Green glass bottles with lights for party decorations. Photo: flickr/rubberdragon
According to Use-less-stuff.com, Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. Even if your environmental footprint is the size of a leprechaun’s, it’s likely that you donated more than usual to the landfill. So for this St. Patrick’s Day, why not turn over a new leaf, or four-leaf-clover?
Here are some simple ways to be truly green on St. Patty’s Day:
Green your home
Decorate for the holiday by making a wreath made out of old green t-shirts, denim, tablecloths, tea towels, curtains and any other upcycled material that’s taking up space. You’ll need a wire wreath frame, which you can recycle later, fabric shears and your collection of fabric. Cut the fabric into small strips and tie onto the wire until it covers every inch. Once you’ve pre-cut the fabric, this project becomes kid-friendly and parent-friendly since no glue or messy paint are required.
Consider using green beverage bottles and add lights to create fun ambiance or swap out your vases for green ones by spray-painting old bottles to add pops of green color in every room. Don’t forget to use an eco-friendly spray paint that’s free of CFCs!
Green your food
Dedicate your meals to your city by only cooking with locally-grown produce. By doing so you’ll donate your dollars to the local economy and enjoy fresher food that hasn’t been shipped from thousands of miles away – saving the atmosphere from more pollution.
Make it a fun project for the kids and dye your food green using natural ingredients. By following these instructions, you can make a green dye at home using matcha powder, spirulina, powder, parsley juice, wheat grass juice, spinach juice, spinach powder or parsley powder.
Green your beer
No kids allowed for this one. Pledge to drink locally-brewed beer while celebrating the holiday. Again, you’ll be a hometown hero for contributing to your local economy while sipping on a cold one. Take it a step further by drinking draught beer instead of bottles since not all bars and restaurants recycle glass. Cheers!
earth911
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