Day 534... 10 ways to make the holidays more sustainable

October is my favorite month for many reasons - the weather gets cooler, my birthday happens, it's apple picking season, and it ends with Halloween - the start of the holiday season. Unfortunately during the holiday season, Americans are producing 25% more trash and are adding an extra 1 million tons of wrapping paper alone to the landfill according to the EPA(1). 

It's very easy to walk into a store in the second half of the year and see decorations that are a must have. It's easy to buy a Halloween costume from a big store that isn't the best quality but is cheap. It's easy to buy the perfect wrapping paper for every single gift. However, the climate crisis is still present, and ur purchasing choices make an impact on the environment. 

Creating sustainable holidays can have a positive impact on the environment and that requires individual changes that force big corporations to update their strategy away from making the fast fashion of holidays. Below are some tips to make your holidays more sustainable. 

1. Make conscientious purchases. Will this last for many years? Do I already have something similar at home? Thinking through these questions can help minimize purchases that contribute to the extra trash produced around the holidays. 

2. Shop local. I will always say that making a local purchase is better than purchasing from a company that ships their goods from further away. A local purchase helps your economy and generally reduces the carbon footprint of the product due to less transportation emissions. 

3. Skip the wrapping paper or modify how you think of it. I prefer to use a brown bag from the grocery store as wrapping paper instead of buying the decorative paper at the stores. Reusing something is better than buying wrapping paper which only has one purpose

4. Give the gift of experience. Instead of buying a packaged toy, buy a membership to a museum or a gift certificate for a restaurant that can be enjoyed at a later date. 

5. Reduce food waste. The holidays are a big time of the year for gatherings around food. If there are extras, be sure to send it home with your family or friends or make a little bit less than usual to minimize any extra waste that might be thrown away. 

6. Make your Halloween costume from items around your house. For example, I own green pants and a black top and was able to turn this into Kim Possible without purchasing anything. 

7. Recycle or reuse your tree. If you have a plastic tree, take good care of it so that it can be used for years to come. If you use a live tree, find a way to recycle the wood or use a potted plant tree that will grow each year. 

8. Use LED lighting for any decorations. LED lights are better for the environment, so if you make any light purchases, look for the LED marking. Then try to minimize any extra time that the lights are on, like shutting off lights while you sleep. 

9. Give rechargeable batteries. To minimize the amount of battery waste for mechanical toys, try giving rechargeable batteries. Families might even appreciate not having to buy new batteries.

10. Make gifts at home. Stocking stuffers are generally filled with plastic wrapped candy. Try switching that out with a sweet treat made at home. Or make a DIY card instead of purchasing one from the store. 

These are just a few changes that can help make the holidays more sustainable and reduce our impact on the environment. Let me know if there are any other things that you do to make your holidays more sustainable!

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Sources:

1. https://blog.epa.gov/2016/12/21/creative-ways-to-cut-your-holiday-waste/