The holidays bring a lot of jubilant cheer, and, unfortunately, a lot of waste! If we all did our part to make this an Eco-Friendly 2010 Holiday Season, we could reduce waste, conserve resources, help our local community, and even give back to the Earth.

The traditional holiday meal is especially to blame for unnecessary waste. Here are some practical tips you can easily incorporate into your life to make your holiday meal more environmentally-friendly.

Green Invitations¹. Are you hosting the holiday meal this year? Instead of wasting resources on invitations, send email invites, Facebook event notifications, or choose recycled paper for traditional invitations.

Buy Local… You can support your local farmers and economy by bypassing the super-sized grocery stores and opting instead for local markets, farms, or produce stands. You can find eggs, dairy products, meat, and all the produce you’ll need for your holiday meal from local venders. Not only will you be pouring much-needed resources into your community, but you’ll also be taking a stand against all the wasted resources spent on packing, shipping, and storing interstate and international products. As an additional bonus, your food will taste much fresher!

…and Bring Your Own Reusable Bags!² Plastic bags take 450 years until they biodegrade in a landfill, and the production of brown paper bags actually generates 70% more pollution than plastic bags! Instead, bring along your own reusable bags when you shop for your holiday meal groceries. You’ll be saving about 350 bags in just one year.

Eco-Friendly Place Settings. Reusable plates, napkins, and utensils are a greener choice than disposable. If you don’t have enough place settings for all your guests, you can always rent dinnerware, serving pieces, glasses, crystal, etc. Just look in your phone book for “party rentals” or call a local caterer for more information¹. If disposable place settings are your only option, use biodegradable and compostable pieces instead of plastic.

Portion Control³. Be realistic about how much food to prepare. Use-Less-Stuff.com has provided a helpful portion guideline:

Turkey: 1 to 1.5 pounds per person
Stuffing: 1/4 pound per person
Casserole: 1/4 pound per person
Green Beans: 1/4 pound per person
Cranberry relish: 3 Tablespoons per person
Pumpkin Pie: 1/8 of a 9” pie

Thankfully, you don’t have to fret about how many ounces of Kangen Water® each guest will consume, because your Enagic® machine generates a continuous flow of delicious, healthy water that you can be proud to share with your guests without worrying that it will run out! You can even brew some coffee or iced tea with Kangen Water®; just make sure you find out exactly how many cups to prepare before brewing (and wasting) an entire pot.

Lower the Thermostat. If you’re expecting a full house, turn the heat down and let the crowd’s body heat keep the room comfortable. You’ll save energy, and your guests will thank you.

Washing the Dishes. There is a vigorous debate about whether hand-washing is more energy efficient than eco-friendly dishwashers. We’ve done a little research, and were surprised to learn that, according to scientific research done at the University of Bonn in Germany⁴, dishwashers are actually more energy efficient than conservatively hand washing your own dishes.

Here are some tips to get the most out of your dishwasher:

1. Make sure you’re using an Energy Star dishwasher. Traditional machines used about 10 gallons of water, but the energy efficient models only use about 4 gallons.
2. Don’t rinse the dishes before loading them. Newer models are all capable of cleaning un-rinsed dishes, and you’ll conserve a lot of water.
3. Only run the dishwasher when it is completely full.
4. Use the least amount of detergent as you possibly can.
5. Set the dishwasher to the lowest setting possible.
6. Run the dishwasher at night when there is a surplus of energy in the house.
7. Avoid the Heated Dry setting. You can open the door and let the dishes air-dry, which will save a lot of energy.

Recycle. Make it easy on your guests to properly recycle with well-labeled bins that are easily-accessible throughout your home. Keep in mind that many people will toss a bottle in a nearby trash can instead of walking to the kitchen to find the recycling bin. Check with your city to see what can be recycled, and then display a clear list on the recycling bin for everyone to see.

Leftovers. Even after careful portion planning, you will probably have plenty of leftovers. Here’s what you can do to avoid wasting perfectly delicious food:

1. GIVE BACK to your community by donating to local food banks, homeless shelters, or soup kitchens. Call ahead to find out what type of food they accept.
2. Send your guests home with (reusable) containers of food.
3. Find recipes for creative leftover ideas.
4. Compost it! Feed the earth with your leftovers by composting yourself, or finding a friend who uses a compost bin.

It’s surprisingly easy to host a green holiday meal – it just takes a little planning! Enjoy your traditional, festive fare this season, and remember to spread a little Kangen Water® Eco-Friendly cheer to all your family, friends, and guests! Happy Holidays!