Ethical Consumption, Talk about the good work of consumers who make choices based on the sustainability of supply chains, along with the companies that respond to these ethical demands.

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Greening Your Holidays

Ruchira Shah | Tuesday 17th March 2009

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd spend a little time today talking about how to green our holidays. Holidays can be a wonderful time to spend with friends and family, but they can also often be filled with unsustainable practices. So, here are a few tips to make your St. Patrick's (and other holidays) greener.

1) Use natural decorations intead of plastic. For example, decorate with greenery on St. Patrick's, instead of plastic shamrocks. For winter holidays, pine cones and squash can make a nice display. In the summer,try a nice display of fruit or local flowers.

2) Save yourself the hassle of parking, and walk, bike or take public transit to holiday events. Face it, there's nothing worse than driving on holidays. Plus, if you take public transit, you can relax and have a Guinness or two or three without worrying about your drive home. (Note: if you are biking, be sure to pedal safe and sober!)

3) Try sourcing your holiday foods locally, and opt for organic. Obviously, on St. Patrick's Day, drinking anything but Guinness is anathema. But make your corned beef organic from an ethically raised cow at a local farm if possible.

4) If you're having a party, go with real plates and cups instead of disposable. If you can't face doing the dishes, I would pick paper plates instead of plastic, and see if you can compost them in your area.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! And wherever you are, please make sure to have a fun day, and stay safe.

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