Dec 19, 2008 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Green Scene: A Mom's Green Holiday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
A Bucks County mom is blogging about going green in her own home. So how does a green mom celebrate Christmas? Very deliberately, as CBS 3's Susan Barnett shows us.
Blogger Leah Ingram of New Hope is determined to cut down on Christmas garbage.
"I had read somewhere that Americans' trash output quadruples in November and December," said Leah.
So Leah and her family are having an eco-conscious Christmas. It starts with shopping online. "Buying online is actually better for the environment because, you know what? The UPS guy is coming down my street anyway," said Leah.
Leah is also finding new uses for stuff she already has. "We've got some really nice pillowcases. And if I'm just giving the present to my family, then why not just wrap a present in a pillowcase?" she said.
Then she ties them off with leftover ribbon she collected from other people.
Leah's also using Christmas past for Christmas present, trimming old cards to make ornaments and gift tags.
Instead of using Styrofoam peanuts, she shreds junk mail. "Shredded paper is amazing," said Leah. "You would never think that it could be a packing material, but it can."
Leah also started composting food scraps, cutting her trash output in half.
She also bought a plastic tree. "Some people could argue, 'Oh, it's made with petroleum, it's bad for the earth.' Well, okay, sure," said Leah. "But we will reuse it forever. "
That's a gift for everyone's Christmas future.
Leah doesn't recommend trying all these things at once. She recommends trying one thing this year, seeing if it works, then adding something new next year.
RELATED LINKS
Follow Leah's progress on her blog, Suddenly Frugal:
http://suddenlyfrugal.wordpress.com/
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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