The holidays are a time for spreading love and giving back, and who is more deserving of our care and appreciation than Mother Earth?
On average, Americans produce 25% more waste than usual in the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. While some waste is unavoidable around the holidays, we want to do our part to limit our contribution to this problem as much as we can. Every little bit counts!
So, we’ve compiled a list of our Top 10 tips and tricks for a more sustainable holiday season to help you reduce waste and keep our Mother Earth happy and healthy.
Bring your own bag when shopping
With some states having already banned single-use plastic bags, and some others already taxing the new bags your groceries are bagged in, this makes sense to start right now! This is one, small adjustment you can make when doing your Christmas shopping in person. Plastic bags are extremely harmful to the environment and half of the time they rip before you can even get your gifts to the car! Reusable bags are so much nicer — not to mention more structurally sound.
New York has already banned the use of plastic bags, so if you live here, odds are you already have more than enough reusable bags at your disposal. But if you don’t already have a stash, reusable bags can cost anywhere from $1 to $5, depending on where you buy them. Most retail stores carry their own, so if you haven’t started your reusable bag collection yet, you’ll have the option to grab a couple from your favorite stores on your next shopping trip.
I’d recommend always keeping a few in your car or folding one up to store in your purse in case you see something that catches your eye when you’re out and about! You can check out our Save Our Oceans – Dolphins tote bag (see below) here!
Make your own wrapping paper
Instead of spending extra money on colorful wrapping paper, why not just make your own — with supplies you already have around the house?
If you’re looking for more of a retro vibe, you can use recycled newspaper (especially, the cartoons) and twine! Or, if you really prefer the color or design interest from wrapping paper, use brown kraft paper (or paper from a grocery bag) to wrap your gifts, and make your own design with markers or add your own multicolored embellishments (for example, ribbons or glitter).
If you’re really artistic, you can try hand-drawing your wrapping paper to match your loved ones’ aesthetics! Grab some stencils, markers, a little glitter here and there, and a brightly colored ribbon to tie it all together — and voila! Eco-friendly, custom-made wrapping paper that your loved ones will adore — especially because you went above and beyond to make their gifts extra special!
Reuse, reuse, reuse!
This is a great practice to start putting into place, not only for Mother Earth, but for your wallet as well. Holiday gift bags can get pretty pricey, ranging from $5 to $10 each, depending on where you shop and how ornately detailed the bag is. It seems like such a waste to only use their beauty for a few moments. Instead of tossing them in the trash after the presents have been opened, start saving those fancy, artistic gift bags and use them for your gift wrapping next year!
Also, while we know festive gift boxes are adorable, why not reuse some cardboard, instead, by using the shipping boxes from all that online holiday shopping you’ve been doing lately? Occasionally the shipping process can be hard on a box, but most of the time these original boxes are in near-perfect condition! Use festive wrapping paper to make them under-the-tree displayable. Or use your homemade wrapping paper to give these boxes some holiday flair — you can even paint them with your own, unique holiday designs (but be sure to do this one in advance so the paint can dry properly).
Christmas tree: real or artificial
Artificial Christmas trees require a lot of non-recyclable elements to create, take forever to decompose, stick around a long time (in a landfill!), and come with a large carbon footprint (especially those shipped from China). This year, let’s ditch the plastic and find a real tree to adorn your living room with.
Not only are real trees better for the environment, but if you buy a living tree, they also work to improve the air quality of your home and make it smell marvelously like the holidays! You can stick with the classic Christmas tree or opt for a tree native to your specific area that can be replanted outside once the holiday season is over. If you live in a warm climate or where replanting a Christmas tree outdoors isn’t a good option, but still want that evergreen theme, why not create a fake wall tree! This option can last practically forever and is perfect for those (like myself) who live in small New York City apartments and don’t have the space for a tree.
However, if the no-fuss, no-muss of an artificial tree is just too much for you to resist, please try to find a sustainable way to dispose of it once the holidays are over. In larger cities, you can often find places that will strip the tree of anything recyclable prior to sending it off to the landfill. Recycling a real tree is easy! There are plenty of local tree recycling programs, or you can donate it to a local environmental organization or charity who may repurpose it for restoration projects. One resource for North America is Earth911.com, where you can search for Christmas tree recycling programs near you.
DIY sustainable decor
There are so many sustainable holiday decor options out there — we could make an entirely separate blog for it — but we’ve narrowed it down to a few of our favorites!
If you’re looking for a beautiful, fragrant garland to adorn your living room — or even just your front door — then you have got to make your own cinnamon orange garland. To make, slice a few oranges (about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick) and squeeze out as much juice as you can — save the juice for a holiday punch or mimosas for brunch! Bake them at 250 degrees for about two hours, then leave them on a cooling rack to cool and dry out more — a few days will make sure they are completely dried out and ready to use. Once they’ve dried nicely, string them through a ribbon or some twine, alternating with large cinnamon sticks. The smell is divine and leaves your entire home feeling warm and cozy.
You can also make your own homemade wreath with branches trimmed from your Christmas tree and scavenged pinecones, holly, and laurel from around your yard! If you don’t have access to a lot of greenery, you can stick with just the pinecones to create a beautiful frosted-tipped wreath. For the base, first try to create your own with flexible branches found in nature, but if that doesn’t work you can either reuse an old base or buy a new one at your local crafts store. Tie it all together with a large satin bow, and your loved ones won’t believe you made it yourself!
Use organic/local foods
‘Tis the season for the annual holiday feast that I’m sure all of us have been looking forward to since last year. Consider supporting the economy of your community by shopping locally!
Take the extra step to grab produce from your local farmers’ market. If you’ve never been to a farmers’ market before, most cities have a schedule listed on their official website, or — if your town is a little more old-school — check your local downtown coffee shop. A lot of towns have bulletin boards advertising local events. Even most Starbucks will have a designated area for locals to post about upcoming community events.
Now, we know that not everything can be purchased locally, so what you aren’t able to find at the farmers’ market, try to find in the organic section of your local grocery store. The extra effort you go through will be well worth it!
Donate to charity
I know the holidays are the busiest time of the year; however, we urge you to try to carve out a bit of your time to volunteer and give back to your community — especially at this time where family is everything, and some people will be dearly missing that special care and consideration. This can be at a local soup kitchen, by hosting a food drive, or starting a gift drive to ensure everyone in your community has something to open.
If you aren’t able to donate your time, there are plenty of other ways to give back. First, don’t let any leftover food go to waste! Donate unopened canned and shelf-stable ingredients to your local shelter or food bank — earlier, rather than later, so everyone can have a homemade meal around the holidays.
And everyone needs a home filled with holiday cheer, so go through your old holiday decorations with a critical eye — those that you won’t be using this year, you could donate to someone in need (this is helpful if you can organize your drop-off before Christmas)! Stop by your local thrift stores, any senior living centers, even some local charities nearby may be able to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to celebrate this season.
Gift an experience
While material gifts are always a thoughtful gesture, sometimes gifting an experience can mean so much more to a loved one — especially if they’ve been wanting to go, but struggling to purchase it for themselves!
These gifts can range in price from concert tickets, admission to an amusement park, or even a getaway spa or ski weekend! But it doesn’t have to be exorbitantly expensive. Museum tickets or admission to an escape room can cost around $20 to $40 per person, and your loved one is sure to have a blast.
Plus, if you don’t know the exact date the recipient will be free, most establishments will sell gift cards equal to the price of the experience itself. This way, you won’t have to worry about letting the cat out of the bag by asking or snooping through your loved one’s schedule, and they can choose the date that works best for them!
Opt for eco-friendly or sustainable gifts
When you’re doing your holiday shopping this year, allot a little extra time to check out the company before making your purchases. Try to order from companies that dedicate themselves to sustainability — like us! Opt for products made from recycled materials — or at the very least are recyclable once your loved one has finished with it.
If you aren’t sure which stores are sustainable, start with your local shops — they are more accessible when you have questions. Get to know your local vendors, and maybe you’ll find a great connection that is small enough to be responsive to your local area’s needs. Try to stay away from big-box stores, if you can, but sometimes they are the only option. For stores that operate overseas, make sure the products are Fair Trade Certified. This means the products are traceable throughout the supply chain and made by workers who are treated well, work in safe conditions, and are fairly compensated.
Make your own gift
When it comes to making your gifts, you’ve got plenty of options!
If you’re crafty, hand-woven blankets or knitted sweaters are always a kind, thoughtful, and special gift during the winter months. You can create a photo album or scrapbook filled with memories of you and your loved ones together. Or, if you’re really artistic, paint them a portrait they can use to brighten up their home or apartment — it could be of the entire family or just them, their SO, child, or pet, or take a different approach and paint their favorite thing — flowers, wine and cheese, their beautiful garden, or even their favorite vacation spot.
If you’re a baker, homemade treats are always well received around the holidays! Neighbors, relatives, and fellow community members alike will appreciate your thoughtfulness — and their stomachs will appreciate it, too! Everyone loves cookies, pies, pastries, or even a great loaf of a favorite bread!
While these gifts may or may not be financially impressive, the time, thought, and planning you devoted to them is priceless. Each one you make will be unique! Your loved ones will appreciate your one-of-a-kind gift, and all the effort you put into customizing it specifically for them.
