The holiday season is a time for celebration and spending time with friends and family. But it may come as a surprise that the holidays are one of the most wasteful times of the year. Skip the trash this year and make the holidays sustainable with these easy tips.
Each holiday season, Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. That amounts to 25 million tons of waste, approximately an extra 1 million tons per week!
Reusing items and materials we already have is a great way to reduce waste. We likely don’t consider the positive impact it has. To put it into perspective, if every American family reused 2 feet of ribbon, 35,000 miles of ribbon would be reused. That’s enough to tie a bow around the Earth. And, if using recycled paper to wrap presents, the amount of paper saved could cover 45,000 football fields.
Make Your Holidays Sustainable With These 8 Tips
SEND SUSTAINABLE SEASONS GREETING
It’s always a joy to receive a kind message during the holidays. If you’re planning to send greeting cards, choose ones made with recycled paper. You can also choose to send a digital season greeting (email or e-card) or try crafting your card using upcycled materials like fabric, cardboard or paperboard from the previous year’s holidays.
GIFT EXPERIENCES
Thinking back on memories or when looking at old photos, we rarely remember the items we are holding or the clothing we were wearing. Instead, we’re remembering the experience of being with others in that particular place.
Gift experiences instead of possessions to create memories and connections felt over time. These experiences hold much more value and lower our impact on the planet. These types of gifts can include cooking classes, dinner or movie date, or planning a staycation.
GIFT WRAPPING ALTERNATIVES
Why waste money on gift wrap and create extra waste? Using upcycled materials is an economical and sustainable way to wrap your gifts. Unused maps, paper bags or newspapers work wonders as paper alternatives. For children’s gifts, use recycled comics or pictures from colouring books. Use recycled fabrics or other textiles for larger size gifts and save the fabric to use year after year. The possibilities are endless so unleash your creativity!
SUSTAINABLE HOLIDAY DECOR
You don’t have to be a DIY expert to create sustainable holiday decor. Sustainable decorating uses everyday items you already own and gives them a new life or look to fit the season. Incorporating natural materials like leaves, twigs or berries into jars, candle holders, or the table is an easy way to reduce waste. Garland or tree ornaments made with dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, beads, or popcorn are great ways to create beautiful decor.
GIFT ZERO WASTE ITEMS
One of the most impactful ways to reduce our environmental impact is to create awareness about the issue. Gifting zero waste items such as to-go reusables help others refuse single-use items and educates them on the need for conscious consumerism.
Doing some research before buying sustainable products is a great way to avoid greenwashing. Choose products from companies that are transparent and back up their sustainability claims. Be sure to include this information in your gift! People love to know where their products come from and who made them. It creates a personalized touch and awareness for mission-driven companies. If you need gift ideas or inspiration, check out these 10 zero waste gift ideas!
CHOOSE QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
This year instead of buying a lot of smaller, inexpensive gifts, invest in items that are ethically made and of good quality. Reducing the need to replace items reduces waste in the long run.
DECORATE WITH LED LIGHTS
There is no denying the holiday magic of a lit-up house during the holidays. Reduce your energy footprint by choosing LED light strings. LED light bulbs use nearly 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, saving you money on your electrical bill. These savings will help offset the higher cost of the LED light strings, as will the 10X longer lifespan. Because LED lights run cooler than incandescent lights, less heat energy is lost, so the fire risk is lower.
AVOID SINGLE-USE DINNERWARE
An easy way to eliminate waste is to ditch the single-use holiday dinnerware and glassware. If you’re planning to entertain and need extra tableware, check out your local secondhand shop for additional pieces. Another option is to use a tableware rental service. If you want to avoid the cleanup, host your dinner party at a location with a dishwasher.
If reusable tableware isn’t an option, shop for compostable utensils and plates made from bamboo or sugarcane.
These eight tips are just a few of the many ways to make the holidays more sustainable. It’s as easy as rethinking gift-giving and how we celebrate, refusing single-use items and reusing materials and things we already have.