12 Ways to Green Your Black Friday (from The Daily Green)

From The Daily Green:

Black Friday...it’s the day after Thanksgiving that so many retailers rely on to help them go in the black by selling us on the need for salad shooters and other gadgets and gizmos for stuffing into stockings. It can be a fun day...and it can also be a green day with just a few ideas.

1. Car pool to the mall. Make it even more fun by shopping with a couple of family members or friends...it saves gas, reduces carbon and makes parking easier.

2. Buy American-Made. Not only does this reduce the chance of purchasing lead-laced toys, or lead jewelry, it reduces your personal carbon footprint by not buying products shipped in from far-away lands.

3. BYOB. Bring your own shopping bags. Don't laugh; everyone's doing it.

4. Skip the drive-through. Idling your car puts pollutants into the air. So don’t use the drive through; stop the car and walk into the fast food joint. Better yet, grab a salad at a locally-owned restaurant.

5. Shop local retailers. Support local stores run by local people. It's a way to support a thriving local economy; a very green concept whose time has come.

6. Shop online. The internet is open for business on everyday, including Black Friday, with plenty of deals and steals. (Expect the best Web deals Cyber Monday.)

7. Buy green gifts for the holidays. Support the manufacturers who are jumping on the sustainability train and look for the great new eco-items that are out there. From fragrances to clothes to home spa luxuries, you can find green alternatives to most things you are looking for.

8. Forget gift cards. The dormancy charges, the forgotten balances...and even the potential for fraud make these cards a bad deal for you. Plus, they’re often made of plastic and will live on in landfills for ever and ever.

9. Start a stay-at-home Friday family tradition. Keep the family thing going one more day. Stay home and make gifts, holiday treats, things to give that cost less and come from the heart.

10. Send holiday e-cards. Save a tree and save a stamp and send a holiday e-card. Your posse will be impressed and, Gramps, your kids will stop calling you a Luddite.

11. Give a starter kit of eco-friendly gifts. Put together a collection of goodies to help your friends and family members get started going green. Think of the very first green steps and include things such as: a collection of cfl light bulbs, a pound of organic fair trade coffee, a power strip for fighting the energy vampire at home, a tire pressure gauge, all put in a cool looking shopping tote bag they can use for their own grocery trips all year.

12. Spend less and donate more. Put the heart back into the holidays this year. Remember what you're celebrating by remembering the less fortunate. Wait 'til you see how it makes you feel!

Find this article at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/12-ways-to-green-your-black-friday-491119