As we celebrate the winter holidays this year, we can also celebrate the new regional and global commitment to climate change action and awareness with fun and money-saving resources from King County’s Green Holidays program.

“World leaders recently agreed on a monumental global climate accord, and earlier this year King County finalized its ambitious update of our Strategic Climate Action Plan,” said EcoConsumer Tom Watson, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks’ Solid Waste Division. “It all starts with individual actions, and the festive holiday season provides a surprising number of opportunities for conserving resources and addressing climate change.”

Update holiday lighting or other home lighting with energy-efficient LED bulbs, and recycle your old strings of lights at more than 40 locations in King County. The copper in the wires has value for recycling.

Christmas trees can also be recycled! They get turned into compost and mulch through tree-cycling, and King County has just updated its tree-cycling options fact sheet.

Food fuels the holidays, and King County’s comprehensive Green Holidays website includes resources for finding local foods and farmers’ markets, along with preventing and disposing of food waste.

And if you’re feeling crafty, the Green Holidays website, KCgreenholidays.com, also includes loads of fun ideas for making decorations and gifts from reused and recycled materials.

-from a press release