给地球的礼物?如何减少假日浪费

给地球的礼物?如何减少假日浪费

While the holiday season is a time of giving and thoughtfulness, it can also be a time of excess and waste.

虽然假期是一个给予和体贴的日子，但也可能是一个过度和浪费的节日。

Americans throw away 25 percent more trash than usual between Thanksgiving and New Year’s — about a million extra tons of garbage each week, according to the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group devoted to helping people to be more environmentally responsible.

美国国家环境教育基金会(NEEF)是一个总部位于华盛顿的非营利组织，致力于帮助人们更加环保，该组织称，美国人在感恩节到新年期间扔掉的垃圾比平时多25%——每周大约多扔掉100万吨垃圾。

There are plenty of ways to celebrate the spirit of the holidays while giving a gift to the earth (and maybe your wallet) as well.

有很多方式来庆祝节日的精神，同时给地球一个礼物(也许是你的钱包)。

For starters, go with reusable gift wrap, and recycle wrapping paper and ribbon. “Gift wrap is top on the list of wasteful holiday traditions. An easy hack is to wrap gifts in unused maps, comics for kids or, for larger gifts, printed pillowcases. You probably have these things around your house already,” says Rachel Sylvester, lifestyle editor for Real Simple.

首先，使用可重复使用的礼品包装，回收包装纸和丝带。礼物包装是最浪费的节日传统之一。一种简单的方法是把礼物包装在不用的地图、给孩子看的漫画书里，或者是给大一点的礼物包装在印有图案的枕套里。你家里可能已经有这些东西了。

Every year, Americans discard an estimated 38,000 miles of ribbon, enough to wrap around the planet with some left over to tie a bow, according to NEEF.

根据NEEF的数据，美国人每年扔掉约3.8万英里长的彩带，这些彩带足够绕地球一周，还剩下一些彩带可以用来打蝴蝶结。

Sylvester says it’s easy to save on gift tags by writing the names of recipients directly on the gift, or color-coding gifts by recipient. Let your friends and family know you’re opting out of single-use wrapping paper and gift tags this year.

西尔维斯特说，把收礼者的名字直接写在礼物上，或者用收礼者的颜色编码，这样就很容易省下买礼物的钱。让你的朋友和家人知道，你今年选择不使用一次性包装纸和礼物标签。

Host gifts can also be more eco-friendly. For holiday dinners and parties, Sylvester recommends reusable drawstring pouches when bringing wine and other presents, and carrying homemade baked goods in mason jars or decorative, reusable boxes.

主人送的礼物也可以更加环保。在节日晚餐和派对上，西尔维斯特建议携带葡萄酒和其他礼物时使用可重复使用的拉绳袋，并建议携带自制的焙烤食品，如玻璃瓶或装饰性的可重复使用的盒子。

For greeting cards, “I would suggest going paperless for holiday cards, which generally get trashed after the holidays anyway,” says Sylvester. “Your friends and family might rather have a card they can keep on their hard drive for the long haul instead of on their fridge for a week.”

至于贺卡，西尔维斯特说:“我建议在节日贺卡上使用无纸化的贺卡，通常在节日过后就会被丢弃。”“你的朋友和家人可能更愿意在他们的硬盘上放一张可以长期使用的卡片，而不是放在冰箱里一个星期。”

For decorations, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends opting for a living tree that can be planted outdoors, and using energy-saving LED holiday lights. LEDs use around 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last longer, too, the EPA says.

对于装饰，环保局建议选择一棵可以在室外种植的活树，并使用节能LED节日灯。环保署说，LED比白炽灯泡耗电量少75%，而且寿命也更长。

Remember to reduce food waste and avoid single-use plastics. “When hosting parties and holiday meals, use real or compostable table settings instead of plastics. And if you’re short on table settings, try a service like TableandTeaspoon.com, which delivers table settings in advance and then invites you to return the dirty dishes afterward,” Sylvester says.

记住要减少食物浪费，避免使用一次性塑料制品。“举办聚会和节日聚餐时，使用真正的或可堆肥的餐具，而不是塑料餐具。如果你没有足够的餐具，可以试试TableandTeaspoon.com这样的服务，它会提前提供餐具，然后邀请你把脏盘子退回去，”西尔维斯特说。

Have recyclable to-go containers handy for guests to take leftovers home, and familiarize yourself with local compost centers ahead of time, so food waste doesn’t end up in the landfill.

准备好可回收的外带容器，方便客人把剩菜带回家，提前熟悉当地的堆肥中心，这样食物垃圾就不会被扔到垃圾填埋场。

For gifts, think outside the store: homemade crafts or foods, or experiences instead of stuff. Give coupons for things like cooking a dinner or babysitting, Sylvester suggests. For example, look to knitting, sewing, baking or creating art as gifts.

至于礼物，考虑一下商店外的东西:自制的工艺品或食物，或体验，而不是物质。西尔维斯特建议，为做饭或照看孩子等活动提供优惠券。例如，把编织、缝纫、烘焙或艺术创作作为礼物。

Bea Johnson, author of Zero Waste Home, suggests homemade candles, soap or paper as other gift ideas. Museum memberships, magazine subscriptions or gift certificates to restaurants or concert halls all make great gifts, she says.

《家庭零浪费》的作者Bea Johnson建议用自制的蜡烛、肥皂或纸张作为礼物。她说，博物馆会员资格、杂志订阅、餐馆或音乐厅的礼券都是不错的礼物。