In keeping with SU's commitment to sustainability, how can I shop, decorate and otherwise celebrate in an ecologically friendly way this holiday season?

Celebrating the holidays in a green way

Q:  In keeping with SU's commitment to sustainability, how can I shop, decorate and otherwise celebrate in an ecologically friendly way this holiday season?

A: The Commons turned to Karen Price, campus sustainability manager, for ideas on greening up the holidays. If you’re looking for a distinctly SU option, here’s what she suggests:

“Give the gift of clean water to Haitians by giving your family and friends a Seattle U water bottle. Proceeds from each bottle goes to Seattle U’s Engineers Without Borders to buy a water treatment system for 8,000 Haitians. The steel bottle weighs only eight ounces and holds 27 ounces of water. Buy the bottle for only $9.99 at the Bookstore.  Do the people on your list  already have a reusable plastic water bottle?  Reusable plastic bottles with scratches or a cloudy, crackled appearance more readily leach chemicals into your water and then your body; scratches can also harbor bacteria.  Upgrade to a stylish and sustainable steel water bottle and give Haitians the gift of clean water.”

Price also recommends King County’s Green Holidays website. Included on the site are such tips as using energy-efficient LED lighting (and recycling your old lights); getting your tree from farms that use minimal pesticides and sustainable practices or considering a living tree; giving “experience” gifts; and using reused materials for wrapping paper and gift tags; and many, many more ideas for the green-minded.