Bottlenose

I. CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

• Gather and reuse Christmas decorations from previous years or create new ones from discarded and biodegradable materials.

• If you really have to buy decorations, select reusable items that are local, natural, energy-efficient.

• Aviod decorations and products that create waste and/or uses toxic chemicals such as plastics, painted with color paints with strong smell etc.

• Build the crib (belen) from recycled materials and use the occasion to impart the true Christmas message, which bared itself in the simplicity and poverty of the manger.

• Opt for potted trees or plants or branches or broomsticks in a jar or pot as Christmas trees.

• Avoid stringing too many Christmas lights. If you really want to light up, use bulbs with low wattage to save on energy and only use decorative lights that meet safety standards.

II. CHRISTMAS PARTIES

• Prepare for modest festivities and use party savings to bring Christmas cheer to deprived families and communities.

• If food is catered, request for reusable utensils. If food is bought from restaurants, bring containers to avoid throw-away plastic and Styrofoam containers, which only end up in dumpsites and water bodies.

• Choose low-fat and, if possible, vegetarian dishes.

• Ensure the ecological management of discards: reuse and recycle the non-biodegradables, feed the food leftovers to animals or compost them to make nutrients for healthy soils.

• Choose reusable cloth napkins instead of single use paper napkins. You can make cheap cloth napkins from cheesecloth or flour bags. Simply wash and store for future use.

III. CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

• Prepare your shopping list of Christmas essentials and plan your trip to save on fuel costs and cut carbon dioxide emissions. Walk, cycle or use public transportation whenever possible.

• Say no to plastic bags! Bring a reusable bag, basket or bayong when you shop.

• Avoid excessively and expensively packaged items. Remember that the cost of the packaging is added on to the price of the item.

• When buying gifts, choose eco-friendly products that do not come from old-growth forests, contain no GMOs, are not fossil fuel based, nontoxic, and not made from child or abusive labor practices.

IV. CHRISTMAS GIFTS

• Volunteer your time and talents to projects and services for the community and the environment. Ask your barangay, church, school or organization how you can be of help.

• Collect unused gifts, old clothes, toys, books and other materials and donate them to a charitable institution.

• Personalize gifts by making them yourself. Why not gift friends and family with your specialty dish, plants from your own backyard, scrapbooks, or a CD music selection.

• Give old items that you already have a new look. This not only prevents waste generation, it also allows room for personal creativity. It also gives the receiver the feeling that you took the time and effort to create for her/him.

• Give products, delicacies from your province. Go for fruits, vegetables, plants, sweets, condiments, decorative and functional crafts, etc.

• Give environment-friendly gifts made of recycled materials or products or services that advocate sustainable living. Share items that will teach recycling such as handouts, primers and manuals on the different kinds of recycling.

• Choose gifts that do not need to be wrapped such as potted plants, massage from blind masseurs, gift checks, concert tickets, raffle tickets etc.

• Ensure that gifts especially toys doesn’t contain harmful chemicals such as lead paints, mercury etc.

• If you need to wrap the gift, use old magazines or newspapers (especially the comics section), old bandannas, etc. You can also use craft paper and jazz it up with colored pencils.

• Call or send e-card to family and friends with Internet access. Create your own greeting card to give it a more personal touch or buy cards from groups with a special mission or advocacy.

V. MERRY MAKING AND NEW YEAR

• Refrain from setting off firecrackers. Smooths and particulate matters emitted by firecrackers cause pollutions (land, water, air and noise) and it can trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory illness.

• In lieu of firecrackers, try shaking coins in a container, banging pots and pans, playing musical instruments and gleeful shouts in rejoicing the holidays!

• Never burn tires.

• Don’t bin your waste. Creatively reuse or recycle things that you had planned to throw out after the pre-New Year cleaning. Use nontoxic cleaning agents and solutions.

• Prepare the right amounts of food to avoid spoilage, and avoid plastic, Styrofoam and other single-use food packaging materials.

Source: ecowaste_youth@lists.riseup.net