Tips for Environmentally Friendly Gifts this Holiday Season
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering holiday gift-giving tips to help support a healthy environment this season and all year long. Energy Star, Design for the Environment, and WaterSense labels can be found on thousands of products across the country. This makes it easy to choose gifts that can help anyone on your list save energy and protect the environment. By using these products this holiday season, consumers can cut their energy bills. They can also reduce harmful pollution while helping keep our environment healthy. Buying Energy Star products is a smart way to contribute to a healthier planet.
Look for the Label that Saves Gift Recipients Money
Energy Star Home Entertainment: You can find the Energy Star label on nearly all entertainment products. These include TVs and Blu-ray disc players to home-theaters-in-a-box. If you are in the market for a digital picture frame, consider one with the Energy Star. It uses 25 percent less energy than non-qualified models—making it one of the most efficient Energy Star products for your home entertainment.
Energy Star Office Products
Shoppers can also find the Energy Star label on office products such as computers, LCD monitors, notebooks, and multifunction printers. A home office fully equipped with Energy Star qualified products can save up to $380 over the lifetime of the products. Moreover, Energy Star qualified computers and monitors were created with a power management sleep mode. This ensures you save energy (and money on utility bills) when the product is not in use. These savings highlight the benefits of using energy-efficient Star products.
Energy Star Qualified Battery Chargers for your Favorite Product
Products that use Energy Star qualified battery chargers, such as video game controls, digital cameras, shavers, and hand vacuums, use 35 percent less energy compared to conventional chargers. Old battery chargers can be recycled through many manufacturers and retailers. They have electronics recycling programs nationwide, encouraging the adoption of more Energy Star products into everyday routines.
Healthier Homes ‘Design for the Environment’ Label:
From pet care products to dish soaps and car supplies, consumers should look for the Design for the Environment (DfE) label. It helps to quickly identify and choose products that are safer for families and also help protect the environment. In 2010, Americans using products with the DfE label cut the use of harmful chemicals by more than 600 million pounds. These alternatives can lead to healthier homes, similar to the benefits offered by Energy Star products.
Festive and Healthy Holiday Tips for People and the Planet
Holiday Decorating: Look for the Energy Star label on LED decorative light strings to meet your holiday decorating needs. Qualified light strings use about 70 percent less electricity than incandescent light strings. They are available in a variety of colors, shapes, and lengths. These Energy Star qualified light strings save energy and are more durable, shock-resistant, and cooler to the touch, proving to be among the most versatile star products for decorating.
New Energy Star Products for N Electronic Gift? Recycle the Old One
Encourage gift recipients to reuse or recycle their old electronics, allowing the valuable materials within to be used again in new products. This also helps to save natural resources. Check out EPA’s Plug-In To eCycling initiative for more information. It explains how to safely recycle electronics, including cell phones, computers, and TVs.
Reusable Bags:
Millions of paper and plastic bags end up in the landfills every year. Skip the extra bags and bring reusable cloth bags when shopping— they’re environmentally friendly and cost efficient.
Skip the Excess Wrapping:
Try wrapping gifts in recycled paper bags or recycled wrapping paper. Alternatively, give gifts that don’t require excess packaging. This helps to keep more trash out of landfills.
Have a Water Efficient H2Oliday
Preparing for and cleaning up after a holiday meal often requires more water use than usual. Running your tap continuously while preparing food or washing dishes wastes water. It can use more than two gallons of water every minute your tap is running. EPA’s WaterSense program provides useful tips, and over 4,000 products have earned the WaterSense label. These products save water, energy, and money. If every American household reduced their water use by 10 gallons on just Thanksgiving Day, it would save more than 1 billion gallons of water.
More information on Energy Star products: http://www.energystar.gov/products
More information on Winter Tips: http://www.epa.gov/epahome/hi-winter.htm
More ways to Reduce Holidays Waste: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/wycd/funfacts/winter.htm
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355
