If you’re making a list of how to green your holidays, be sure to add some of our favorites.  Then check out our events to cure the post-holiday blues.

•    Sending cards?   Try e-cards or look for greetings made with recycled content (the more post-consumer content, the better).  Include a note with your cards that they can be donated for reuse by sending to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, where they will be repurposed into greetings for 2010.  

•    Purchasing gifts?   Choose minimally-packaged items made with recycled content and give items that will be treasured, not thrown out before the next holiday season.  Remember to “wrap it recyclable” by using old newspaper, paper gift wrap or a nice paper gift bag.  A convenient reusable bag is the gift wrap that keeps on giving.  

•    Preparing a holiday meal?  Look for items in recyclable packaging and buy minimally- or non-packaged fresh produce, like that from Greenmarket.  Compost your vegetable trimmings on your own or bring to a drop-off site.  Prevent waste by making small changes such as using recyclable aluminum foil rather than plastic wrap for food storage.  Serve your masterpiece on reusable plates and offer guests reusable flatware, glassware and napkins. 

•    Stuck with clean up duties?  Remember to include gift boxes, wrapping paper and other paper packaging with your regular paper and cardboard recycling (remove tape, ribbons and other decorations).  Your egg nog cartons can be recycled too—place them in your recycling bin along with glass, metal and plastic items.  Reuse Styrofoam packing peanuts and compost the ones made from cornstarch.

Post-Holiday Recycling Events to Cure the Winter Blues

•    Recycle Unwanted Electronics.  The Lower East Side Ecology Center is hosting five electronics recycling collections in January!  Especially exciting is an event in Northern Manhattan on Saturday, January 9, from 10am-4pm on Riverside Drive at Dyckman St.  Additional events and details are at www.lesecologycenter.org.

•    Recycle Your Tree.  If you’re thinking of putting up a tree for the holidays, plan to chip in at MulchFest!  Trees (cleaned of stands, tinsel and ornaments) will be collected for recycling into mulch for NYC parks.  Bring your own bag to select sites and take home mulch for your yard, garden or street tree.  For information on drop-off sites and free mulch visit the MulchFest website.  If you miss MulchFest, holiday trees (again, stripped of all decorations) may be recycled curbside from January 4th -15th.  More information on Mulchfest is here and info on DSNY curbside tree collection is here, or by calling 311.

•    Loosen Your Drawers.  Clear out ill-fitting, outdated and otherwise unwanted clothing and other textiles (even the stuff you spilled cranberry sauce on at the holiday party) and bring them to one of GrowNYC’s 8 weekly collections for reusable and recyclable textiles.    

•    Swap Your Stuff.  GrowNYC’s Stop N’ Swap is the ultimate re-gifting party.  Bring reusable items to share (portable items only) or simply bring a tote bag or two to take home things you can put to reuse.  Sunday, January 24th at the Hebrew Tabernacle in Washington Heights, 551 Ft. Washington at W. 185th Street from 10am-3pm.  Visit GrowNYC.org/swap for more details.

•    Go Green from the Inside Out.  Get some help with your New Year's resolution at these workshops from Solar One and GrowNYC's Office of Recycling Outreach and Education.  Hear presentations on recycling, energy efficiency, and rooftop possibilities for multifamily buildings in NYC and connect with resources to get your greening project off the ground.  Free, RSVP’s required.  Send email to celia@solar1.org.  Click here for workshop details. 

Wednesday, January 20, 6pm-8:30pm
Central Park Arsenal
830 5th Avenue, Suite 318 (Enter Central Park at 64th St)

Monday, January 25, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Sol Goldman YM-YWHA
344 East 14th St. b/t 1st and 2nd Aves.

From all of us at GrowNYC, thank you for being part of the effort to make NYC greener in 2009. We look forward to seeing you out at many of the great recycling events that will kick off a sustainable 2010. Happy Holidays!

For more tips on keeping your holidays green and merry, visit NYCWasteLess.