The holidays are a time of joy, celebration, and spending quality time with loved ones. However, it can be easy to get caught up in traditions and overlook the damage to the environment the holiday season causes.
It’s been reported that Americans produce 25% more trash from Thanksgiving to New Year annually (Stanford).
If you’re conscious about your environmental impact – this doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate at all. There are many ways you can cut back on your waste this season but still maintain the same amount of enthusiasm and cheer. Keep reading for our eco-friendly tips and all the ways you can go green for the holidays.
Eco-Friendly Wrapping Paper
Unfortunately, most gift wrap is not recyclable and contributes to a lot of waste during the holiday season. When you’re buying your gift wrapping materials this year, think about going for more sustainable options.
Recycled, recyclable, or reusable wrapping paper are all good alternatives.
Wrappily produces eco-friendly gift wrap through news printing methods – all designed to be recycled and reused.
PaperSource offers beautiful stone wrapping paper which is made from stone, not trees, so it’s eco-friendly, water-resistant, recyclable, and reusable.
Another alternative to paper is fabric. Use fabric from an older piece of clothing or scarf with a fun or festive pattern. Or shop local thrift stores for scarves you can use as wrapping – which ends up being a double gift for the receiver – the scarf and the gift.
Rent a Living Christmas Tree
Plastic trees, while reusable, do take a lot of resources to get to your home – from the production process, materials used, and transport emissions – it’s not sustainable. The NRDC estimates that you’d have to use your plastic tree for at least 20 years to offset the environmental impact.
While cut trees are technically better than plastic, they still result in a lot of dead trees over the holidays.
The best option, with sustainability in mind, is to go for a living Christmas tree.
You may be wondering what a living Christmas tree is exactly? It’s a tree that is displayed in your home in a pot with its roots intact so that it can be replanted once the holidays are over.
You can get a living tree in a couple of ways. There are several companies that provide living Christmas trees for rent – Rent Xmas Tree, Rent-A-Christmas, and The Living Christmas Company are all good options.
Usually, they’ll deliver a living tree for you to display over the holidays, and then they’ll pick it up afterward to be replanted until next season.
Or if you have space in your own yard you can do it yourself – bring the tree inside for the holidays and then replant it in your yard to stay until the next year.
If you don’t have a yard to replant a tree or a living tree rental company that operates in your area, then you can go with the traditional cut tree route, but be sure to recycle it once the holidays are over.
The National Christmas Tree Association has helpful information about recycling your Christmas tree.
Get Crafty with Eco-Friendly Tree Decorations
Think about ways you can incorporate sustainable tree decorations. The traditional plastic bulbs though pretty are unstainable to produce. Instead, if you like a home craft project you can use recycled and green materials to make your own ornaments. It’s also a fun way to spend quality time with your kids around the holidays.
If you’re not into crafting then you can purchase eco-friendly decor.
Shop Locally
Rather than support giant companies and contribute to the current global supply chain problems, take this time to support smaller and local businesses.
Yes, online shopping and free shipping are convenient, but as a result of the pandemic, local businesses need support now more than ever.
By purchasing things in person, you reduce the need for packaging and transport materials and costs. You’ll also embrace the holiday spirit – generosity and giving.
Send Digital or Eco-Friendly Holiday Cards
Say goodbye to paper cards and switch to digital holiday cards this year.
Though paper holiday cards are fun to give and receive – they may look great on your fridge for a few weeks but eventually will get thrown out.
Digital cards are a much more eco-friendly alternative. Paperless Post has a wide range of beautiful templates you can personalize and email to all your friends and family.
If you still prefer to send paper cards the traditional way, then look for paper that’s been ethically sustainably made – it’ll have the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) stamp to indicate this. There are also plantable card options that are embedded with seeds so they can be planted by the recipient in the spring.
Use LED Holiday Lights
If you’re still using incandescent lights for your tree and other holiday decorations, it’s time to switch to more eco-friendly LED lights. They use a lot less energy, so you’ll not only be making a decision that’s nicer to the planet, but also to your wallet.
Another eco-friendly tip is to install timers on your holiday lights. This is helpful so you don’t have to remember to turn all lights off before you go to bed, and it’ll prevent you from accidentally leaving them on all the time.
Invest in a Reusable Advent Calendar
Do you love to get an advent calendar each year to count down to Christmas? Try investing in a reusable one that you can use year after year to reduce your holiday trash.
SouthernLiving has some festive reusable recommendations.
Re-think Traditional Gifts
Though everyone has the best intentions when it comes to giving gifts each year, there are gifts that inevitably go unwanted or unused. Resulting in more clutter or more things that end up in the landfill.
To avoid this think about giving experiences instead of things. Or if you love to cook and bake, you can give homemade food or treats.
For that friend or family member that already has everything and is hard to shop for – make a donation to a cause they care about in their name. For some ideas check out our list of top charities we love.
