Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 12, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Christmas means shopping, gift giving and parties, and can also mean a lot of discarded wrapping paper, disposable batteries and electricity-guzzling Christmas lights.

But there are ways to celebrate the holidays while also keeping the environment in mind.

"The best thing people can do is reduce the amount of things that they buy during Christmas, which is very, very hard," said Ecology North member Doug Ritchie.

He said people should consider making their own gifts or buying them secondhand.

"Green presents would include a coffee mug, especially if they've been using plastic cups," said Ritchie.

People can reduce waste by buying rechargeable batteries for kids' toys, and using a canvas bag instead of accumulating tons of plastic ones when shopping for an endless number of gifts for friends and family, he said.

Ritchie also recommended using newspaper or recycled gift bags to wrap gifts instead of traditional wrapping paper to reduce garbage and save money, too.

"It's best to try and use materials you already have in your house," said Ritchie.

Newer LED lights use only 10 per cent of the energy consumed by older Christmas lights, are made of durable plastic and last about 10 years, while creating the same beautiful bright effect around the house or tree.

For holiday parties, try to buy in bulk as much as possible to reduce the amount of trash accumulated, and recycle bottles and cans. It would also help to walk to friends and families' holiday gatherings or take public transit if possible.

According to Ritchie, there isn't yet a consensus on which is better for the environment - real Christmas trees or fake ones. But after the holidays, anyone with a real tree can drop it off at the landfill to be chipped and recycled.