Holiday Conservation Facts

Did you know that the NYC holiday tree is is lit nightly by 30,000 LED lights to conserver energy? Did you know that its branches will become mulch and its trunk is used as lumber to help build a Habitat for Humanity house after the holidays? It is nice to know that the spirit of the holidays will continue throughout the year as the 74 foot tree will be REUSED instead of sitting in the landfill. What will you be doing this holiday to extend the life of our natural resources?

Waste Free Celebrations

Room moms and teachers have started to send in their requests for class celebration supplies...cloth napkins, silverware, plates, cups, and bowls. We are going to have a wonderful without regret for the trash since there won't be lots of trash. Can you say the same thing at home?

Another Drop Off

After meeting with the Conservation Chiefs, I dropped off two 14.5 pound boxes at UPS for Terracycle...one with zipper bags and one with drink pouches. We also earned $28 for the last shipment of drink pouches. Keep on collecting the drink pouches, writing utensils, corks, zipper bags, and glue sticks. Now, if you want to know about composting, ask a Conservation Chief. We will be composting food waste in the cafeteria to create nutrient-rich soil for gardening. All we need are greens (fruit/vegetable scraps), browns (bread scraps/napkins), air, and water. If you want to try composting at home, it isn't too hard so just give it a try.

25 Tips for a GREEN Holiday!

1. Turn off the decorative lights when you go to bed
2. Use LED lights
3. Use solar lights outside
4. Recycle old batteries
5. Use rechargeable batteries
6. Give Eco-friendly gifts
7. Reuse gift bags
8. Reuse gift boxes
9. Use reusable baskets
10. Use reusable tins
11. Shred old wrapping paper or tissue paper for filler in gift boxes, bags, and baskets
12. Wrap gifts with holiday cloth
13. Wrap gifts in brown paper bags with nice ribbon to dress it up
14. Make popcorn and cranberry garland to wrap the tree and then feed it to the birds
15. Make ornaments from reusable materials (check back on the blog for ideas)
16. Donate old gently used items to charity
17. Donate old coats to “Coats for Kids”
18. Donate old prescription glasses to the “Lion’s Club”
19. Use cloth napkins and table clothes to dress up the holiday
20. Make your own cards
21. Send e-cards to electronic friends
22. Buy cards made of recycled materials
23. Save this year’s cards to make gift tags for next year
24. Recycle your live tree into mulch
25. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink your holiday