In today’s world, leading a healthy and sustainable lifestyle is very important to me. We are very lucky to currently have access to knowledge and products to make it easier for us to enjoy a greener lifestyle that benefits our our planet. As we enter the holiday season — a time of year that’s best known for excess — it’s important to not lose sight of what we can do to ensure a sustainable holiday season. I love that one of my favourite green cleaning product brands, Seventh Generation, has done the hard work for us and put together a 6 tip green holiday guide that I’m eager to share with you! Take a look below:

1. Save time, conserve fuel, and prevent pollution by making just one or two big shopping trips instead of multiple small ones. You can also cut down on trips by shopping online. You know what this means, be prepared and make lists before you leave the house!

2. Recycle ribbon and wrapping paper by opening gifts carefully and saving some items for next year. I kid you not, the Carroll family still has wrapping paper that we have saved and regularly re-used from the 90s! Do you remember when the Spice Girls had branded wrapping paper? Because we do.

3. Do it with a real tree. Almost all Christmas trees today come from tree farms not forests and can be composted or mulched in January. Artificial trees require petroleum and energy to manufacture and transport, and must ultimately be landfilled. Another pro is that you also get that authentic Christmas tree smell, and it doesn’t take up storage space throughout the rest of the year.

4. Save energy by keeping your lighting to a minimum and using LEDs. Powering 10 typical strands of mini-lights eight hours a day costs an average of $9.25 a month. Use LED lights, and you’ll save 90% of that energy and expense. Put outdoor lights on a timer to make sure they’re not lighting up the night when no one’s watching. Yeah, don’t be a Clark Griswold! The whole world doesn’t need to see your lights.

5. Clean with plant-based cleaners like Seventh Generation’s Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner, Disinfecting Bathroom Cleaner and Disinfecting Wipes. Made from botanically pure plant extracts, these thyme-based products feature CleanWell Inside™, a patented technology that kills 99.99 per cent of household germs botanically on hard, non-porous surfaces, and require no rinsing or wiping even on food contact surfaces. The streak-free formula deodorizes and effectively controls odours in one easy step. I personally love their dish detergent pods, they really work!

6. Cut down on toxins by making sure that any Hanukkah or other candles have lead-free wicks and are made from naturally scented soy, vegetable or beeswax, not from synthetically fragranced petroleum wax. You’ll also have way nicer candles by doing so.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

xo

@GracieCarroll

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