As a time traditionally known for its rampant excess, the winter holidays give us several opportunities to make healthier choices for our planet. Below we’ve listed just a few ideas to help you green your holiday!

1) Trim the Tree Responsibly!

We all know the scent of a real tree is one of the best parts of the holiday season, but the amount of energy it takes to grow, harvest and transport real trees each year can be a terrible weight on the environment. As well, faux trees, while re-usable, are non-biodegradable and often end up in the least festive of places: landfills. Unless you plan on making a life-long commitment to a faux tree, it may not be the best option for you. But don’t be discouraged, there are ways to have a real tree responsibly.

• Consider a potted tree that you move indoors each year to decorate. When it gets too large to move, replant and start another.

• Choose a consciously grown tree from a local tree farm.  Carpool with people in your neighborhood to save gas and make the trek to a local farm to choose your own tree. A fun family outing, a way to support your local economy and a responsible choice.

• As well, organizations like TreesByBike.Com (in Portland, Oregon) are offering tree delivery by bicycle. Check your local area for similar projects or start your own!

2) Treecycle!

There are many, many uses for recycled holiday trees. According to Earth911 – “Christmas trees are recycled into mulch and used in landscaping and gardening or chipped and used for playground material, hiking trails, paths and walkways. They can be used for beachfront erosion prevention, lake and river shoreline stabilization and fish and wildlife habitat.”

Remember not to flock your tree, or use tinsel. And check Earth911 to find your nearest treecycling center.

3) Low Energy Lighting

Twinkly lights are part of the holiday high and the prospect of going without them is daunting for the militant merry-maker. If your light must shine, consider the following options:

• Solar Powered Lights:  There are myriad options for solar powered outdoor lighting – strings, nets, charicature lights and more are all available in solar form.  A simple google search on “solar christmas lights” will give you plenty of choices, though we recommend researching and supporting your local economy where you can.

• LED Lights: LEDs use 90% less energy than standard bulbs and offer you just as many beautiful choices. They also last longer, are harder to break and don’t get hot to the touch. Win/Win/Win/Win.

4) Shop Local and/or Handmade!

This one’s a no-brainer.  As you do your holiday shopping this year, consider doing the following:

• Use public transit.  You won’t have to worry about holiday traffic, distracted drivers or finding a parking space.  You’ll save gas, wear and tear on roadways and the fraction of your sanity you have left after shopping.

• Visit independent shops.  Stay away from malls, major chains and anything that ends in ‘mart.’  Keep your eyes open for local craft and artisan fairs, search google for fair trade gifts in your vicinity and check online for local small business coalition listings.

• If you decide to shop online, check out Etsy.com for a mind-boggling collection of handmade arts and crafts. Fair warning: You will lose hours of your life on this site.

5) Wrap it Right!

Most holiday wrapping paper is NOT recycled and, often, it’s not even recyclable due to metal fibers or paper treatments.  There are a few ways to wrap responsibly:

• Special-order recycled giftwrap.  FishLipsPaperDesigns.Com has a great selection for starters. Consider calling around to your local shops as well to see if they stock these papers or other recycled wrapping, or if they’ll order them for you.

• Get creative and decorate recycled paper bags from the store, re-use ribbons and bows from gifts you’ve received, create holiday collage paper from magazines or newspapers or even use artwork from your children’s coloring books.

• Better yet, give virtual gifts — offer to do a public service in the name of your family member or friend, donate in their name to a local non-profit, give an IOU for an eco-friendly outing to spend time together or allow them to humiliate you at the public place of their choosing. ;)  Or hey, if we might be self-serving for a moment, offer them a spot to blog online about their favorite topic for a year. Taproot offers one-click installs of the free and incredibly popular WordPress blogging software on our wind-powered web servers, and who doesn’t want a place to be heard?

These are just a few ways to green your holiday. Submit your own tips in the comments section below and we’ll feature the best in next year’s holiday blog!