Bring out the green for your holidays

I'd like to see it was concern for the environment that prompted one of my children to wrap her sister's presents for her recent birthday in pages torn from teen-friendly magazines.

In actuality, it was necessity wrapped in laziness. We were out of birthday paper. I didn't want to go to the store, and neither did my gift-wrapping daughter.

It turned out great -- the gifts were wrapped attractively and thoughtfully, and we were kind to the environment. I'm not sure, however, that the extra tape required didn't negate the recycling part.

Will we do the same for Christmas? Not a chance.

Green has always been a color associated with Christmas. But it's taken on a different meaning recently, as people advocate a holiday that's kinder and gentler to the environment.

Buy a live tree, say some. Wrap gifts in biodegradable or recyclable materials, advocate others. Use energy-saving lights, advise still more people. I've even seen someone lecture on researching the the environmental impact of the gift's materials and finding out where the product comes from, to make sure they started life in environmentally friendly places.

To an extent, all I can say -- especially to that last one -- is: I'm doing the best I can. As for that last one: I'm lucky to get the shopping done. I have neither the time nor the stamina to uncover whether the gift in question was crafted by elves wearing clothing created from all-natural fibers or not. (And in terms of wrapping, wouldn't it be more wasteful to throw out, unused, the wrapping paper I already own, in order to use something else?)

To see if the rest of the country is embracing the environmentally green Christmas along with the traditional colors of the holiday, I asked some shoppers if they're planning a green Christmas.

"I don't think I am," said Brad De Ark of St. Charles. He's not unconscious of being kind to the planet; he does some recycling and he's changed some of his light bulbs to longer-lasting versions. But in terms of holiday specifics, he hasn't "quite gotten into a lot of that."

Paul Kieffer of Montgomery was busy shopping. "I haven't even thought about it," he said.

Kathleen Speck of St. Charles was checking her list twice. "The only thing I'm doing is that I'm using a lot more gift bags, because they can be reused," she said. "It's such a waste," she said of traditional holiday wrapping paper.

She's wrapping children's gifts in paper, "because they have to rip it open," she said. Other presents will be placed in festive, attractive gift bags she already has.

And that recommendation to check the gift's pedigree? The teens, for example, on her gift list have specific items in mind. "They don't care where they're from," she pointed out. And electronics? We already know where those gifts are made.

Elise Siegal of Batavia is more concerned about being fiscally responsible, than environmentally kind. "I'm looking for the best (gifts) I can find for the least price," she said.

She recycles, she said. She works at lessening her human impact on the natural world. But in terms of taking it into the holiday, no, she said.

And she thinks that, at least to some extent, environmental consciousness is a bit of a luxury. "Being green usually requires a little more money, and I don't have it," she said. "Privileged liberals -- they can be green."

She commends people for their actions. "I wish it were easier," she said. "My heart is there."

As are the hearts of many of us, even if there are lots of gifts wrapped in wrapping paper underneath our Christmas trees. Our spirits are bright gold and silver, even if our color is not quite green enough.

Ideas for a green Christmas

There's still time! Christmas Eve is a week away. Here are some tips to green up your Christmas, culled from various experts and advisers.

• For parties, use real dishes and silverware, and a cloth tablecloth instead of paper. If you do use disposable plates, use those made of recyclable paper, not plastic or pressed foam.

• Instead of energy-consuming Christmas lights, decorate with natural things, such as holly, cranberries, pine cones or popcorn. (All these can be composted.)

• Decorate with existing items: seashells, old costume jewelry, stocking stuffers from previous years, even political buttons that make a statement as well as a splash. And decorate with pieces that can be used in other seasons, as well.

• Replant your Christmas tree after the holiday.

• Reuse decorations, wrapping paper and cards from year to year.

• Have to have lights? Use LED Christmas lights, which use much less energy (one estimate is 90 percent less) and last longer.

• When shopping, bring a reusable bag to the store. Take public transportation or walk to neighborhood stores.

• When mailing gifts, use the smallest possible box. Save and reuse any packaging materials.

• Wrap gifts in reusable bags, or wrap them up in a second gift (such as a hat or scarf). Another option is to skip the wrapping all together.

• Give environmentally friendly gifts that don't increase waste. For example, avoid overpackaged gifts (this will save the recipient's sanity, too!), consider power requirements, life span and materials (consider gifts from naturally made products, such as a wooden train set). Does the gift require still more supplies and will it make more waste? Give a composter. Give gift certificates or gift cards, avoiding potential waste created by the recipient having to return or throw away the gift. And don't forget to research the environmental impact of the gift's materials and find out where the product comes from.

More eco-friendly ideas are available at www.christmaslightsanddecorations.com/creative-ecco-gifts.aspx. And you can always do a web search for other eco-friendly gifts.

• Make or bake gifts. Believe it or not, I have recipients who really like my fruitcake.

• Don't worry about the wrapping paper, because don't give gifts! Donate to an environmental charity in the recipient's name, instead, or give time, instead of money.

--Beth Bales