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Dreaming of a Green Christmas
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Dianne McDonald
Dianne McDonald is a weekly columnist for the Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA. Her “Everyday Feminist” column addresses the topics that are important to “womyn” with a feminist perspective. Dianne has been an ethnographic researcher investigating women’s-only spaces and the community that those spaces promote. Dianne graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Women’s Studies. She lives in Marshfield, MA with her husband Jason, and their five children aged two through 19.
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Dianne McDonald | Excelle
December 15, 2008
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. We hear the words often and implement them when convenient. Taking notice of what needs to be done and making the effort to better our environment is not an easy task. And the holidays can be an especially challenging when we are inundated with advertisements of …everything.
But consider the following ways we can make the holidays just a little more environmentally friendly this year.
Reduce. During winter’s heater-worthy weather, we can reduce our energy use and expenses by lowering our thermostats just one degree. When it comes to shopping, we can cut back on gas by shopping online.
Reuse. Re-gift. Why not? Everyone else seems to. Yes, I remember giving this to you last year. Glad you liked it. Fake smile.
Recycle. Rather than combining gift boxes and toy packages into a giant trash bag after all the present opening, take a minute to separate the paper from the plastics, and recycle them appropriately.
Other ideas? Use gift wrap and greeting cards made from recycled paper. Better yet — use your well-read newspaper to wrap a gift. Another paper-saver? E-cards! Not only do they save paper, but also the cost of postage.
Many eco-feminists believe that there is a connection between historical patriarchal domination within societies and the historical exploitation of the world’s natural resources, having resulted in environmental damages. As modern-day women, we have the ability to make substantial environmental changes within our homes, community and world. I believe this is the simplest form of activism and one of the most important.
We cannot change what has been done, but we can shift the pendulum from trash to triumph when it comes to women being proactive in bettering their environment.
There are countless ways to contribute to the environmental cause of your choice. You can do it yourself or donate to a do-good organization. But do something.
Here’s a little ditty that will hopefully get stuck in your head. Sing with me now… “I’m dreaming…of a GREEN Christmas…”
