Category: Book Discussion

Pull up a chair, grab some hot cocoa, and go green this holiday season with these simple tips and tricks!

Think Digital

Holiday eCards

Addressing 100’s of holiday cards for your family and friends can become quite a hassle and time consuming. Save your stamps and skip the drama this year by creating your own digital holiday eCard that can be sent to everyone on your list through email.

There are several websites that offer free electronic cards, but you can also find websites that offer animated eCards with personalization for a subscription fee.

Free eCard websites:

www.canva.com (Paid upgrade available)

www.postcards.history.org (for Colonial Williamsburg themed cards)

www.smilebox.com (downloadable eCard program for computers)

Subscription eCard websites:

www.hallmark.com

www.bluemountain.com (free trial available)

eGift Cards

You can also reduce waste by purchasing electronic gift cards. An electronic gift card can be immediately sent to the receiver once you pay. PayPal makes it convenient to purchase gift cards for many businesses, but you can also visit stores and restaurants online to see if they offer an eGift Card.

Think Recycled

Wrapping Paper

If you look closely on many wrapping paper brands, it will tell you if it is made out of recycled paper. Usually, this type of paper can be recycled again once all the gifts are unwrapped! Most wrapping paper, even if it is not already made out of recycled paper, is recyclable, but be careful. If there is ribbon or anything other than paper used to make the wrapping paper, it cannot be recycled.

Old or Broken Ornaments

Unfortunately, many glass ornaments cannot be recycled because they can harm sanitation workers. There are usually several chemicals used on glass ornaments to give them their shine, which also prohibits them from being recycled. But if you are feeling creative and are comfortable touching the broken ornaments’ edges, you can create several DIY projects that use old or broken ornaments to create a new holiday decoration.  Check out this upcycled ornament wreath or this broken ornament turned into a new ornament for more ideas!

Think LEDs

Holiday Lights

Most of us shudder at the thought of our electricity bills during the holiday season, but there are many stores that sell LED holiday lights to help you cut down on energy costs.

You can buy holiday LED lights at most home improvement or large grocery stores. Some of the common LED brands include:

• Home Accents Holiday (available at Home Depot)
• GE (available at Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowes)
• EcoSmart (available at Home Depot)
• Bright Star (available at Home Depot)
• LightShow (available at Home Depot, Walmart)
• Philips (available at Target)
• Holiday Time (available at Walmart)

Looking for more ways to go green? Search the “Go Green” tag in the search box at the top of the page.

We know how to recycle newspapers, plastics and glass, but what about the everyday odd items in the house? Items such as wire clothing hangers, plastic shopping bags, and even compact discs can be taking up room in your house, but don’t throw them away! All of these items can be recycled.

Wire Clothing Hangers

Consider donating wire hangers to your local dry cleaners or another local clothing store for reuse. Be sure to clean the hangers before donating. You can also recycle wire hangers at a scrap yard in your area.

Plastic Shopping Bags

Until you can find the closest place to recycle, you can reuse a plastic bag as liners for small trash bins. Remember not to throw the bag away though.

Several businesses will now accept plastic bags to recycle by having a bin outside the store. In Lackawanna County, you can recycle plastic bags at these locations:

• Best Buy
• Lowe’s
• Target
• Most Grocery Stores

Compact Discs (CDs, DVDs)

Fortunately, there are 2 places in Lackawanna County that will recycle compact discs and their cases.

• Best Buy (Dickson City)
• Embassy Vinyl (Scranton)

Rechargeable Batteries

Rechargeable batteries that contain Nicad or Lithium can be recycled at many locations in Lackawanna County.

• Best Buy
• Clarks Summit
• Home Depot
• Lowe’s
• Viewmont Mall

Old Pots and Pans

Earth 911 has several helpful articles about properly recycling pots and pans from the kitchen. Here are a few tips they give.

• If the pots and pans only have a few scratches, consider donating them to a local Salvation Army or Goodwill store.
• For cookware that has seen better days, you will need to find a center that will recycle “Scrap Metal.”
• Learn if your cookware is ferrous or nonferrous.
  • If your cookware attracts a magnet, it is ferrous.
  • Make sure to ask your local scrap metal recycling center if they accept only ferrous or nonferrous cookware

You can read more about how to properly recycle all of your cookware on Earth 911’s website.

You can also view Lackawanna County’s website to see a complete list of hard-to-recyclable items and where to send them.

To learn more about recycling, check out these titles at the Library or put them on hold with your library card.

• Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
• Use Less Stuff by: Environmentalism for We Really Are by Robert M. Lilienfeld
• Garbage Warrior (DVD)
• Garbage and Recycling by Candice Mancini (Young Adult)

Read more articles about going green by searching “Go Green” in the search box at the top of the page.