When you think “holiday season”, you probably think of presents, food, and other forms of consumption we’ve come to love. While we’re not one to shy away from going all out during the holidays, practising sustainability is a habit with no off days. That being said, we thought we’d share with you our top tips for having a greener holiday this year.

 

It’s A Wrap On The Wrapping

It’s inarguable that one of the best parts of receiving presents is unwrapping them. However, nothing we “throw away” really goes away. According to the Malaysian Recycling Alliance, 2021 saw a massive portion of our waste made up of packaging and discarded wraps. Can you wrap your head around that?!

Don’t worry, we wouldn’t burst your wrapping bubble and leave you without alternatives! Check out this article by The Star for some creative and fun alternatives to traditional wrapping paper!

Is Your Tree Really Green?

Photo Credits: lowes.ca

Experts say that a live Christmas tree is significantly better for the environment than artificial trees. This may not sound likely as artificial trees technically last longer, but bear with us as we explain how.

Though artificial trees can last for many years, you’d have to use them for at least 10 years in order for them to have the same carbon footprint* as a real tree does. In other words, while it's convenient to use artificial trees, it harms the environment more than annual real trees do.

Artificial trees are also hazardous in many other ways including being harmful to the environment, consumers and workers, on top of requiring large amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture and transport them. 

*Your carbon footprint is the volume of greenhouse gases resulting from your daily habits.

Read more about reducing your carbon footprint here.

Treecycle! (Yes, we do just mean recycle.)

Photo credit: momla.com

10 million trees end up in landfills each year, where they produce methane gasses that harm the environment. If you are able to, you can always use your tree as firewood, chip it into mulch, use it in arts and crafts. Otherwise, you can always just good-ol’ recycle it! 

Do It Yourself 

Photo credit: GIPHY

There’s no denying that the holiday season is when we spend most of our money showing our love and appreciation for others. However, purchases are not the only means to show someone your appreciation, nor is it the most special. Hand-crafting gifts is arguably one of the nicest things you can do for someone. It also allows you to save resources and reduce waste at the same time. 

Some handmade gifts you can try crafting include resin jewelry, holiday cookies, handmade soap, knitted items, and homemade jam. Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like a thoughtful gift you created all by yourself! 

Experience It Together

Material gifts are great, but not everyone values items as much as others. Giving experiential presents can both reduce waste and give provide someone with priceless memories at the same time. As long as you’re spending some quality time with your loved ones, that sound like a winning gift. 

Some experiential gifts you can give are tickets to a concert, sports game or festival, a memorable trip, a zoo or museum membership, or a bucket-list experience such as sky-diving. 

All that being said, consumption isn’t inherently “wrong”, but it is often presented as the only way to have a meaningful holiday season, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. The holiday season is what we make of it, and there are a multitude of ways to celebrate it without harming the planet or exhausting all resources.