Now that the Turkey is eaten, the leftovers gone, and the
house guests have vacated the premises, it is time to start your holiday
shopping! Did anyone go out on Black Friday? I have to say that I ventured out
but not until after 2pm. At that time, the only places that were crowded were
places to eat. Everyone had bought their door buster deal items and retreated
to one of the many food establishments to re-fuel.
As I was shopping the few small businesses I needed a few
things from, I noticed that there is a big difference between them and the big
box stores. Oddly enough, the difference is in the name of the comparison.
Big boxes vs. small boxes.
Have you ever noticed that in small businesses, aka mom and
pop shops, the amount of packaging almost always seems to be less than that of
the big box retailers? I remember reading somewhere that the built in price of
the packaging can be anywhere from 1 to 10 percent of the item’s total cost.
That reminds me.
As you are shopping the latest and greatest items this
season, be sure to keep in mind what you learned from my Pre-cycling
post. Think about the packaging and the item you are buying based on its
recyclability, longevity, and reuse.
In the 5 weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Americans
trash more than 1 million TONS MORE every week than usual. Let’s see if we
can’t make a dent in that increase this holiday season. So here are a few green
holiday tips to guide you.
1.
Save and reuse your cardboard boxes.
2.
Green your meal prep by buying fresh produce
with no packaging, recycling your containers and give food gifts (like
cookies!!) in reusable containers.
3.
Make recycling easy for guests by making small
recycling bins visible and available for use.
4.
Create an art project for the kids and have them
color those larger holiday season newspapers. Use it as a great personal gift
wrap that is fully recyclable!
Happy shopping!