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Date
I’ve been doing this for a lot of years. Some people think that this is just an ongoing operation and that it’s the same old thing, year after year. Tell that to my reindeers. Do you think that weather conditions are the same every year? How about request for presents, quantity, quality, costs, weight, size? Sure we use templates and start our timeline for next year the day after Christmas. But it is never the exact same timeline, for instance; some years there is a Leap Year, while the day stays the same, the day of the week changes. Take this year, for instance, since Thanksgiving was later in the month of November, we had less time between it and Christmas. It seemed that people waited a little longer to get those lists to us, making it a more hectic than usual. Budgets change from year to year depending on economic conditions and what is going on in the world. During World War Two, my budget was very small because of the resources going into the war effort. No, Christmas is definitely a project.
We also decided to shake it up a little this Christmas and make Christmas “greener”, more sustainable. My elves have made up a list for me to check off as I slip into people’s houses to make the deliveries. I’ve included the list below to prevent any “coal” deliveries for those who are wasting precious resources. One thing I do want to mention, though, while I appreciate the beacons of light when people light their houses for the holiday, it makes it easier to locate some neighborhoods, but some of the lighting is downright blinding. Let’s be reasonable out there. Between Christmas Lights and the Tacky Light Tour, while there is money being made by the networks, there are a lot of resources being utilized. I’m just saying.
Here is the results of the list project managed by “Papa Elf”." He used many resources to help compile it.
From Green Energy Ohio:
-
Sustainable Christmas tree?
o Trees don’t have to be pine. You can create your own out of evergreen clippings, dried flowers, and reeds. If you do get a tree, make sure it comes from a sustainable Christmas tree farm. Most are because they are in business to provide trees year after year. Don’t just go out into someone’s yard or woods and cut a tree without permission. That is a “coal” reward.
o Use LED lighting. We’ve changed to LEDs for all of our lighting here at the North Pole as well as lighting on our sleigh.
o Create your own gift wrapping. Newspaper, particularly the comic section, makes great wrapping paper. Cloth gift bags can be used year after year.
o Gifts don’t have to be objects, they can be efforts like 1 days labor for cleaning up an attic or cutting a lawn.
From the Ecologist:
o E-cards or cards made from recycled material are the best if you want to send cards. Sometimes a visit, if people are local, or a phone callif not, is more personal.
o Get food from local producers to save transportation costs when possible.
From Eartheasy:
o Look for locally made gifts and those made from renewable resources.
o Avoid children’s toys that promote violence.
o Take a Christmas hike, do a bird count, hang suet for birds.
o If you do have a live tree, have it ground up for mulch and don’t ever burn branches in your fireplace as it can cause dangerous creosote buildup.
There are many more ways to enjoy a more sustainable Christmas. We’ve added sustainability to our mission, our project charter, maybe it is time we all add sustainability to all project management processes. May all your projects be successful in 2014 and beyond. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and to all a goodnight!
Posted
by
Dave Shirley
on: December 18, 2013 09:30 AM |
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