If you’re looking for ways to be more sustainable this Holiday season, we got you covered. Nora Banks is sharing with us a few ways we can do just that!
With Christmas less than two weeks away, we can officially say that we are in the middle of the holiday craziness. While some people have already completed all of their Christmas shopping and have decorated their houses to the nines, others haven’t even begun getting their decorations out of the basement!
No matter what end of the spectrum you’re on, there are a couple of important things you should consider for this year. As we’ve all heard, the health of the environment is extremely important to take into consideration.
Even during the holiday craziness, there are still ways that we can have an amazing holiday celebration while also helping to take care of the Earth.
Keep reading on to find out how to have a successful and sustainable holiday!
Have a Real Christmas Tree
What almost always comes first when thinking about the holiday season is the Christmas tree. Dressing it up and putting presents under it is always one of the most looked-forward-to events of the year.
There are always two different kinds of Christmas tree options, one being real and the other being fake. While some families prefer to buy fake for the fact of it being a longer-term investment, buying a real Christmas tree is actually the more sustainable option.
As fake trees aren’t biodegradable, when you eventually throw them out, they can potentially cause harm to the Earth and an animal’s habitat.
Whereas buying a real tree from a local vendor won’t only help your local economy but real trees are 100% biodegradable, possibly helping animals and their habitats later on once out of the house.
Shop Locally
While it can be tempting to make all of your orders through Amazon, shopping locally is always a wonderful way to help support the local artists and vendors within your community.
If you still have gifts to check off your list, consider checking out your local vendors, farmer’s markets or holiday shopping events. You never know the kind of gifts you might just come across!
Along with supporting the community around you, this will also help reduce emissions that commonly occur from shipping things from other areas.
Find Gifts that Encourage Sustainable Living
There’s no better way to help the environment than to get others on board with it as well. By buying gifts that encourage sustainability, you’re not only getting amazing gifts that help the environment but you’re also encouraging others to help as well.
The kind of sustainable gifts you can get somebody are truly endless but most of it will be based on their current hobbies. If you have a friend or family member who loves to find good deals or is already passionate about buying second-hand, consider gifting them with a gift card to an online thrift store.
If you know somebody who absolutely loves coffee, think about getting them a bag of organic, fair-trade coffee beans. Whatever may be of interest to your close friends or family, you’re likely to find a sustainable gift option that they’ll absolutely love!
Avoid Food Waste
With all the parties and events you’re bound to have and attend, one thing that will definitely be present is food. Cookies, cheeses, different types of meats, the list goes on and on. Even though people tend to let themselves go around the holiday season, it still seems as though there are leftovers for days.
While having leftovers is never a bad thing and can supply more than a couple of meals for you and your family, having any kind of waste is less than to be desired for the environment. The next time you host a party, if you end up with a lot of leftovers, encourage your guests to take them home with them.
You have a better chance of reducing waste if you spread it out to your guests. If you’re still left with waste, depending on what kind of waste it is, think about composting the food instead of just throwing it in the trash.
If you compost, not only will you be getting a rich, nutritious soil for your own gardening needs, but you’ll be helping the environment and avoiding adding additional waste into the world.
Send Out Digital Holiday Cards
A large holiday tradition is sending out festive cards for the most joyous time of the year. While there’s nothing wrong with sending out season’s greetings to your friends and family, try to avoid sending out holiday cards on paper as tree populations are being highly affected for paper needs.
Unless you’re using recycled paper, send out your holiday cards online! All you need are email addresses and your list of contacts, it’s that easy.
Not only will this leave zero carbon footprint, but you will also be saving money on postage and envelopes.
We really hope these tips are helpful to you and your family and that you can find ways to incorporate them into your holidays, making this season a little more sustainable for your family.
We’d love to hear some more ideas to keep our Holiday sustainable. So if you have some, please go ahead and add them to the comments down below.
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