(BPT)-During the holiday season, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the excitement of gifts and entertainment. While you are enjoying your vacation, remember that some simple changes can reduce your environmental impact.

Consider these five simple ways to "green" holidays so you can enjoy tradition while doing something good for the planet.

Make your own wrapping paper

Most traditional packaging paper is not recyclable and will eventually be landfilled. Instead, wrap gifts with old maps, newspapers, magazines, or children’s artwork. You can also use clothes or other household items as gifts and wrappers, including scarves or decorative dish towels. If this is not an option, wrap your gift in an eye-catching basket or container for reuse after the holidays.

If you cannot avoid using traditional wrapping paper and consumables, please consider reusing them. Save the bag and other wrapping paper for next year. If you are buying paper, look for post-consumer recycled paper to limit plastic.

Replace toxic cleaning products

As visitors come to your home during the holidays, you may need to clean more. However, many cleaning products contain ingredients that may be harmful to people and animals in your home. Choose products that do not contain parabens, formaldehyde, ammonia, phthalates and phosphates. Bona hardwood floor cleaners and hard surface cleaners (high-quality spray mops are also available) are water-based, biodegradable and made from plant ingredients. Learn more on Bona.com.

First, invest in a cleaning solution certified by the U.S. EPA for Safer Choice, and store it when other less safe cleaning agents are used up. In addition, replace paper towels or other non-recyclable cleaning tools with post-consumer recyclable options, such as Bona microfiber cleaning pads.

LED lights use 90% less energy than traditional holiday lights and have a service life of about 200,000 hours. Not only can you help protect the environment, but you can also save on energy bills during the holidays.

In addition to replacing the bulbs, you can also place regular lights on timers or motion detectors to eliminate the time they spend on lighting throughout the season. This is especially useful if you or your family often forget to turn off the lights when not in use.

Every year in the United States, millions of fir trees are cut down to spend the holidays. Although artificial trees can be reused year after year, most of them cannot be recycled when it is time to dispose of these trees. Instead, consider buying a potted tree and planting it in your own yard or neighbor’s yard after the holidays.

If you still get a traditional tree, make sure you search for a nearby recycling program to properly dispose of the tree after the holidays. Some people choose to recycle their trees themselves and turn them into useful things, such as mulch or sink them into private ponds to support fish habitat.

According to research conducted by Carnegie Mellon University, the carbon footprint of a 16-pound turkey produces a total of 34.2 pounds of carbon dioxide-combined with turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, roasted brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, biscuit rolls and The same combination of carbon dioxide produced by apple pie. Consider giving up turkey this year, or at least replacing it with a small portion.

If turkey is a must, please purchase and purchase locally to minimize your carbon footprint. You can also consider different preparation methods. For example, turkey sous vide cooking is a method of sealing and boiling food, which has less carbon emissions than traditional methods, and a moist version of this classic method is also made and dried in the oven many times.

As you enjoy this holiday, consider these small changes that are more beneficial to your home, family, and our planet.

This sponsored article is provided by Brandpoint.