Saturday, December 16, 2006

Holidays a great time to give back to planet

Christine Robertson

The holidays are a time when we give to our families and friends and show them that we care for them. It is a time when we come together to share the joy and love that the season brings. A time to relax, laugh and enjoy the comfort of a familiar smile and a warm embrace. It is a time when we realize the true meaning of the word "home."

What better time to give back to this beautiful planet? By taking the time to incorporate small changes into our holiday traditions we not only protect our home, we bring happiness and joy to ourselves and to those we love.

This year, instead of purchasing overpriced non-recyclable paper, show the kids that the holidays are really about spending time together by making your own. After all, isn't it really the thought that counts? A Crayola-drawn stick-figure Santa Claus wins my vote over Hallmark any day. If every family wrapped just three of their gifts like this, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields - and the smiles it will bring are priceless.

Remember the old Christmas cartoons where kids hung up their old striped stockings on the mantel? This year, don't buy the mass-produced generic red and white ones. Raid Dad's old sock drawer, or get together with the kids and make your own using old clothes and materials from around the house.

Are malls, grocery stores and lines turning you into a Scrooge? This holiday season think about bringing the holiday spirit to your table with organic and local foods. Your holiday feast can help support family farmers who grow sustainable meat and produce while bolstering the local economy. Not only will your holiday feast be fresher and healthier, it will taste better too - and the kids will get a kick out of meeting the person who "grew" their dinner.

Finally, don't let your tree be one of the 10 million sent to landfills every year when it could be put to better use. Cincinnati, like many cities, has a tree-recycling program which offers curbside pickup. Trees can be recycled into a variety of uses, including mulch, compost and wildlife habitat.

Incorporating these small, simple steps into our holiday traditions is the best gift that we can give to the planet and to each other. When we make these changes, the essence of the holiday begins to reveal itself.

While people around the country "dream of a white Christmas," we should all strive for a "green" one.

Christine Robertson is a graduate student in community planning at the University of Cincinnati. She is specializing in environmental planning and sustainable development.

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