Greening the Holidays

I’m a firm believer that it’s never too early to shop for Christmas. In the past couple years since the economy tanked and I’ve spent my livelihood focused on all things green, I’ve become much more budget-conscious and environmentally aware in my purchasing habits. Last year I took note of the websites we link to on our department Intranet for employees who want to buy green goods or adapt their holiday traditions to more eco-friendly ones. We have some links to  cooking and craft-related sites, too. Green committees will find that bake and craft sales are a fun and educational way to raise money for unfunded recycle bins or other office needs and an opportunity to give some exposure to health-conscious snacks and treats and homemade, eco-minded holiday decorations. 

Your green committee could borrow some of the great ideas on the Internet for greening the holidays and pass them along to employees in newsletters, bulletin boards, and Intranet pages. For example, tickets to a movie or sporting event are rarely a disappointment. I read that 95% of those who receive restaurant gift certificates would like to receive them again. There’s an idea that saves a box, paper, and ribbon, not to mention space on a shelf.

Some work units enjoy a holiday gift exchange. The green committee can suggest teams make it a “recycled” gift which can be a useful gently-used object, an item made of recycled content material, or a fun, “white elephant” gift. Another idea is for gifts to be environmentally friendly and the team gets to vote for the best green gift of all. 

I like Greenopia because it’s a great web resource around the world, and grows daily. In their own words, “Greenopia provides consumers with high quality information to help them reduce their impact on the environment through their daily purchasing decisions. Greenopia publishes extensive green business directories, product directories, and brand directories, as well as offering a growing community, news articles, blogs, and tips to help everyone eat, shop, and live green.”

Greenopia Guides are available online and in stores for New York, LA, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Online resources for green goods, products, and services seem to cover the globe. Check it out at Greenopia.com.

Another site I like is this Internet bookstore, BetterWorldBooks a for-profit social enterprise that collects books and sells them online to raise money for literacy initiatives worldwide.They have over 6 million used and new titles, with free shipping anywhere in the U.S. and just $3.97 worldwide. In their words, “what’s more, you love cheap used books and so does the environment – when you buy used, you save books from landfill and conserve resources.”

Our green committee is of the opinion that we can be more successful in greening our office if we can promote environmental awareness in employees generally. People who recycle at home will bring their green to work, and we hope we are helping to bring their green back home into their communities. One step follows another.