Green your holidays

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Welcome back to our healthy holidays series! While pushing through the gawking Macy’s windows crowd in New York this week, I came to terms with the fact that we are officially in the midst of the holiday hustle. Carnegie Mellon University reports that between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, waste increases by 25 percent! This week’s dose gives us easy tips for staying mindfully green this festive season. I’ll be sure to address green gift giving in an upcoming piece. Here are a few of my must-have greening ideas in no particular order:

» Make your holiday décor: string cranberries and popcorn to decorate your tree, banister or mantel; cut a few limbs from your tree to decorate your home with yummy-smelling greens; use corn, pine cones, leaves and gourds for your Thanksgiving table display.

» Send electronic cards or paper cards made from recycled paper, or get crafty and make your own from what you received last year.

» Find a tree that can be planted afterward or be sure to recycle it.

» Lighten your travels and offset your carbon footprint. If you must travel, neutralize your emissions by purchasing carbon offsets at carbonfund.org or terrapass.com.

» Avoid paper and plastic cups and dinnerware. Besides the fact that it’s not tres chic, it’s also wasteful. If you must use plastic or paper, invest in biodegradable options at worldcentric.com. Find fancy dining odds and ends at secondhand stores or flea markets to increase your entertaining capacity on the cheap.

» Have recycling bins at your holiday soiree for guests to dispose of glass, aluminum, paper and plastic.

» Carry your own tote when shopping to avoid the accumulation of numerous paper and plastic bags. Great options can be found at reusablebags.com.

» According to the Nature Conservancy, 96 billion pounds of food are discarded each year. Choose your menu conservatively. Buy local and organic. Consider tofurkey or grass-fed, pasture-raised meat options.

» Choose California vino from wineries that participate in the Sustainable Wine Growing Program. A list is available at

sustainablewinegrowing.org.

» Put a halt to the abundance of holiday catalogs by contacting 41pounds.org.

» Light up your holidays using 90 percent less energy with LED bulbs. Find this brilliant lighting at holiday

leds.com.

Kimberly Wilson is the founder of Tranquil Space Yoga and Tranquil Space Foundation. Visit kimberlywilson.com.

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