With the holiday season over and the decorations coming down, are you thinking about tossing your old lights? Instead of sending them to the landfill, recycle them! I have seen at least two recycling programs, both offering incentives and a way to replace your old incandescent lights with energy-efficient LED lights.

HolidayLEDs.com is one website offering to recycle your lights. Send them in and in return you will receive a 15% off coupon towards a purchase from their website. Their website sells a wide variety of LED lights. Not only do they carry Christmas tree lights and icicle lights, but they also sell orange lights for Halloween, green lights for St. Patrick’s Day, and various other colors, shapes and types of lights. If you weren’t planning to replace your lights, their selection alone might convince you to do so!

Christmas Light Source is another website that offers to recycle your lights. All proceeds from their recycling program will be used to purchase Usborne books that will be donated to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. In return for sending your lights you receive a 10% off coupon to use towards a purchase from their website. They sell a variety of lights, not all LED, so be sure to double-check when you are making a purchase. Check out their website for more details.

All of which begs the question, how can incandescent strings of Christmas lights be recycled? Here's how HolidayLEDs describes the recycling process:

When we receive your lights for recycling we will remove them from the package and recycle the box. The lights will be processed and any material that cannot be recycled (i.e. loose bulbs)is discarded. Once we have collected a substantial number of sets we take them to a 3rd party recycling facility located in Jackson, MI. The recycling company puts the lights through a commercial shredder, which chops the lights up into little pieces. The pieces are then further processed and sorted into the various components that make up the lights (pvc, glass, copper.) The materials are separated and transported to a region center for further processing. In some cases, the pvc cannot be recycled.

LED lights can be more expensive up front but will save you money in the long run. LED lights use about 10% the amount of energy that traditional incandescent lights use and according to HolidayLEDs.com are rated for 50,000 hours of use or more while standard incandescent lights typically last for only 2,000 hours.

Myhomeideas.com has a list of "10 Cures for Cabin Fever" - ideas for those spending some intensive time with extended family over the holidays, or just lots of extra time with kids at home and off their regular schedule. There are a few duds, but others bear repeating:

Never underestimate the power of a talent show. It can be a great way to harness the energy of a cooped-up extended family and you might be surprised at the results.

Time capsules are a great activity for any times the family is together. It's basically a way of slightly formalizing how you'd like to remember your time together, and getting the elements in place - doing a funny family video, taking pictures of everyone, recording a story or two from family members (oldest / a recent "married in" member / youngest one who can carry through a narrative or answer questions) - can be a lot of fun as well as rewarding.

Next year's holiday tasks can be this year's holiday fun. Designing gift wrap or cards for use next year is a great idea. There must be other ways to get ahead of next year's holiday crunch!

ZRecs.com photo by stephendi, shared via Flickr.

Many of us will be traveling to visit friends and family this holiday season. Here are ten ideas to make your trip a bit greener.

1. Visiting a new place? Try exploring the city using public transportation or take a walk and explore by foot while getting some exercise as well.


2. When staying at a hotel, bring your own shampoo and soap in reusable travel containers and resist using the ones provided by the hotel. I used to make it a habit of collecting these small toiletries as little souvenirs, only to find that I eventually ended up throwing them out without using them.


3. Instead of buying bottled water while out on your travels, bring a reusable water bottle such as a Kleen Kanteen and fill up from the tap. Bottled water is not necessarily more pure than tap water. Bring a reusable mug to have water or hot drinks in your hotel room instead of using their disposable cups.


4. Many hotels used to wash linens and towels every day, but now only do so every few days unless requested by the guest. Sometimes they automatically will wash the linens and towels unless asked not to. Check the hotel's policy to see how you can be sure they aren't unnecessarily washing items each day.


5. Many of us will be visiting the homes of family and friends and bringing a gift. Consider a green gift, such as an item off of our Tranquil Parent Gift Guide, or a food or beverage item in a reusable container. This wine tote would make a great gift, along with some wine.


6. When shopping, look for items that are produced locally. Not only will you be buying something unique, but you'll be supporting the local economy and buying something that didn't have to travel long distances to get there. When purchasing produce, shop at the local farmer's market or shop for produce that is grown in the area. You'll be surprised at how better tasting a piece of fruit is that was just picked off the farm that morning as opposed to being picked a week ago and trucked across the country, and will create more vivid memories of your stay, particularly when you buy food directly from its grower.


7. When packing for your travels, pack as light as possible. You save energy needed to haul around your luggage, regardless of your mode of transportation. Once you've packed, double check what you have packed to make sure you have what you need to avoid having to buy something later that you already have at home.


8. Use rechargeable batteries for items like your camera that may need a standard battery. For things like your cell phone or iPod that need recharging, consider purchasing a solar charger like this one from Solio, although if you are traveling somewhere that will be overcast or during winter, you're better off with standard rechargeables.


9. If you need a rental car, consider a hybrid. Not all companies offer this option, but even just inquiring about the option lets companies know that people are interested. Enterprise is one rental car company that offers hybrid cars at select locations.


10. Get out and explore nature in your travel destinations! Just remember to leave it the way it was and to make sure you are allowed to walk on unpaved paths before exploring off the beaten path.


Do you have tips to share on making travel greener? Please share them in the comments!