HAPPY GREEN HOLIDAYS
Happy Holidays to All. Holidays are a time of joy, giving, festivities, food, & fun. Following please find some tips to GREEN your holidays. Americans throw away 25% more waste between Thanksgiving & New Years. We can change our habits and make a difference. It is our responsibility to take care of Planet Earth.
1. Use reusable cloth bags for your shopping.
2. Wrap gifts in recycled or reused paper or the comics. Give gifts that do not require much packaging, such as concert tickets or gift certificates.
3. Remember that gift certificates are always appreciated and used whether large or small (for movies, dining, & shopping).
4. Consider wrapping large presents with only a bow or merely hide large presents & create a scavenger hunt.
5. Send recycled-content greeting cards or send e-cards.
6. Buy rechargeable batteries for electronic gifts and consider giving a battery charger as well.
7. Switch to LED lighting for Christmas decorations for your tree and outdoors. They use much less energy and last 10-20 years. When one light goes out, the rest do not.
8. Turn off or unplug holiday lights during the day.
9. Consider buying a tree that can be planted after the holidays or buy an artificial tree. Live trees can create spores and mold in your home if left for more than a few days.
10. Consider the durability of a product before buying it as a gift. Cheaper, less durable products often wear out quickly and have more possibility of containing lead.
11. Encourage our manufacturers to produce more recycled-content products by purchasing such products. (Read the labels.)
12. Use your own camera rather than a disposable camera. A digital camera will allow you to print only the photos you like.
13. Use your food waste in a compost pile & create a natural fertilizer for free.
If every family reused 2 feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet.
For tips on greening Hanukkah, go to www.coejl.org/Hanukkah.
We can all have a great holiday season while continuing to REDUCE, REUSE, & RECYCLE.
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS CONTEST
The contest theme is “What Can I Do?’ What a great theme! Everyday the environment is in the media regarding air quality, water quality, water supply, waste, endangered species, disappearing forests, global warming, and more.. To reduce global warming, we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and develop renewable energy technologies.
Together as parents, teachers, administrators, and students we need to become more aware of our environmental problems and begin working together. There is an amazing amount of programming on TV regarding the environment. It is my hope that families will sit down together, watch these programs, discuss the problems, and brainstorm ideas for action. It should be the same in our classrooms. Increasing our awareness should be a joint effort.
Channels with wonderful environmental programming include but not limited to
PBS
CNN (Planet in Peril on demand),
Sundance Channel (The Green, Tuesdays at 8pm),
Discovery Channel (Fearless Planet)
Science Channel (Fearless Planet, Beyond Tomorrow, Ecotech)
National Geographic Channel
I applaud all of our families and schools involved in recycling. It should be fun, rewarding, and provide a feeling of togetherness.
Perhaps your school’s January PTA meeting can address “What Can I Do?” I can make a “Cool Cities” presentation at your school. Two Dallas professors may be available for a shortened slideshow of Al Gore’s global warming presentation.
DON’T FORGET, the Council is collecting cell phones, DVDs, and inkjet cartridges for scholarships. If your school is not collecting, please bring donations to the Association meeting December 5th. (Bring old batteries, too, just because…)
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Roxanne Seibert
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
Roxanne Seibert
Environmental Chairman
Hm: 972-278-8708
Cell: 972-897-7002
Email: RoxanneSeibert2@aol.com |