Go green this season, help save money and the planet. Metro offers simple tips this year as Thanksgiving and Black Friday approach.
Thanksgiving tips
Consider the types of food you serve for holidays and where you purchase them. Food and how it's produced, packaged, shipped and disposed accounts for more than 13 percent of human-caused carbon emissions in the United States.
Purchase ingredients from a nearby farm stand or your local farmers market. Buying local food helps maintain a stable agricultural land base near Portland and supports the region's economy. It's estimated that for every $100 spent at a farmers market, $62 is re-spent locally. Buying local also reduces emissions, which helps keep our air clean.
Metro's food donation program, Fork It Over!, helps reduce hunger and waste in the Portland metropolitan area. Own a business or having a holiday party with catered food? Learn how you can help reduce waste and fight hunger.
Holiday gift tips
Many new items come wrapped in excessive plastic packaging, much of which cannot be easily recycled and ends up in landfills. Consider choosing items that are not new and have less packaging, such as items from vintage or antique shops or even handmade gifts.
Homemade gifts can be more personal, less expensive and have a smaller carbon footprint. Gift baskets with homemade goodies, wreaths made of dried flowers from your garden or a hand-built birdhouse are just a few ideas to get you started.
Not the crafty type? Many local artists and crafters can help. Handmade items from specialty stores or craft fairs are rarely wrapped in disposable packaging. Plus, buying locally contributes to the region's economy.
Consider giving the gift of an experience, such as tickets to the Oregon Ballet Theatre's performance of "The Nutcracker," zoo tickets or season tickets to shows at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts.
If you do get a heavily packaged gift, consider using more sustainable forms of wrapping including recycled gift-wrap, reusable containers or attractive fabric swatches.