While the holiday season is a time of enjoying festive food, family gatherings and gift giving, it also generates a lot of waste.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. This amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons each week.

To help people reduce, recycle and reuse during the holidays, Kelsey Esther, a senior geography, geology and planning student and Eco-Rep at Missouri State University, will lead two Green Holiday workshops on campus on Dec. 6, 4 p.m. in Cheek Hall, Room 175, and Dec. 7, 3 p.m. in Temple Hall, Room 145. The workshops are supported by the Student Sustainability Fund.

Esther shares how people can make more sustainable choices this holiday season and all year long.

For more information about the workshop or to sign up, e-mail Esther.