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Making this holiday season an earth-friendly one is a lot easier than it may first appear. After all, between the huge wads of torn wrapping paper, piles of toy packaging, and hours spent driving in circles in crowded mall parking lots, the holidays can take a toll on our already strained planet (and budget). There are many ways, however, to make this holiday season more friendly for the earth, while also saving time, money, and aggravation- a win-win situation for everyone involved!

The first and most important thing is to make every attempt to choose presents that come in minimal packaging. That means, no huge cardboard boxes surrounding tiny little toys, and no hard-to-open bulky plastic clamshells. The majority of waste every holiday season comes from the mountains of packaging that are thrown away, and while cardboard packaging can be recycled, plastic clamshells can't be. Both use a lot of energy and resources to be produced, so it makes perfect sense to buy gifts that come in reasonably-sized packaging, if the choice is available.

The next important thing, something that's very easy to do and that children love, is to wrap presents using the comics pages from newspapers instead of buying brand new rolls of wrapping paper. Let's face it, the great majority of people do not carefully peel off tape and fold pretty wrapping paper to save for later; they tear into it with glee and disregard, eager to get to the goodies hidden underneath. Why spend the extra money and waste the extra paper, when the comics page is just as colorful, provides another use for the paper before it's recycled, and may even slow down the unwrapping whirlwind a little and encourage young kids to read? When the paper's finally torn off, keep it in a separate pile and put it into the recycling, and you'll have just done one of the most earth-friendly things you can do this holiday season.

Another environmentally friendly idea is to buy electronics that run on rechargeable batteries instead of disposable. Disposable batteries cannot be recycled, and technically, they aren't supposed to be thrown away along with regular garbage, either. Rechargeable batteries, on the other hand, can be used multiple times, and even when they finally run out of steam for good, there are many recycling programs across the country that will take them in for free. Over the course of one rechargeable battery's lifetime, it will save money, energy, and a lot of space in a landfill.

The three things outlined above are by no means the only things you can do to help the earth this season! Shop online instead of using gas and polluting the air while driving around crowded mall parking lots. Buy a gift card instead of buying a gift you're not sure someone will like. Use real plates and silverware instead of paper or plastic ones, which never get recycled and are environmental disasters. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones, for the same reason.

And finally, talk to the younger ones in the family about the importance of recycling and being friendly to our earth. The only way to raise environmentally conscious adults, is to lead the way when they're children and instill in them a sense of respect and awe for the wonderful planet we live on. What better time of year than the holidays?

Learn more about this author, Rhea Wood.
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