With the holidays approaching, it’s a good time to revisit some thoughts on sustainability. The amount of waste produced in the U.S. between Thanksgiving and New Years increases by about 1 million extra tons or 25%, according to the EPA. During this time of excess, we can still be mindful of our consumption and the impacts it has on the planet.

Here are some tips on how to green your holidays:

1. Use LED holiday lights: LED lights consume 80% less energy than regular incandescent bulbs and last 25 times longer according to the US Dept. of Energy. If you have Holiday lights, be sure to put them on a timer or remember to turn off before going to bed.
2. Make your own gift wrapping: Homemade wrapping and decorations add a festive cheer to the holiday without filling up the landfill with unrecyclable paper and ribbon.
3. Gift an experience: Dinner coupons or museum tickets are a fun thing to gift and don’t involve buying something that the recipient might not want or need.
4. Reduce food waste: Food waste thrown in the landfill is especially bad for the environment as it creates methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Save holiday meal leftovers and give to guests to take home or freeze to eat later, and be sure to compost your food scraps. Napa is lucky to have a world class commercial compost facility that takes all types of food waste. Find out more by visiting their site: https://naparecycling.com/what-to-do/green.

Bonus Tip! Volunteer or donate to worthy organizations during the holidays. As a society, we’ve shifted the meaning of the holidays from giving to getting. Consider giving back however you can, whether that’s volunteering your time in a local soup kitchen or donating some money to a great organization.

Happy Holidays!