Low-Consumption Holiday Alternatives To Usual Christmas Excess

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Low-Consumption Holiday Alternatives To Usual Christmas Excess

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 -/E-Wire/-- Whether by choice or economic necessity, Americans hoping to simplify their holidays and cut down on Christmas consumption this year have more options â and more popular support â than in the past.

A growing number of people are working to simplify their holidays, cut down on wasteful consumption and spend more time with their families over Christmas and less time at the mall. Environmental Media Services, at EMS.org, has put together a guide for reporters to resources on using less, buying less and enjoying more, such as:

* Hundred Dollar Holidays. Journalist Bill McKibben, author of "The End of Nature," came up with the idea of reclaiming Christmas by limiting purchases to $100 per family. This requires people to get creative about gift-giving and spending and allows them to spend more time with each other, McKibben says.

* International Buy Nothing Day. This Friday, the start of the annual Christmas shopping frenzy, will also be recognized by a small but dedicated group of activists, who will hold various demonstrations at shopping malls, such as selling empty paper bags labeled "happiness."

* ResponsibleShopper.org. Wondering whether a gift you're considering was made in a sweatshop, tested on animals or bad for the environment? Look up products and companies at this website, researched by nonprofit consumer groups.

EMS.org also has the facts on the holidays:

* Five million extra tons of trash are produced between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day in the United States each year â 1 million extra tons of trash per week.

* If everyone sent one fewer Christmas card this year, it would save 50,000 cubic yards of paper.

* Shopping online can be better for the environment than shopping in retail stores. It allows for energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing transportation of consumers, as well as shipping of products to the retail store.

* About 70 percent of Americans would welcome less emphasis on gift giving and spending, according to a poll by the Center for a New American Dream.

For more facts, information and links to the best websites on the subject, go to www.ems.org

Environmental Media Services

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