Small changes make a big difference when it comes to helping the environment over the holidays
Between the parties, the meals, the decorations, the shopping and the frenzied pace of the season, the holidays can be a tricky time for making eco-friendly choices. Here are some simple steps you can take to reduce waste, save energy and lower your environmental impact while still celebrating in style.
GIVE EXPERiences
For most of us, exchanging gifts is a staple of the holiday season, but that doesn’t mean all the presents we give and receive need to be material items. This year, consider giving experiences to your loved ones instead of more stuff. Not only do experiential gifts take up less space and reduce the demand for physical resources, they also lead to happy memories that can last a lifetime. No matter your price range, there are lots of experiential options to choose from, including tickets to a show, a meal at a favourite restaurant, a trip to a museum or art gallery, a couple’s massage, dance lessons, pottery classes—the list goes on.
Wrap with care
If you do opt to give material gifts, try wrapping them as sustainably as possible. While sparkly, festive wrapping paper looks great, it tends to contain things like glitter, metallic foils, plastics and other non-paper additives that can’t be recycled—which means much of it ends up in the landfill once the holidays are over. Consider avoiding unnecessary paper waste by wrapping gifts in pretty pieces of fabric you have on hand, or repurposing pages from old magazines, newspapers and calendars. You could also try reusing wrapping paper and gift bags from holidays past or customizing unbleached kraft paper with designs of your own.
Rethink your greeting cards
Greeting cards may be a popular way to send holiday wishes to friends, family members and business associates, but they can have a negative impact on the environment due to unnecessary paper waste and harmful emissions produced during the manufacturing and delivery processes. So, if you’re planning to send out holiday greetings this season, consider sending e-cards instead of paper ones. There are a wide variety of digital greeting card services available online, many of which will let you customize your greetings with photos, music or even video messages.
Shop local when you can
Whether you’re looking for thoughtful gifts or loading up on ingredients for holiday gatherings, try to shop as locally as possible. Not only will you be helping to strengthen your community by supporting local businesses and artisans, you’ll also be reducing your environmental impact, because buying locally made goods helps to lower the greenhouse gas emissions associated with packaging and shipping mass-produced items. Plus, when you shop local, you’re more likely to find interesting, one-of-a-kind items that stand out.
Repurpose your decorations
If you’re tired of pulling out the same holiday decorations each year, try embracing a sustainable, waste-free approach to updating your seasonal decor. Start by finding ways to repurpose or upcycle your old decorations, such as repainting ornaments with craft paint or turning a well-worn wreath into a table centerpiece. If upcycling isn’t for you, consider hosting a decoration swap with friends and family, or go shopping at thrift stores for hidden treasures. You can also make new decorations with everyday items you find inside or outside your home—popcorn and cranberries can be strung into colourful garlands, and pinecones, branches and berries can be arranged into pretty displays.
opt for leds
If you want to reduce electricity consumption within your household this holiday season, opt for LED Christmas lights instead of old-school incandescent ones. Durable, safe and highly efficient, LED bulbs use around 85 percent less energy than incandescents and can last up to 25 times longer. And, while LED styles and colours were once rather limited, they now come in a variety of shapes and hues—you can even opt for LEDS that give off the same warm glow as traditional bulbs. For extra energy savings, use a timer so your lights are only on when needed.
wear what you’ve got
While social events tend to ramp up this time of year, try not to feel pressured into buying brand-new attire for every gathering you’re planning to attend. After all, festive apparel like sparkly blouses, sequined accessories, velvety coats and playful Christmas sweaters are made from fossil fuel-derived materials, meaning they’re harmful to the environment. Plus, they’re often not made very well, so they may fall apart quickly and end up in landfill. To avoid this outcome, make an effort to attend events in clothes you already own. Comb through your closet for hidden gems you may have forgotten about. If that doesn’t work, consider shopping for a few signature pieces at second-hand stores or trading clothes with friends so you feel like you’re sporting something new.
avoid food waste
In North America, food waste increases by around 25 percent during the holidays. When we throw away uneaten food, we’re not only wasting money, we’re wasting the various resources (land, water and energy) used to grow, produce and distribute that food as well. This season, you can take steps to avoid food waste by pre-planning all the meals and treats you’ll be preparing this season, and then buying only what you need to make them. In addition, be sure to store your ingredients properly to keep them as fresh as possible, and try to share or reinvent any leftovers so that everything gets eaten.
skip single-use plastics
There’s no denying that disposable plates, cups and cutlery come in handy when you’re hosting a holiday gathering, especially during the post-party cleanup. But disposable tableware is often made of non-recyclable plastic, which means it eventually ends up in the landfill, where it can take hundreds of years to decompose. To avoid adding to the world’s plastic pollution problem, opt for eco-friendlier options like compostable bamboo plates and cutlery, or biodegradable, cornstarch-based cups. Of course, you could also choose to use your regular dishes and flatware—and if you don’t have enough for everyone, just ask guests to bring their own.
Organize a Secret Santa game
Instead of exchanging gifts with everyone in your family or friend group, consider organizing a Secret Santa game. If you only have one person to buy for, you’ll put more thought into the gift and will likely be able to spend a little more on that person than you normally would because you don’t have to budget for other loved ones. Plus, you’ll be helping to reduce the packaging, plastic and waste associated with holiday gift-giving. For an added element to the Secret Santa game, consider donating some of the money you’ll be saving on gift-buying to a local charity.
