The presents are stacked, the stockings are filled, and your trash bags are ready to be stuffed. Americans produce 25% more waste between Thanksgiving and New Year's. So we looked for ways to go "green" this holiday season and cut down on all that garbage. Leah Ingram emphasizes the "green" in her holiday celebrations. "I'm trying to reduce what I'm throwing out, I am recycling, I am reusing," she said. Leah shreds old paper to store ornaments and re-uses ribbon to decorate her home. "One of the things that we did last year was to use re-usable bags to wrap the gifts," she suggested. Her goal is to toss less trash. That is a nice gift to the earth. Paul McCrandle, author of "The Green Guide," had tons of suggestions to help the environment this holiday season. "There are lots of little things you can do that will make the holidays both environmentally friendly and a lot more fun," he said. For example, instead of buying and tossing a tree, try using a potted tree from a local nursery. "It's a live tree. It's going to add to your landscaping outside your home after the fact. It can provide shade later in its life," McCrandle explained. Or, find a freshly cut tree grown with reduced pesticides. Spice it up by hanging some homemade gingerbread men. The authors of "Celebrate Green" wrote a whole book of tasty, eco-friendly holiday ideas. "If you've done it just a few days before Christmas than you can still eat them. If not, you can hang them in a tree so a bird can enjoy them. Or you can compost them," suggested Corey Colwell-Lipson. You can also decorate with things like cookie cutters, antiques, and old buttons. Looking for lights to deck the halls? LED lights use 1/8 of the energy that standard bulbs do. "Not only that, but LEDs burn at a cooler temperature, so that when they're on your tree it actually won't dry out the tree as much," Paul McCrandle said. For the table, stuff toilet paper rolls with holiday candy and wrap with recycled paper. Guests can crack them open for a sweet surprise. You can also create an eco-chic centerpiece. "You simply take a glass bowl and you fill it with some items from nature. Then take another glass platter that's a little bit larger and place that on top," was Lynn Colwell's idea. As for the big meal, McCrandle has this advice: "Serve them on ceramic dishes rather than the throwaway disposable wares." Leah composts leftover food scraps, then uses the mixture in her garden. She says going green has cut her trash consumption in half... And it's a nice gift for the environment. Not ready for the big change? Going green can be as easy as simply using what you have at home in new and creative ways, rather than buying and throwing away.