The holidays are often a time of indulgence—for ourselves and those we love.  However, after our brains register all the food we just scarfed down, our credit card bills come in, and we get the electric bill for those twinkly lights…we are often left with a twinge of regret. 

 

This year, be proactive, have a plan and avoid the post-holiday-blues by going green!

 

Shopping:

  • Food Shopping – is your grocery store green?  Checkout Manomet’s Grocery Stewardship Certification (GSC) project’s Green Grocery List and see which practices you can find at your grocery store:
    • The store composts food waste (ask a produce section employee)
    • Night curtains for open, reach-in style coolers (look for the handle above, as they are likely to not be pulled down during business hours)
    • Seafood display uses refrigerated case instead of ice
    • LED lighting in refrigerators and freezer
      • ​​​​After you’ve looked for these sustainability practices, help green your grocery.  Ask the manager to check out the GSC or call Program Director Peter Cooke  for information: 207-721-9040 ext. 106
  • Buy LED lights.
  • Buy gifts at local businesses.
  • Give the gift of a Manomet Donation in your loved one’s name.
  • Shop with reusable bags.
  • Do you live near a tree farm?  Consider buying a local tree and supporting a local business at the same time.
  • Have a perfectly unused gift that you never got a chance to use?  Now is the time to re-gift…which give you the bonus of decluttering.
  • When possible, buy gifts made of recycled materials

 

Mid-Holiday Tips

  • Put your holiday lights on a timer plug, so they don’t stay on during the day or overnight.
  • Stay organized to avoid buying duplicates of items you already had on hand.
  • Set-up an overflow recycling system so you don’t get overwhelmed with the influx of boxes.
  • Wrap with repurposed paper or cloth.

 

Post-Holiday Tips

  • Do you have a plan for those leftovers?  Having a plan in place before the leftovers pile up can allow you to get them out of your house and to friends and family who will enjoy them.  You’ll feel great when you don’t contribute to food waste this holiday season.  Simply having the materials to pack-up a to-go bag for each household will make sharing leftovers easy.  Or better yet, have your guests bring reusable storage containers with them.
  • See if your municipality will mulch your tree, so it can continue being useful.