| Christmas: a race that culminates in your friends’ or family members’ rehearsed joyful response to this year’s round of new “stuff.” Does that sound like your definition of they year’s most heralded holiday? If you haven’t saved enough money to buy an island, or a trip to the moon, all you’re doing is increasing someone’s fine collection of possessions that require regular dusting. Instead, give the person who already has plenty of stuff an experience. Not only will you get to observe a completely new expression on their face this year as they open your gift, but you will also be a trend-setter in keeping the holiday green (and we’re not talking about the Christmas tree).
The December holidays bring a 25 percent or more increases in waste to landfills. To help with the problem, local counties and cities have partnered up to encourage a waste-free, environmentally friendly holiday season. A program started many years ago by King County, called Waste Free Holidays, has been so successful that others have signed up. This is Kitsap’s second year, and according to Kitsap County solid waste technician Colleen Uuereb, being part of a consortium of counties helps make the program even more popular.
As of mid-November, about 35 Kitsap County businesses have signed up, ranging from carpet cleaners and restaurants to spas and bakeries. Discounted helicopter tours, massages, symphony tickets and gift certificates for chocolates were among the offerings, and more businesses were signing up. Program participants must offer a minimum of 15 percent discount on tickets, gift certificates, memberships, events or shows, and in exchange, their Web site is linked to the Waste Free Holidays listings (www.wastefreeholidays.com). Those businesses that signed up early also have their names listed in print advertising.
“The idea of Waste Free Holidays is to celebrate experiences rather than stuff,” Uuereb said.
If none of the offers sound appealing enough, try these other green ideas: Provide a free personal service (babysitting is popular!), or donate money to a charity on the person’s behalf. Various local nonprofit organizations offer gift memberships and other options, and national organizations allow you to “gift” everything from a “saved tree” to a goat for a family in a poor country. “People are really grateful because a lot of time they don’t need more stuff,” Uuereb said.
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