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Holiday Waste Prevention
Tips for Reducing Waste During the Holidays
On an average day, a typical Lane County citizen creates roughly four pounds of waste. During the holidays, household waste increases. Food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons—all adds up to a strain on Short Mountain Landfill
Sometimes the most treasured gifts we can give are our time, love and energy. In the spirit of giving, we've gathered some holiday gift ideas that create less waste and more memories.
Volunteer and Donate
Giving your time and/or money to worthy causes not only helps your community but gives you a sense of contribution and involvement that is hard to quantify.
Start a new tradition—pick one night a month that your family will donate time at a local shelter handing out food. It is important for children to help others. Studies show that people who help others are healthier and happier.
Children who volunteer enhance their self-esteem as they learn new skills and make new friends. They see themselves as kind people capable of making a difference, and they learn to live a more hopeful life. Volunteer activities help build character and teach social responsibility, greater empathy and compassion. Teach that who you are is more important that what you have.
Children want to give their family gifts, too, but limited budgets often make purchases difficult. Let them know that what you really want does not have to come from a store—their time is even more valuable. Maybe helping shovel snow this winter, or vacuuming the house is really the present you are looking for.
Coupon ideas
The holidays are a great time to make donations to local charities and non-profit organizations. You can donate warm clothes, food and/or money. Most charities have their own "wish list": they can tell you what they need the most.
If you are giving a monetary donation, you could make the donation in the name of someone else — a kind of double-gift. Many people feel good knowing that they are helping out someone during the holidays.
Give an Experience
Here's an idea for giving without all of the wrapping: Give an experience. A gift certificate might be just the thing for someone who would like to begin a new hobby or polish the skills they have already learned.
A lot of people would like to try new things, but won't spend the money on themselves. Do you have a brother that has been dying to learn how to play the guitar but has just never signed up for the lessons? A father that loves to play golf but may need a few more lessons?
The Practical Experience
An experience can also be something that you do for someone. Perhaps you can whip up a gourmet meal or teach someone the secrets behind your special talents. It can be very thoughtful when you see a need and take the time to see that it's filled. Giving a gift certificate for bike repair to someone who bikes a lot encourages a non-polluting way to travel. Or, how about giving gift certificates for balancing and rotating your car tires or for oil changes to keep a car as efficient as possible? You could also offer to repair or do work for someone who can't do it himself or herself.
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