WINTER HOLIDAYS
Simple steps to help you cut your carbon and costs.
Whether you celebrate Diwali, Bodhi Day, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa and/or something else, you can take these steps to celebrate with a smaller carbon footprint:
If you plan ahead, your family's holiday meal menu can include several locally raised items. Learn more about shrinking your meal's "food miles," here.
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Which is better, an artificial tree or a cut, live tree? One study compared the natural/energy resources each requires, and concluded an artificial tree is better IF you use it for at least 5-6 years. So choose a cut tree from the most local grower you can or an artificial tree made to last. (Bringing a live, balled tree into a warm, dry house, then planting it successfully isn't easy, so read here first.)
Using candles is fine, though you should avoid artificially scented candles indoors due their health risks. But if you use light bulbs in your menorah, Christmas decorations, Kwaanza kinara, etc., switch to LED bulbs to save lots of energy and money. They're safer, too, because they don't contain mercury or get hot enough to be a fire risk.