A Guide to Making Your Holidays Greener
As we rush into the season of giving, glittery ribbons, fancy boxes, and gleaming Christmas trees are whirling around us. The essence of the Holiday Season is filled with embracing gifting with family and friends. But whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, or Christmas, remember our special friend—Earth. By embracing sustainable packaging, party materials, and more, we can help elevate this season for everyone!
Environmental facts from the holiday season aren’t exactly the best. Surveys have shown that Americans tossed 25% more trash during the holiday season than the year’s average (“How much does”). Many gifts remained neglected and tossed within weeks, and consumerism increased. But that doesn’t mean we must neglect Santa Claus to care for our environment. With his magic-powered sleigh, Santa does seem to minimize his use of fossil fuels! While we aren’t sure about the environmental consciousness of the elves’ wrapping, we can help the environment with our gifts.
Below are five top ways to make your Christmas a little more sustainable.
Focus on special, quality gifts!
Putting thought into your gifts can help reduce unwanted gift consumption. A survey in the U.K. concluded that over half of U.K. adults did not want some of the gifts they received (WWF). Creating special gifts customized to your loved ones’ can minimize waste generation from the holidays (along with heartbreak). Some ideas include scrapbooking with the year’s memories or focusing on purchasing a couple more meaningful gifts your giftee might love. It’s easier for gift-giving and can make the holidays warmer for everyone—except for global warming!
Try out biodegradable packaging
You can look into non-plastic packaging. Staying away from vinyl, glitter, or shiny boxes could reduce waste disposal. You could purchase paper packaging (cute holiday patterns are often available at your nearest craft shop!). Testing your gift-wrapping skills by packaging presents at home can also help minimize packaging waste. Looking into your tape could also be an important aspect of this! Try out paper washi tapes over your standard plastic Scotch tape. Adding authenticity and festivity, fun paper packaging helps our environment.
Image Source: O’Connor
Look into your food sources
Finding food brands from Soil Association Organic or Fairtrade certifications can level up your holiday environmental-friendliness. As many religions already pursue veganism, mindful food selection remains a key point for sustainability. Of course, traditional chicken or turkey is always great for Christmas. Being conscious of animal rights and the amount of food you purchase can help the environment during Christmas. If you are hosting a Christmas party, you could try calculating the amount of food for each guest. Recipes from holiday leftovers could be a delicious post-party day lunch!
Using reusable party decorations
A long guest list might call for arduously long dishwashing time, causing many families to resort to single-use tableware. These options are often cheap and convenient. However, single-use plastic takes approximately 450 years to decompose! Instead of leaving the dirty dishwashing to Earth—a long process of decomposition and emission of toxins to our soil—try using more reusable tableware. You could also focus on finding special holiday-themed ceramic plates, metal forks and knives, and glass cups to spice up your holiday dishes! Minutes of dishwashing could be your gift to the environment.
Light up with thought
Try checking your Christmas lights—do they say LED? If so, nice job! You’re lighting up your holidays sustainably. LED lights use over 75% less energy than traditional bulbs (US Department of Energy). More colorful, safe, and often operated with replaceable batteries, LED Christmas lights are by far the most sustainable.
Another key aspect to consider is turning off your lights when you’re out of the room! At night or when you leave the house, take a moment to flick off the switch. You can help save your electric bill and the environment at the same time!
With these things in mind, have a wonderful and sustainable holiday season!
Works Cited
“How Much Does Waste Generation Rise during the Holidays?” Www.roadrunnerwm.com, www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/waste-generation-during-holidays.
US Department of Energy. “LED Lighting.” Energy.gov, US Department of Energy, 2023, www.energy.gov/energysaver/led-lighting.
WWF. “Top Tips for a Sustainable Christmas.” WWF, www.wwf.org.uk/top-tips-sustainable-christmas.