By Francesca Kelly for Go Green Highland Park

Autumn came late to the party, then left early, and now many of us are asking, How is it already time for the holidays? I suppose you could have asked the Hallmark Channel that same question right after Halloween. But whether you celebrate Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, or all of the above, chances are you will be buying more, wrapping more, cooking more, and traveling more. How can we enjoy the holidays without further polluting our planet? With a little awareness, it’s not that difficult!

Holiday Travel-Holiday flights come with a big carbon footprint: one thousand miles of air travel generate approximately 500 pounds of carbon emissions per passenger. You can neutralize that footprint by purchasing carbon offsets from Terrapass or Rainforest Action Network. Your purchase funds projects that reduce carbon emissions and provide green jobs in local communities. 

Road-tripping? Bring your own travel cups, as well as bamboo or other reusable utensils to reduce plastic utensil pollution. Pack meals at home before leaving to save money and reduce food waste. Google maps lets you choose the most fuel-efficient route for your trip, and the U.S. Department of Energy offers tips to save fuel here. 

Lights-Holiday lights, both outdoor and indoor, are big on the North Shore, and although they’re a drain on energy, they do make us feel all warm and cuddly. LED lights use much less energy and last longer than incandescent lights, but then again, many strings of lights are cheaply manufactured overseas and seem destined to be used only one season or even less. (I’m still waiting for an American entrepreneur to create a high-quality string of lights with a 10-year guarantee!) If you have the inclination and patience, there are numerous YouTube videos on how to repair holiday lights when they stop functioning. And if those lights are unfixable, you can drop them off at the Highland Park Electronics Recycling Center, at 1180 Half Day Road, every Tuesday and the first Saturday of each month from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Christmas Trees and Greenery-Which is better, environmentally: a real Christmas tree or an artificial one? The real thing does kill a tree, but those trees are almost always grown on special farms where they are replaced by new plantings. Artificial trees will save you money in the long run but are manufactured overseas of plastic compounds. The Nature Conservancy offers an argument for using real trees here. For outdoor décor, consider buying a live potted fir tree that you can then plant in your yard come spring.

Giving gifts-Bypass supply chain woes with gifts that are homemade, vintage, from your own “stash,” edible or locally purchased. Chances are you have books and other treasures in your collection that could be given as gifts. If not, local estate sales can yield some fabulous finds. Have an extra antique teacup you never use? Fill it with holiday fudge, put a bow on it, and give it as a present! Or pick up an old transferware plate at a vintage or thrift shop for cookie-giving, a pretty vase for flowers, or mid-century kitchenware to re-purpose for a plant or herb pot. Another green idea is to give a gift in someone’s name to charity. It’s easy, doesn’t involve shipping, and will help others. Use a charity rating website to find the best-managed charitable organizations.

Who says you need to wrap gifts in expensive paper? Fabric drawstring bags, old tablecloths, pillowcases, scarves, baskets, and antique linens all work as wrapping, and can even become part of the gift. Save bows from year to year, and, if you’re like my thrifty mom (who grew up during the Great Depression), unwrap paper-clad gifts carefully so you can re-use that paper next season. We’ve also used movers’ paper, brown craft paper and newspaper to wrap gifts. Kids love to decorate brown cardboard boxes with markers or crayons, too.

Staying Warm-Sitting around a fireplace, or, if outdoors, around a fire pit, undeniably creates a warm and convivial atmosphere. But burning wood does add to air pollution, and wood smoke can aggravate lung diseases such as asthma or COPD. It may not be reasonable to completely abstain from building a fire over the holidays, but even just reducing the number of times you do so can help. By the way, depending on where your thermostat is, lighting a fire in your indoor fireplace may reduce the temperature in the rest of the house, ultimately causing your furnace to work harder. To avoid the most toxic effects of indoor and outdoor fires, do not burn items other than wood. No plastics, glossy paper, magazines, etc. — these release even more toxins than firewood does. For more about the effects of woodsmoke check the EPA website.

Meal-Planning-Nearly 40 percent of all food is wasted here in the United States. You can save money and reduce food waste this holiday season by buying only what you need and getting creative with leftovers. Use the Guestimator to help plan efficiently for your next feast. Don’t forget that you can make great vegetable stock from onion, potato, carrot and other vegetable peels, as well as meat stock from bones you might otherwise toss. Another way to cut back on food waste is to compost. If you aren’t able to compost at home, you can participate in Lakeshore Recycling Systems’ winter compost program. Call 773-685-8811 to sign up. You can read more about winter composting on the City of Highland Park website.

Post-Holiday Disposals-Your real Christmas tree can be left on the curb for pickup after Christmas. Just be sure to remove ornaments, lights and tinsel in advance. From the City of Highland Park website: Residents may also drop off trees free of decorations, wires or any other materials for recycling by the Park District of Highland Park through January 24, 2021. Drop-off locations are in posted areas of parking lots at Larry Fink Park, 1377 Deer Creek Parkway, and Danny Cunniff Park, 2700 Trailway. Park District crews chip the trees for use as mulch. Residents are welcome to use the mulch for their own gardens and landscapes. Please contact Dan Voss, Director of Parks, at 847.579.3130 or dvoss@pdhp.org for more information.

If you’re awash in cardboard boxes during or after the holidays, please break down the boxes before recycling them. Flattened boxes take up less space in the truck and are easier for the drivers to handle. LRS has a robust cardboard recycling market right here in the U.S. Remove all receipts and plastic or Styrofoam packing supplies before recycling your boxes. 

Here’s wishing you and yours a lovely, light-filled and very green holiday season!

Find all of Francesca’s great articles here.