Five Easy Ways to Green Your Holiday

The holiday season is upon us, and we all know what that means: lots of eating, drinking, gift-giving and receiving, and travel. In other words, nearly endless consumption. But that doesn't mean holiday celebrations have to damage the environment. On the contrary, effective use of technology can make sure that this December is a green one-and not just because of that giant Christmas tree in the living room!

1. Make the Switch to LEDs
LED lights are ultra-efficient, so why not use them for low-impact Christmas and Hannukah celebrations. This LED menorah made from a recycled motherboard eliminates the need to go out and buy candles and cuts down on carbon dioxide emissions. And LED Christmas lights use up to 90% less energy than traditional lights. That means there's no reason to skimp on decorations this year!

2. Consult a Green Gift Guide
Oh, Internet. Is there anything you can't do? Make sure you give environmentally and socially responsible gifts to your loved ones this year with a little help from the slew of green gift guides available on sites like Inhabitat, Treehugger, and CNET. A few examples of what you might find: a solar sun jar, a vegan chocolate gift pack, or even a water-powered clock. There are gift ideas for every age, price range, and hobby, so it's easy to take on presents for your little nephew, grandmother, and sister all in one go.

3. Ditch Physical Gifts
No, we're not advocating leaving an empty space below the tree on Christmas morning. But consider filling it with a placeholder card and buying a gift certificate for either a local business or for an online retailer like iTunes. That way, everyone gets what they want-no guesswork necessary. Not all e-cards have to be cheesy, either. Think about using a service like Hollywood is Calling, which offers up email video greeting cards and phone calls from celebrities.

4. Make the Most of Solar Power
Want to ensure that your holiday cookies are really green? Use a solar cooker. If you're feeling particularly enterprising, SolarCooking.org offers instructions on making everything from a cob solar oven to a portable solar barbecue. And if you plan on bedazzling your front yard, consider investing in solar-powered lights.

5. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle
Get a new cell phone or iPod for the holidays? Want to find out how to responsibly trash the Christmas tree once January rolls around? Earth911's iRecycle iPhone app can help you find appropriate recycling locations across the U.S. The city of San Francisco also offers its own app for residents that finds the closest recycling center using GPS technology. Don't have an iPhone? No problem. Earth911 also offers a web-based search for recycling centers near you.
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By Ariel Schwartz of Inhabitat, an online magazine devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and design towards a smarter and more sustainable future. Written by a young tech-savvy team designers and design journalists, Inhabitat delivers fresh content daily, showcasing emerging work from the cutting-edge of the global design community.