How to reduce waste and save the earth this holiday season

Green holiday tip #3 Create your own decorations! Things like stringing popcorn instead of buying garland or making ornaments out of old greeting cards are a great way to have fun with friends and family and also lower your environmental impact during the holidays. The EPA even suggests using kitchen spices to create a holiday potpourri.

For even more craftiness, try using the greeting cards you recieved last year to make ones this year. This way everyone will get something unique and there will be less new paper used.

Above: A family shows off the traditional German advent’s crown they handcrafted.  (JOERG KOCH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Green holiday tip #4 The easiest way to conserve energy and reduce your carbon footprint this holiday season is to simply unplug those lights. According to the EPA, doing so will not only save energy, but will also help your lights last longer.

Even if you don’t use outside lights, you can still save by unplugging your Christmas tree lights. The EPA even suggests, you look for ways to recycle that real Christmas tree you bought instead of sending it to a landfill. After all, almost 33 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America every year, according to the EPA.

Above: Gwilyn Watson makes the finishing touches decorations and lights outside his neighbor’s house.  (MATT CARDY/GETTY IMAGES)