banker network’s 96,000+ real estate agents to make donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for every real estate transaction they represent. In her spare time, you can find her either digging up a new area in her yard for another flower bed or planning her next travel adventure. She's the proud mom of three cats Jolene, Ziggy and Lucy.

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5 Comments

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