Do Just One Thing

Do this one thing: Choose unbleached paper products to use for cooking and baking in your kitchen. Many white paper kitchen materials are bleached using chlorine, which means chemicals can leach into your food. Instead of taking the safety risk with bleached products, opt for unbleached ones. Products like parchment paper, coffee filters and paper towels all have unbleached alternatives you can find easily at almost any supermarket -- just look for brown-colored products. The cost is comparable, and the unbleached products are just as effective as the bleached ones.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

You may be hosting a large function during the holiday season, whether it's a dinner party or a festive event with lots of food. Since this is the time of year when food waste can quickly end up in landfills, consider allowing guests to take home leftovers. You can purchase paper takeout containers yourself that guests can fill and take with them, or encourage guests to bring their own reusable containers. Your local deli or Chinese food restaurant will often sell you a few extra containers if you ask.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When decorating for the holiday season, look for locally grown and all-natural decor instead of store-bought items. Evergreen swags, berries, squashes and dried corn and gourds are all great things to adorn your mantel, dining table and exterior of your home. Not only are they compostable and biodegradable, but they are also inexpensive. Avoid natural items that are lacquered, spray-painted and/or gilded, since they can't be composted and often come from faraway states to get to your store.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION