Waste Free Holidays

Find out about why many are rethinking their holiday gift giving and why this may be a good exercise for you and your family.

Guided Questions

1. 1.How does your family give gifts at the holidays? Who do you buy for, what do you do, how much do you spend?
   

2. 2.Has it changed from when you were little? Explain.
   

3. 3.What is a favorite memory of yours about a holiday celebration in the past that didn’t involve traditional gifts?
   

4. 4.How much extra waste is generated by Americans during the holiday season (Halloween through New Years)?
   

5. 5.Why is so much waste generated at this time?
   

6. 6. Explore the suggested alternatives to traditional gift giving.  What THREE ideas for gift alternatives appeal to you most? Why?
   

7. 7. Explore the Green Gifts site.  What appealed to you most and why? What problems do these gift suggestions pose?
   

8. 8. What is ONE thing you are likely to do this holiday season to limit your consumption and waste? Explain.
   

9. 9.Overall, what do you think about the suggestions you’ve read about today to limit your consumption at holiday time? Are these worth your time and effort or not? Explain.
   

Websites to Explore

1. 1. FAQs for Waste Free Holidays (Stanford University)
   

2. 2. How to reduce your waste at holiday time (Lane County Waste Department)
   

3. 3.Ideas for reducing your waste (Environmental Protection Agency)
   

4. 4. Green Gift Ideas (NRDC)