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Green Living

Ideas, tips and resources for making environmentally responsible choices in your daily life

A recycling-oriented holiday card
Practicing the "three Rs" is most important
during the holidays when we generate
a lot of extra waste.

Bookmark this page and check the "10 Things" list below for seasonally updated actions you can take to live greener right now!

10 Things You Can Do to Help The Environment Right Now

Tips for a great holiday without all the extra waste.

  • Recycle your old cell phone or donate it
    426,000 cell phones are retired in the US every day! New York State law requires all wireless telephone service providers that offer phones for sale to accept your cell phones for reuse or recycling. Up to 10 cell phones can be accepted. Shipping is provided. More ideas for recycling, reusing and donating unwanted cell phones.
  • Recycling old computers TVs and electronics.
     ECycling with US EPA's Plug-In Partners includes many of the major electronics manufacturers and retailers. Their website (see off-site links) has information on donating old equipment, recycling in an environmentally responsible manner, as well as take-backs, trade-ins, collection events and/or support for community recycling programs.
  • Find the perfect gift for the eco-minded
    Need fresh ideas for holiday presents? Check out our green gift ideas. (Hint: these make great gifts any time of year!)
  • Turn incandescent bulbs into holiday ornaments
    Chrismas ornaments made out of old incandescent bulbs
    Incandescent bulbs get a new life as
    ornaments.
    You've replaced all your incandescents with CFLs. Now turn that collection of old bulbs into colorful ornaments. Paint the bulb with latex craft paint and glue on glitter, ribbon, sequins, and other decorations. Use a pipe cleaner or wire to make a hanger.
  • Get creative with gift wrap
    Wrap gifts in reusable gift bags or baskets, fabric scraps, scarves, unwanted maps, Sunday comics, or decorated paper bags. Save sturdy gift wrap for next year. Recycle old Christmas cards into gift tags and ornaments Save bows, ribbons and boxes too. Metallic gift wrap cannot be recycled. More tips on reducing holiday waste
  • Try tree-free holiday cards
    A family getting their holiday tree at a local tree farm
    The freshest trees come from your local
    tree farm. Less greenhouse gases are
    given off to transport the tree as well.
    An e-card uses no paper. If you want something tangible, try cards made from kenapf, hemp, or recycled carpet. If you prefer a traditional paper card, look for one with a high percentage of post-consumer waste.
  • Get a living tree or a local one
    Buy your cut tree from a local tree farm (see link at right for help finding one). It's fresher than one that's been trucked 100's of miles. For a living tree, select a small (4' or less) fir or spruce. Before the ground freezes, dig a hole for the tree so it can be planted after the holidays. Think carefully about placement - eventually the tree will be tall. A living tree can be kept indoors in a cool room for about 10 days.
  • Deck the halls and the tree with LEDs
    Colorful LED holiday lights
    LED lights use much less energy than
    regular holiday lights and last longer too.
    LED holiday lights consume 1/10 to 1/3 the energy of traditional lights, last a long time (~20,000 hrs), are very hard to break (no filament), cool to the touch, better for tree - less chance of tree fire. The initial cost may be higher, but with energy savings and not having to buy new lights every two years, the payback is quick.
  • Winter fun - outdoors and inside
    Check out the events at one of DEC's four Environmental Education Centers. Planned activities include a Christmas Bird Count, outdoor hikes (by day and by moonlight), holiday crafts, learning about winter wildlife tracks, candle making and much more. See the full calendar of events.
  • Don't feed deer
     Feeding deer increases their chances of getting chronic wasting disease and is illegal in New York State. (See related link at right) Cutting browse (trees and brush) is a legal and healthier way to provide healthy food for deer.

Myth Busters

Common environmental misconceptions and myths exposed and explained by DEC experts

The paper vs. plastic debate

Q: Paper bags are a more environmentally conscious choice than plastic bags, right?
A: Neither paper nor plastic is your best choice - here's why:

To accurately compare paper and plastic bags requires a look at the life-cycle environmental costs of each. Life-cycle costing considers a product's use of resources and energy and environmental impact during the extraction of the raw materials, transport, manufacture, use and disposal.

Paper bags are made from trees (a renewable resource) and are biodegradable. However, they take four times as much energy to produce as does a plastic bag. Making pulp for paper requires the use of toxic chemicals and large quantities of water. Paper bags are heavier and bulkier, requiring more trucks to transport than plastic bags.

Plastic bags are a non-renewable, petroleum-based product and never degrade. We use one million plastic bags a minute! Very few are recycled and thousands end up in the ocean - killing marine wildlife. On the plus side, they take 91% less energy to recycle.

Your best option is to get some sturdy, reusable bags and keep a supply handy.

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