Green Your Holiday This Season

December 22, 2022

Over the holiday season, the days are shorter, I spend more time with cherished friends and family, and I look toward a new calendar year. This year while celebrating, I’m also going to take time to consider how I celebrate. As we travel, feast,  decorate, and spread holiday cheer, we also consume resources and generate waste. That doesn’t mean we have to feel bad about enjoying ourselves --it means we have a big opportunity to improve the way we enjoy ourselves, and reduce our environmental footprint.

Exchanging Gifts with Waste in Mind

One thing we have control over during the holiday season is the amount of trash we produce. Less trash means less greenhouse gas emissions from waste processing facilities, which contribute to climate change. Reducing, reusing, or not buying unnecessary items keeps me from over-spending and allows me to be more creative in my gift giving. Instead of checking gifts for others off my shopping list, I’m learning new ways to show my appreciation for the important people in my life.

Newspapers piling up at your house? I reuse a lot of packaging and wrappers from things I get in the mail. Instead of buying wrapping paper, I’ll use newspaper, packing paper from shipped items, or other extra packaging around my home. If I need a box, I’ll re-use one or ask others for their discarded cardboard.

At my house we have a lot of arts and crafts supplies ready for creative projects on a moment’s notice. Not only are we avoiding excess waste, but the homemade decorations and cards give gifts a personal touch.

I always feel bad when I receive, or give a gift that won’t get used. It’s not only wasted money, it’s also resources that went into manufacturing and transporting an unloved product. Before choosing a gift for someone, I always check thrift or second-hand stores (which I visit all the time!) to see if the perfect gift is right in my backyard. They’re great places to find unique items at a bargain - and the best part is they’ve already been produced and sold, so the environmental impact is a lot lower than buying new items. If I receive a gift that I know I won’t use, I think carefully about who might find the item useful, and pass it on to them (regifting thoughtfully of course, so I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings).

Greening your holiday is all about taking the time to think about the best way of showing your appreciation during this special time of year.

More Green Holiday Tips

Cards

• Make your own cards from supplies you already have.
• Buy cards made from recycled paper (look for "post-consumer" content) and printed in non-toxic inks.
• Buy cards and envelopes that can be recycled in your area. Choose cards printed on white stock without metallic or plastic coatings.
• Buy cards wrapped in the least bulky or most recyclable packaging.
• Consider substituting postcards for cards that require envelopes.
• Reuse images on old holiday cards as gift tags.

Decorating

• Decorate with ENERGY STAR LED (light emitting diode) strings rather than the larger, old-fashioned lights that use more energy. And turn them on only when people are around to appreciate them.
• Avoid plastic-embossed paper because it uses more resources in its manufacturing process and is less likely to be recyclable.
• When you're not enjoying a fire in your fireplace, close the flue and block the hearth to prevent heat loss.

Food

• Store leftovers in reusable containers. Or freeze them if you don’t think they’ll get eaten right away.
• Make or buy food gifts with as little packaging and processing involved as possible.
• Check out other helpful tips on preventing food waste.

Recycling

• Find out what items your locality accepts and be sure to send only the applicable paper, plastic, glass bottles, and aluminum cans to the recycling center.

Shopping

• Bring your own bags on shopping trips. If you end up getting plastic bags, bring them back to the store’s recycling collection bins, during your next visit.
• Skip taking a new gift box with your purchase if you have previously used ones at home (or try to wrap the gift without using a box!).
• Shop in areas you can walk or bike to, rather than the ones you have to drive to. When you need to drive, combine several errands into one trip or travel with friends, or opt for mass transit.
• Share the gift of spending time with each other. Enjoy nature together or other local experiences.

Transportation

• If you are traveling during the holidays, consider taking public transportation or carpooling with friends or relatives.

Trees

• Buy a tree grown locally to save energy associated with transportation.
• Buy a smaller tree. There's less to dispose of when you take it down, and shorter growing time translates into less land required, and faster replanting cycles.
• If your locality doesn't have a tree chipping/reuse system, find out why.