How To “Green” Your Holiday Entertaining
By Donna Scott

Here are some tips to take you from start to finish!

Tip #1 - Start with emailing the invitations. Think of all the trees you’ll be saving, not to mention the fuel it takes to deliver them. Plus, you’ll save yourself some money!

There are several good websites that will allow you to choose from a template based around the “look” of your get-together, or create your own invitation. Enter as many emails as you wish, and even get the responses to the invitation emailed back to you.

Tip #2 - Create a menu of locally grown/farmed foods. You’ll be doing your part to reduce global warming. Eating local food cuts back on the transporting of food sourced from outside of your area. Depending on where you live, not everything can be local or regional, but every little bit helps.

Your local Farmer’s Market is an excellent source for this! Locally grown/farmed food has a taste that’s hard to beat. And, you’ll be eating seasonal foods at the peak of their freshness and quality.

Tip #3 - Dare to be different with the decorations!

How about shopping at flea markets for your serving dishes or decorative vases? Everything doesn’t have to match…in fact it allows people to relax a little more if the party seems less structured and rigid.

Recycle from last year’s get-togethers or use greenery from around your yard…the possibilities are endless when you retrain your imagination to think “green”!

The holidays are a big time of the year to use candles. This year, opt for soy candles with wonderful essential oils such as cinnamon, vanilla or balsam fir. No worries here about what you’re breathing in, or putting into the environment!

Tip #4 - Clean up with green products. There are plenty on the market today!

You no longer have to go to specialty stores to find green cleaning products! This is the time of year, if you’re like me and have lots of guests stopping by, that you do more cleaning in 2 months than maybe the entire year. Put your mind at ease about the ingredients by using green products…you have enough on our mind during the holidays!

Also, don’t forget to recycle as much as possible. Have your handy recycling bins set and ready to go.

Going green isn’t difficult, it just takes getting into a different frame of mind. You’ll feel good knowing you gave back to our environment, besides, aren’t the holidays about giving?!

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