With Christmas less than 3 weeks away, now is the perfect time to consider what steps you are willing to take to give yourself a truly ‘green’ Christmas.  Below are 12 Steps to help make sure both you AND the environment enjoy this holiday season:

1.    Purchase an “Environmentally Responsible” Christmas Tree
I completely believe that nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like walking into a house and being overwhelmed with the smell of fresh balsam.  And while some green enthusiasts may believe they are doing the environmentally responsible thing by purchasing a fake tree, artificial trees carry a gigantic carbon footprint, the PVC used to make them is NOT biodegradable, lead is often used as a PVC stabilizer. So, when you’re shopping for a tree, look for a green certified, cut tree. If you need help looking, the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers can help you find one.

2.    Re-use Christmas tins and fill them with baked goods
Every year, we all get tins upon tins of Christmas baked goods, fudge, and popcorn. Instead of throwing the tins away, fill them with your own, homemade baked goods and give this new package to your loved ones.

3.    Need teacher presents? Give the gift of green, recycled toilet paper, paper towels, & tissues
While it is never expected to give teacher gifts, if you plan on doing so, why not give them something they can use in the classroom and most likely do not get funding for?

4.    Give the gift of green clean to Mom & Dad with a year’s green cleaning service
One Christmas, I prepaid a cleaning service to clean my parents house for an entire year.  To this day, they still say it was the best gift they ever got. And as you select your service, make sure the cleaning service uses green, natural cleaners and practices.

5.    Give vintage or used gifts
Vintage gifts are undeniably trendy – so as you hunt for gifts such as purses, furniture, or even books, don’t be afraid to check out a vintage shop. You’ll come away with one of kind gifts!

6.    Purchase fair trade, ethical products
As you make your list and check in twice, be sure to look for fair-trade products. These products are manufactured  in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other parts of the world and provide low-income artisans and farmers with a living wage for their work. Check out the Fair-Trade Online Store for great gift ideas.

7.    Be conscious of your added electricity usage
As your house glimmers with its impeccable display of lights, be aware of this  added electricity usage. As you turn your outdoor lights on, why not turn the indoor ones off?  Try lighting some candles or your fireplace – the effects are magical!

8.    If you need to purchase new Christmas lights, buy energy-efficient LED Christmas lights
These energy efficient Christmas Lights are Energy Star approved and have an endless list of perks  including 95% energy reduction, capable of lasting 100,000 hours, fire safe, and the strings stay lit even if one burns out.

9.    RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE all of the Christmas wrap, boxes, tissue paper, etc

10.     Use Green Cleaning Products & Recycled Trash Bags when getting your house sparking clean
As you get your house in tip-top shape for the holiday season, don’t forget to use green, natural and biodegradable cleaning products and recycled trash bags. In fact, make this your New Year’s resolution to make the switch to green cleaning products permanent!

11.     Send electronic Christmas cards
When you send out your family Christmas cards this year, skip the old fashioned way and do it electronically. It will not only save you postage, but it will reduce paper waste and fuel emissions in the process.

12.    Buy local for your holiday get together’s
Why buy tomatoes from foreign counries when there are fresh ones in your local area? Buying local helps promote local businesses and farms, reduces fuel emissions, and promotes sustainability. So the next time you go to purchase carrots for your holiday spread, remember the average carrot travels 1,838 miles before it gets there.