The holiday season truly does bring out the best in people…and the waste. With millions of blinking lights, chopped-down trees, and tons of packaging waste, the holidays have become an environmentalist’s worst nightmare. But take heart! We’ve got ten super easy ways to make your festive decorations even greener (pun intended).

The Christmas Tree

Whether you opt for a live, fragrant tree or an artificial one is more your style, here’s how to make this quintessential holiday decoration more eco-friendly:

Artificial or Real, Make your Tree Greener!

• For some, Christmas just isn’t the same without a real, majestic pine in their home. These days, nearly all trees sold seasonally are grown on Christmas tree farms, so you aren’t damaging forests by choosing a cut tree. Purchase your tree from a small-scale, sustainable, and if possible, local grower.
• Consider replanting. Choose a smaller tree, wrap the roots in burlap, and replant it once the holiday is over.
• If replanting isn’t an option, recycle your Christmas tree. Each year, nearly 98 percent of all trees end up in landfills. Most cities offer free recycling programs after the holidays that can turn old trees into mulch and wood chips. Visit Earth 911 to find a program in near you.
• There’s a lot of controversy on whether or not artificial trees are worse for the environment. While they do consume significant energy and petroleum-based materials when manufactured, they can last for years and thus save gas and reduce the amount of carbon emissions emitted to get a new tree each year. Look for artificial trees that use a significantly less amount of PVC.

Christmas Lights

The use of Christmas lights can often increase a home’s energy bill by more than $100. Here’s how to cut the bill and your energy waste:

• Use lights with light-emitting diodes, or more commonly known as LEDs. They release less heat and are 90 percent more efficient than traditional Christmas lights, lasting a staggering 200,000 hours.
• To ward off energy waste, calculate just how much energy your Christmas lights and decorations will zap using the Christmas Lighting Energy Calculator.

Gift Wrapping

StopGlobalWarming.org estimates that nearly 4 million tons of gift wrap and other packaging is thrown out during the course of the holiday season. Mind-blowing, isn’t it? Here are a few gorgeous, eco-friendly ways to adorn your gifts:

Reusable Silk Gift Wrap

• Within the last week, MEH has posted a myriad of ingenious, green ways to wrap all your gifts, from recycled wrapping paper to reusable bags. Here’s one more to consider: reusable silk wrapping. Available in a wide array of colors and patterns, this wrapping is as green as it is gorgeous.

Tree Ornaments, Baubles, and Trinkets

Think DIY when it comes to eco-friendly tree decorating that the whole family can enjoy.

• Use old ribbons, material, or fabric to create bows for your tree.
• Paint pinecones and branches found in your very own backyard and use real holly.
• Get creative! Candy canes, gingerbread men, pipe cleaners, popcorn strings, and reusable paper chains are just a few of the endless possibilities for DIY tree decorating.