Lose a few kilos and still drink all the eggnog you want

The holiday season is supposed to be about peace, joy and goodwill but for many Canadians, it is expensive, stressful and generates huge amounts of pre and post Boxing Day waste.

During the year, Canadians generate more waste per capita than any other country in the world, with a significant increase during the holiday season.

Earth Day Canada, through its EcoAction Teams Program is encouraging all Canadians to consider the environment in their holiday planning.

If all Canadians reused paper and gift bags for just three items, we would save enough paper to cover 45,000 hockey rinks. And if every family produced one less kilogram of waste during the holidays, we would produce 34,000 tonnes less garbage. Little efforts translate into huge savings.

In the coming weeks, commit to greener celebrations and trim your holiday WASTEline.

Gifts from the kitchen – for little gifts, give edible items such as homemade cookies, cakes, or nuts and

dried fruit in reusable containers like jars or pottery.

Give ‘em green! – For the person who has everything, support a cause they believe in and make a donation in their name. Donate to Earth Day Canada, buy an acre of rainforest, Adopt-a-Tree, an animal or its habitat and more. Find your organization of choice at http://www.ecoactionteams. ca/resources/links.cf.

Give quality, not quantity in a gift of presence – Give a certificate for time spent together such as regular

visits to an outdoor skating rink, theatre, movie, or lunch dates. Create memorable moments with this year’s gifts.

Green decorating – When decorating, use materials that can be composted, such as popcorn and cranberry garlands for the tree, homemade wreathes of pinecones, evergreen branches and berries.

Green hosting – If you have a big group coming over and not enough plates, bowls or cutlery, ask a friend to bring an extra set over or rent dishes from a party rental company.

Refuse to use “disposables” that take more than 100 years to break down.

Light up the holidays – If you are considering buying new holiday lights, buy LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights as they use about 99 per cent less energy than regular holiday bulbs. Reduce the number of old technology lights you put up and if you are sticking with regular lights, use the strands with smaller bulbs because they use less energy and are less of a fire hazard.

The gifts that keep giving – Give memberships to a gym, art class or

recreational activity for a gift that keeps giving throughout the year.

Keepin’ it green – This New Year’s make a green resolution and keep it. For example, resolve to walk more and take the car less often.

Wrapping it up – Get creative and reuse gift bags, ribbons or bows. Use the comics from the newspaper or tins and pottery to wrap edible items. If you decide to buy wrapping paper, make sure that it is recycled post-consumer content.