The saying “the more the merrier” certainly applies during the holiday season. But during a season of big gifts, extra food and travel, “more” can exact a heavy toll on the environment.
According to Stanford University, Americans generate 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve than during the rest of the year. While no one wants to take anything away from the spirit of holiday season, everyone can take steps to make the holidays more eco-friendly.
Purchase experiential gifts
When making holiday shopping lists, think of gifts that offer experiences rather than material goods. Gifts that involve experiences, such as going to a sporting event or attending a play or musical, reduces clutter and conserves the resources otherwise used to manufacture alternative items. Experiential gifts that also tap into environmental pursuits, such as touring with an animal rescue group, or accommodations at a carbon-neutral hotel can be an added bonus.
Opt for locally-made gifts
Select gifts made by local artisans or companies that operate domestically. This cuts down on the carbon emissions from having to ship products from long distances.
Climate-friendly stocking stuffers
Companies like Cool Effect offer gifts for those looking to offset carbon emissions through clever funding. People can buy and offer gifts that correlate to packages like Costa Rican wind power or the “poo package,” which funds biogas digesters for family farms in India that capture methane emissions from cattle dung.
Get crafty
Gifts from the kitchen or ones made by the giver can be crafted from sustainable materials. They also show how you care by taking the time to customize a gift.
Wrap in reusable materials
Fancy wrapping paper certainly looks nice, but choose other materials that can be reused. Look for decorative tins, boxes, fancy gift bags, and other items that can be reused for years to come.
Sustainability is possible during a season of excess when gift givers shop and wrap gifts with the environment in mind.
