Activist Offers Tips For “Green” Holiday Season

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Some might say Walter Simpson has a "bah, humbug!" attitude toward the holiday season.

But the University at Buffalo energy officer and environmental activist says the holidays just are not happy anymore because they have become a time "scarred by hypocrisy and commercialism."

According to Simpson, the holidays bring the year's most unecological and earth-destructive practices: the cut trees, the energy-draining lights, the pointless cards, the wasteful gift wrapping and most of all, the excessive spending. And as a result of our society's consumption, nature is dying.

"Commercialism, fueled by society's materialism, is literally the most destructive force on earth," says Simpson, adding that the harm increases "exponentially" during the holidays.

"There is an expectation around this time of year, and the notion that if you don't 'buy' into it there is something wrong with you," says Simpson, who celebrates "Buy Nothing Day" each year on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. "Buy Nothing Day," conceived in the early 1990s by the Media Foundation www.adbusters.org, directly confronts the issue of sustainable consumption and challenges those afflicted with "affluenza."

"The December holidays reinforce our society's destructive addiction to commercialism and materialism, and promote a selfish existence as individuals and as a nation," he says. "The result is that our activities threaten the environment and damage us spiritually. A life of shopping and overabundance of 'stuff' is not morally or spiritually uplifting."

Simpson offers several tips for celebrating an environmentally responsible holiday season and says that by spending less and doing less, the season becomes less stressful and more meaningful. After all, less is more.

He realizes his ideal holiday is somewhat unrealistic, especially when children are involved and given the attention to spending in the media. But even a small effort, or changing a little at a time, can make a difference, says Simpson.

How can we contribute to a more sustainable environment around the holidays? Simpson provides these suggestions:

• Don't buy gifts. Give gifts of your own time or attention. "Edible gifts are great, because they are enjoyed and then they are gone," says Simpson. Avoid "stuff," he adds. "You just can't get rid of stuff as fast as you get it. There are several alternatives to gift giving that do not involve stuff." Simpson suggests parents make certificates for kids for a special day of sledding, skiing, bowling or whatever they enjoy doing.

If you absolutely must give a tangible gift, www.harmony-cat.com and www.realgoods.com offer ecologically oriented gifts -- many made from recycled, reused and reclaimed materials -- and items geared toward sustainable living.

• Save one tree every year. Decorate a real tree that you can plant outdoors later. The next best option, according to Simpson, is a plastic, artificial tree, since it will last forever. Even though most Christmas trees are grown on tree farms for the intention of being cut down, Simpson says "there is far-better use for that land," like turning it back into a forest. When decorating your tree, use natural materials, such as popcorn, cranberries, pinecones or dried fruits.

Simpson adds that nothing is more distressful for an environmentalist than seeing the "dreadful skeletons of trees with a few strands of tinsel still hanging on" lining curbs after New Year's. If you must buy a cut tree, he says, at least chip it so it can be used as mulch.

• Avoid the excessive waste produced by wrapping gifts in fancy paper. Wrap gifts in the Sunday comics, decorate brown paper bags, or use a nice scarf, tea towel or scrap of cloth. "It is more of a gift when you invest your own time and creative effort into it," he adds. Save the wrapping from gifts you receive and reuse it. Reuse is even better than recycling, says Simpson. Use recycled string instead of tape to hold the wrapping on a package.

• Stop sending greeting cards. "It is a waste of time and resources with no real personal communication," says Simpson, adding that most cards contain nothing other than a signature. If you must send cards, try to send them via the Internet or at least revise your mailing list by crossing out anyone you have not spoken to in two years, he says. And buy cards made with recycled paper from non-profit environmental organizations such as The National Wildlife Federation or Sierra Club.

• Use only low-wattage lights, or the smaller bulbs, for decorating, but within reason, and put them on a timer so that they are not on all night.