Simple things to go green this holiday season

The holiday season is just around the corner. This year as we plan towards the festivities, let’s explore some ways to make our holidays greener!

Recycle your Christmas tree

Once the season ends, you can recycle your tree through the Peel Region’s waste pickup services. You can also take it a step further and donate to forestry or parks to help plant native trees or shrubs throughout the city.

Donations start from $10 and if you donate $20 or more, you’ll receive a tax receipt.

Use energy saving LED lights bulbs

Lightings are a major part of celebrating the holidays for many. Add extra glow and glimmer to your holidays by switching out incandescent lights bulbs to LED bulbs. When purchasing holiday lights look for the Energy Star label, these lights are at least 75 per cent more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, meaning fewer replacements.

Wait until it is dark to turn on your lights

Turn on your indoor and outdoor lights when it’s dark and save energy during the daylight hours. Depending on your electricity rate plan you can also save money by shifting your use to lower rate times.

Set up smart switches for electrical devices

Install smart switches you can program through your smartphone or other smart device to operate them remotely. That way, even if you forget, you can simply turn them off remotely from your phone.

Reduce your food foot print

Consider making small and simple changes like eating more fresh produce and fewer animal products, buying local and overall decreasing your food waste to help reduce your personal greenhouse gas emissions. Canadian families throw out 25 to 45 per cent more garbage around the holidays, with a majority of that being food waste. So let’s get creative and use up our left overs and even food scraps to make exciting and new meals.

Check out the National Zero Waste Council’s food waste website to get some ideas on cooking with food scraps. Bring along reusable containers to your next holiday gathering and pack up those leftovers! You can also consider donating excess non-perishable food items to your local food bank. Food Banks Mississauga is one local food bank in Mississauga that accepts donations over the holidays.

Limit your packaging and paper waste

Everyone loves to unwrap a beautiful gift but not all packaging is recyclable. Consider using gift bags and boxes as a reusable option. Let’s not forget to sort our waste properly when disposing of our packaging and papers.

Consider gifting an experience

Instead of gifting items, consider gifting a fun experience. It’s a great opportunity to spend quality time with our loves ones. There’s lot to see and do in Mississauga. Check out the Living Arts Centre or go grab a bite at a local Mississauga restaurant.

Choose environmentally friendly items

Where possible, opt for items that have less impact on the environment such as candles made from natural alternatives like beeswax or soy and that are environmentally friendly. Remember we all have a role to play in sustaining the earth, our home.

Over the holidays let’s reduce our impact on the environment as we celebrate with our family and friends.

Tags

• Climate Change
• Parks and Forestry
• Trees