Ways to have a green Christmas this year

Our EarthCARE committee invites all to have a green Christmas as much as possible this year.

Suggestions from Eartheasy

Eartheasy, at https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/how-to-have-a-green-christmas/ offers suggestions for starting an annual, earth-friendly Christmas tradition while also honoring our planet. Give back to the earth while instilling the values of sustainable living in your children, friends, and community.

Annual Christmas day bird count

Take your binoculars, a field guide to local birds, a small pad or journal for each participant and walk a course through your neighborhood, local park or countryside. Try to identify and count every bird you see, and make a note of it in your journal. At the end of the hike, list the species seen and number of birds per species. There’s always a surprising discovery, and the activity highlights the presence and value of our feathered friends. Compare the results from former years and you’ll become experts on your local bird population and migration habits. This is a great family activity because even the youngest eyes are just as good at spotting the birds and contributing to the event.

Nature hike

Plan a peaceful walk through your neighborhood before the holiday meal while everyone still has lots of energy. The walk will also pique appetites and provide a shared topic for conversation during mealtime.

Plan a “Merry Christmas to Nature” day

Decorate the outdoors with edible ornaments for the birds, chipmunks, rabbits, and other neighbors.

Visit a local animal shelter or sanctuary

Nature restoration activity

Plant a small tree together. Tree planting symbolizes the value of nature and offsets the ‘taking’ of the Christmas tree.

Clean up or enhance a natural area

This enriches the giver and acknowledges nature as the source of our well-being.

Decorate a tree for the birds

Place seed bells, suet, pine cones with peanut butter, and seed trays on any tree in your yard, preferably a tree in the open where cats can be seen easily by the birds. To attract a wide variety of birds, use varied seed types such as black oil sunflower seed or wild bird mixed seed. This offers an important food source for birds during the winter.

More ideas

For more ways to celebrate Christmas and honor the Earth, check out any of these websites: www.Heifer.org Donate to Heifer International in the name of a loved one. Your donation provides livestock and sustainable agricultural training to struggling communities around the world.

Go to www.stjude.org or www.habitat.org to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Habitat for Humanity in the name of a loved one, living or deceased.

Closer to home, donate to our own St. Joseph’s Center or Friends of the Poor. Your donation will make a significant difference in the lives of our vulnerable neighbors.

Our EarthCARE committee wishes everyone the blessings of Advent and a Christmas season marked by giving that enhances the life of Earth, our Common Home.