To the Future Generation:
I wish you peace and joy. Yes it is the time of year to start preparing for the madness of the holidays. This year will be different. I am going to change, to help give you clean air and water. It will be hard but I can do this. I am going back to Christmases I had growing up, where less was more and my identity wasn’t based on the amount of presents I got or gave. Generations of Christmas traditions and buying during the holidays create vast amounts of landfill and carbon waste. Besides, with all the presents being given, kids cannot even remember what they got or who gave what. I will:
1. Give of my time, laughter, and guidance.
2. Give the gift of a trip or experience, take them to explore the town, county, state.
3. Give a gift of adventure, give them another world—give books, magazines
4. Buy ecofriendly products…. Examples: reusable shopping bags, newspaper subscriptions, reusable lunch containers, organic food wrap, reusable straws… etc.,
5. Buy local, make gifts, re-gift things others want
6. Buy wrapping paper without glitter or metal, make my own out of newspaper or paper, decorate with crayons, etc., and recycle when used; make gift bags out of old T-shirts
7. Take the recyclables with me when I leave if the place I am visiting doesn’t recycle.
8. Take clean bubble wrap and Styrofoam peanuts to Mail Boxes of Iowa City for them to recycle.
9. Write or email a company and ask why they don’t use recyclable plastic in their packaging.
10. Donate to charity and give food and help a neighbor, join Facebook Free Trade – Give & Get- North Liberty & Surrounding Areas
So no shopping until I drop, and no stressing that this or that has to be done a certain way. Receiving or giving one small thing can make you happier than receiving a ton of stuff. Instead I will be spending time with those I love, planning trips, playing games, helping others. Yes, saving Christmas and the Earth for you.
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Charlene Lange is great grandmother and retired school teacher wanting to help save our resources.
[Source: Press Citizen, 23 Oct 2018]