Gift Outside the Box Returns!

As the great Mariah Carey says “It’s time” and that means it’s time to start thinking about the holidays.

Did you know that the amount of household waste in the U.S. increases on average 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency? 

Every year, DEP (and partners) challenge County residents to reduce waste during the holiday season by thinking differently about how they shop and give gifts. The annual Gift Outside the Box campaign was created to bring together County agencies and community organizations to promote environmentally friendly gift-giving.

The campaign focuses on five areas:

• Buy Local:  When you visit County businesses and purchase gifts made locally, you are helping to improve our area’s economy, support jobs and reduce fuel.  

• Gift Experiences: Some of the best gifts are those that bring families and friends together and allow new experiences. Gift classes, workshops, event tickets and moonlight excursions.  

• Gift Greener: To us, gifting green means thinking about the impact to the environment of what we buy, as well as, how we buy our gifts. When shopping online make sure you have everything before purchasing to reduce the amount of delivery trips and contacts. 

• Give Back: Donate to local charities in the name of a family member or friend. Consider setting aside time to spend with friends and family by volunteering together.  

• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Reduce waste by buying gifts made from recycled or reused materials, regift items not used from last year and recycle the paper.  

Visit DEP’s Gift Outside the Box website for more information.