Waste Free Holidays Info

The following is reprinted from the newest edition of Northwest REporter, the official real estate publication of the Seattle-King County Association of REALTORS® and the Northwest Multiple Listing Service:

There are green gifts galore for this year's gift-giving. The eco-friendly options also include creative solutions for gift-wrapping, entertaining and decorating.

Waste Free Holidays, sponsored by several cities and counties in the State of Washington, promotes "giving experiences instead of stuff." Participating businesses offer experiences (e.g., tickets to concerts) and services at discounted prices.

Waste Free Holidays, King County
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/wastefreeholidays/
To find other local options, enter "waste free holidays" plus your county as key words in a search browser.

As noted on one of the "Waste Free" sites, reducing waste is especially important during the holiday season. Americans toss one million extra tons of waste each week between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. If every family in the U.S. used two feet less of gift wrap ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved would be enough to tie a bow around the whole planet!
Here are links and brief descriptions for other ways to observe "green holidays."

Green Gift Guide
www.greengiftguide.com/be_green/
Site features business gifts, clothing & jewelry, "for pet's sake," garden & outdoor, house & home, toys, games & sports, and more. The site also has links for waste-reducing ways to trim the tree, wrap presents. And entertain.

Tree Hugger
www.treehugger.com/giftguide/
Site strives to be an international one-top shop for green news, solutions, and product information through blogs, newsletters, video segments and a weekly radio show. The site currently features more than 100 green gift ideas in 11 categories: foodie, fashion buff, pop culture fan, philanthropist, do-it-yourselfer, jet-setter, green geek, wee-hugger, animal lover, health nut, and outdoor enthusiast.

Yahoo's Green Gift Guide
http://green.yahoo.com/gift-guide/
Offers gifts in a variety of categories (.e., green gadgets, gifts under $20, gifts of experiences, do-it-yourself gifts, save money & planet, luxury gifts, sports gifts)

Green Home Huddler
http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/give-green-gifts
Here you'll find a list of 16 ideas for giving eco-friendly gifts. Examples include homemade coupons for low-impact activities, making a donation in someone's name, buying a carbon offset, buying earth-friendly personal care products, and even links to organic and fair-trade chocolate and other treats.

Environmental Defense Fund
http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=5616
With more than 500,000 members, this nonprofit organization partners with businesses, governments and communities to find practical environmental solutions. Its roundup of holiday suggestions includes intangible presents that deliver green good long after the holidays, stocking stuffers, a "kid's corner," books & board games, a grab bag for gardeners, and wearable recyclables. Also offered are tips for setting an earth-friendly holiday table.

Grist magazine's Stuff Free Gift Ideas
http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/11/20/stuff-free/
Ten ideas for stuff-free gifts, ranging from adopting an acre of rainforest to buying a share in a Community Supported Agriculture farm (check localharvest.org).

Co-op America's Holiday Green Gift Guide
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greengifts/
This guide features special offers from businesses listed in the National Green Pages™. Among categories "all around green;" beauty and body care; food and drink; and gifts, art and accessories.