From Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, household waste increases by more than 25%. And added wrapping paper, packaging and food waste contribute to an additional 1 million tons in our landfills.
Here are some easy steps to follow to make your Holiday Season a little greener.
1. Buy Less
The average American typically spends around $800 on gifts each holiday season, even though national surveys state that 70% of Americans would prefer less emphasis be placed on gift giving and spending.
Some tips:
- Make homemade gifts. In the world of Etsy and Pinterest it is easier than ever to get ideas to make your own gifts. Let your creativity run wild!
- Purchase experiences such as a camping trip in a state park, or kayaking in a river. Research shows that experiences make you happier than possessions. This video from Harvard Business School explains why.
- Send an electronic holiday greeting instead of paper cards or give your loved one a Sierra Club Membership.
Fact: Did you know that an estimate 2.6 billion holiday cards are purchased in the United States every year? This year save a tree and send electronic greetings instead.
2. Buy Smart
- Locally made gifts : Locally made gifts more directly support your community and it gives you a chance to speak with the artist who created it making your tangible gift, come with a story.
- Recycled gifts: There are many companies that make beautiful items out of recyclable materials, including some right here in Ohio.
- Fair Trade gifts: Fair trade coffee and chocolate meet environmental principals and ensure sure that the workers get a fair wage.
- Battery free gifts: 40% of battery sales in the U.S. occur during the Holiday Season. Batteries are an environmental hazard, so choose gifts that are battery free.
- Re-gift: Sometimes the best gift, is the one that keeps on giving. If you’re not enjoying it anymore, maybe it’s time to pass on the love.
3. Lower the holiday lights
If decorating the outside of your home with lights is a tradition, buy LED lights. They use 95% less energy than incandescent holiday bulbs. Also, make sure you purchase light strands wired in parallel, that way if one bulb goes out, the rest keep shining.
4. Skip the Wrapping Paper
In the U.S., gift wrap and shopping bags add an additional 4 tons to the land fill each year including 38,000 miles of ribbon. And while you may think that a present wrapped in pretty paper and ribbon is part of the experience of gift giving, consider research conducted by Nathan Novemsky from Yale University. “Pretty wrapping raises expectations for a gift and increases the risk of the receiver being disappointed…. It’s like giving someone a Sears gift card in a Tiffany box.”
So before splurging on the glittery ribbon and bright red paper, consider these options.
- Use newspaper or magazines
- Don’t use any packing at all
- Reuse packing others have given you