Greening the Holiday Season

Yay, it's the holiday season! We love being with and sharing with our family and friends. But, can we do that in a way that doesn't hurt the earth and future generations?

Wrapping Paper: Did you know that 30 million trees are cut down to be used as wrapping paper for the holidays worldwide? And, most of this wrapping paper isn't even recyclable. What other options do we have for someone who just really likes unwrapping a gift?

1. You can use used newspaper, magazines, artwork, and schoolwork. And, when you are done, you can recycle it!

2. You can use reusable boxes or tins

3. You can wrap it in scarves, bandanas, blankets, or clothes that may double as gifts. You can even go to a local fabric store to get fabric scraps.

Waste: Did you know that 2,887,500,000 more pounds of garbage are generated per week

during the holidays relative to the rest of the year in the U.S.?

1. Pay attention to packaging when purchasing gifts.

2. Make your own gifts with the supplies that you already have.

3. Bake homemade treats and package them up in reusable containers

4. Try to only make as much food as you will use. Freeze any extras.

5. Use reusable dishes when serving food.

6. Use washable napkins.

7. Buy used

8. Gift time or experiences with a loved one

Travel: We had a hard time finding stats on just how much GHG emission is from travel but we did find that over 100 million people travel to their destinations for Christmas in the U.S. which definitely creates a huge amount of emissions! If each family even reduced their gas consumption by 1 gallon, it could reduce one million tons of GHG emissions!

1. Use busses and trains

2. Individual cars are the most wasteful method of transportation

3. Be mindful about grouping visits with people or places in close proximity instead of making separate visits.

Holiday cards: Did you know that there are about 2.65 billion holiday cards sold each year in the U.S? To visualize that imagine it filling up a football field 10 stories high. It also creates the same amount of C02 emissions as powering 22,000 homes per year.

1. Send an e-card instead

2. Give your friends or family a call

3. Use recycled or scrap paper or sustainability sourced paper

4. Use recyclable or compostable paper

5. If you are a kid that loves making art, write a note on the back of one of your own creations.

Electricity: Did you know that holiday lights in the U.S. consume enough energy to power 400,000 homes for a year?

1. Enjoy the natural light from the stars and the moon, which conveniently at this time of year shine earlier in the evening for even young kids to enjoy.

2. Use LED lights which consume 80% less energy and last about 25 times longer

Sources:

https://brightly.eco/blog/holiday-waste-generation-and-prevention#

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/hidden-ways-holidays-harm-environment-reduce-waste/story?id=93487258

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/green-tech/a30273590/christmas-carbon-footprint/ https://uucolumbia.net/green-tip-most-gift-wrapping-paper-is-bound-for-the-landfill/