Every year the holiday season generates an incredible amount of garbage, much of it in the form of wrapping paper that is purchased, used once, and then ripped into shreds and tossed in the trash. Reduce your holiday footprint by refusing to buy wrapping paper – try these creative ideas instead.

Chris Lindland is well aware that running a non-sustainable business in San Francisco is, at a minimum, out of the question.

He’s also aware that, in this city, it’s impossible to avoid “geek and science culture,” leaving business owners at an inevitable intersection of the nerdy and eco-friendly. Chris knows this, after all, because he’s one of them; in 2009, he founded Betabrand, an online-only provider of sustainable clothing.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have already passed in their flurry of head-spinning discounts, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still score some major deals on holiday shopping.

And what better deal than the eco-satisfaction of purchasing an item bound for the landfill and reusing or repurposing it, especially if you can turn it into a one-of-a-kind gift for a loved one? Shopping secondhand makes your eco-conscience feel good, and it’s even better when you can get it for cheap. Am I right?

Get to surfing the Web for unique eco-holiday gifts with these websites, you thrifty thang.

Who’d have thought two such unrelated things could mesh so well? That classic metal box grater you use to grate cheese, slice and dice veggies, and shave fruit peels into a nice zest can also easily revamp your outdoor holiday décor.

You can easily scrounge up enough cheese graters for your decorating needs at antique malls, thrift stores and flea markets. Plus, these salvaged shredders make hardy decorations. There’s no need to sweat it if they rust; a little corrosion only adds to their old world charm.

Ready to try “grating out” your home? Get inspired with these four ideas to blend cheese graters into your holiday decorating.

It’s the eternal debate: Paper or plastic? And now, in the heat of the holiday season, this question becomes even bigger, literally. Your family must decide on which Christmas tree is most sustainable. Artificial plastic trees are reusable, but they are full of hazardous chemicals. Live trees are natural, but they are a limited resource and aren’t often raised environmentally. Both sides have merit and raise very serious concerns for the green-minded elf. But before you throw your hands up in defeat, check out these sustainable options for finding the perfect Christmas tree.

Decorating a tree at Yuletime is a fun and beloved tradition that started in the 16^th century in Germany and continues all over the world today. Whether you're having a lean year this season, or just want to trim your holiday consumption in general, you can decorate your tree for free – or almost free, using common items that you find in your home or backyard.

This promotion is sold out! 

We love the holidays. And, we love deals, too. Our Fall Harvest Goodie Box was such a smashing success we know you're going to love our Holiday Goodie Box as well! Celebrate the season with gifts for loved ones and for yourself with these fabulous holiday-themed products hand-curated by our editor-in-chief, Laura Klein.

We'll have 40 goodie boxes available with over $575+ worth of product in each and after they're gone, they're gone until next year! Starting November 29, 2011, for the next five days, we'll reveal three to four products per day that come in the Holiday Goodie Box. It goes on sale Tuesday, December 6, 2011. Supplies are super limited – this offer is available only to the first 40 buyers.

Check back daily to see what the day's big reveal is. Read on to discover today's products.

We love the useful tips for a safe holiday kitchen from Senior Vice President for Research at the Environmental Working Group, Jane Houlihan: Choose foods low in added chemicals and pollutants; use non-toxic cookware; store and reheat leftovers safely. And we've added a few more tips of our own that we think will make your holidays a whole lot healthier, and yummier.

As the modern world stands, both glass and plastic have a place, and unfortunately are taking up too much space (in landfills and in our oceans). We would be remiss to not acknowledge that both substances have awesome uses crossing many fields from the everyday to the medical. We must also note that we have abused and overused both. But, here at OA we can't help but cheer for glass in the battle of the containers. While it will never be so easy as to say, "glass, good" and "plastic, evil," we do have a few good reasons why we can't stand the latter in all its ubiquity, and prefer the former in all its clunky glory. 

Thanksgiving is not about stuffing your face and unbuttoning your pants to allow your stomach that extra inch of space. Nor is it about wasting oodles of food, paper products and energy. Shocking, I know. The renowned holiday is really about being thankful for what you have, family and good food prepared with care -- and consciousness.