By Brad Groznik
Thinking in terms of the environment has been an increasing trend over the past few years. We’ve started to recycle more, replaced our light bulbs in our lamps and even tried to catch a bus every once in a while – so why should the holidays be any different?

Take Public Transit
Probably the easiest thing for all New Yorkers to do this holiday season to help the environment is take public transportation and it’s never been easier to navigate thanks to Web sites like Hopstop.com and google.com.
Just plug in your starting address and your final destination at either Hopstop’s homepage or Google Maps and it spits out step-by-step directions. It’s up to you to make gift lists so you don’t have to make more than a couple of trips.

Decorate Green
You finally have a good reason to throw out those tangled, half-working holiday lights you have used to decorate your house for 10 years – LED lights.
LED string lights use much less electricity and last longer than the ones you have stashed in your garage. They do cost a bit more, but with all environmentally-friendly lights, they end up paying for themselves in longevity. It’s up to you to keep them untangled.
Gift wrapping paper also is available on recycled paper, which can be found easily at almost any store.

Holiday Party
I know the last thing you want to do after a successful holiday party with friends and family is wash dishes but that extra hour is a small price to pay for living in a city that already trucks thousands of tons of garbage across the George Washington every day.
If you don’t have enough dishes to go around, buy plates, cups and cutlery that is easily recyclable and set out a trashcan specifically for the circumstance. Do not buy Styrofoam anything – it’s the most un-green thing you could do.

Fake Or Real
Finally, one of the discussions overheard year after year is whether to buy an artificial or natural Christmas tree this year. The National Christmas Tree Association lobbies for buying real – but it really looks like the green judges are split on this.
Yes, many artificial trees are made from polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which makes any tree hugger cringe, but there are many environmentally-friendly artificial tree options now. And artificial trees can obviously be reused.
Natural trees are a good option if you buy from local growers, who don’t have to waste a lot of energy getting the trees to your corner, and if you recycle the tree into mulch after the season. The National Christmas Tree Association offers the service of finding a tree recycling program closest to you. New York City has several.