In a holiday season marked by world events, those looking for a unique approach to the season can turn to a new "Green for the Holidays" guide available from the California Department of Conservation.

The guide includes a variety of simple hints, tips and suggestions on how to buy recycled products, shop for creative eco-friendly products, conserve natural resources and save energy.

"Most people are surprised at how easy it is to be creative and environmentally friendly in their holiday buying,'' said Darryl Young, California Department of Conservation director.

"There is a real misconception by many people that 'green' products are harder to find or more expensive. That's just not the case.''

Environmentally friendly gifts and holiday materials can be found at a number of mainstream consumer stores, as well as a variety of online shops. From wrapping paper and greeting cards to affordable one-of-a-kind items, the guide provides a range of ideas on how to make this season more "green.''

"Recycling beverage containers and other items is just part of the solution,'' said Young. "Shopping for recycled-content products helps close the recycling loop by increasing demand for recycled materials.''

The "Green for the Holidays'' guide is available by calling 1-800-Recycle or by visiting www.bottlesandcans.com

California is one of ten states with a beverage container recycling program. The Department of Conservation administers the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, which became law in 1986.

The primary goal of the act is to achieve and maintain high recycling rates for each beverage container type included in the program.

Consumers pay CRV (California Refund Value) when they purchase beverages from a retailer. The deposits are refunded when empty containers are redeemed through local recycling centers.

More information on the state's beverage container recycling program is available at www.bottlesandcans.com (or by calling 1-800-RECYCLE).

California's beverage container recycling rate suffered an alarming decline in 2000 to 61% as more than six billion containers were thrown away instead of recycled.

The trashed aluminum, glass and plastic represents an estimated $158 million in unredeemed CRV deposits. Laid end-to-end, the unrecycled beverage containers would circle the earth nearly seven times.

To stop the drop in recycling, the department in May launched a campaign to motivate Californians to recycle more.

In addition to promotion of the state's beverage container recycling program, the Department of Conservation administers programs to safeguard agricultural and open-space land; regulates oil, gas and geothermal wells in the state; studies and maps earthquakes, landslides and mineral resources; and ensures reclamation of land used for mining.

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