By Karen Melton, Sylvanian staff, Member, Southeastern Pennsylvania Group
Note: This article was originally published in the December 2022 issue of the Sylvanian.
It is clear from the number of articles, blogs and websites this year talking about ways to reduce waste during the holiday season that many people are rethinking some of the common excesses. Here are some of those ideas and links to help you implement your own low-waste end-of-year season. Pick a few areas that you know you can accomplish without being a holiday killjoy, and maybe you can start some new low-waste traditions in your circle.
Don’t keep it to yourself – Consider letting your friends, family and coworkers know you have set yourself the challenge of having a low-, or even no-waste season, and anything they can do to help will be a gift in itself.
Gifts Received – If you normally receive gifts of things you don’t need or want, consider letting those annual givers know of alternatives you would most enjoy -- tickets to a show or concert, a subscription or membership to a local museum or garden, donation to a favorite charity, an evening of pet-sitting, an hour of gardening, a homemade pie, etc.
Gifts Given – Apply ‘what would you most enjoy receiving?’ in reverse. Ask the people to whom you always give gifts what they would most enjoy, or based on what you know about them, tell them some of your ideas and ask them to choose a favorite.
Wrappings – There are many great ideas to be found online to stop the scourge of wrapping papers that so often end up in the trash. Brown paper saved from a delivery or paper saved from previous holidays work great as well as newspaper and can be recycled once they reach the end of reusability. A wrapped box and lid, gift bag, or decorated paper bag can all be used year after year. Most tapes and ribbons are made of plastic, so look for other ways to secure wrapped packages. If you will be mailing packages, here are some eco-friendly tapes.
Travel – An area that can have a huge footprint, but if it’s the only way to see your family, then see your family. If you have alternatives to flying such as train or bus or ride-sharing, check them out.
Food – Anne Bonneau, the ‘Zero Waste Chef’ and author of a book by that name, has a great blog on how not to waste Thanksgiving leftovers. Many holiday meals include lots of the same dishes as Thanksgiving (think mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, roasted veggies, pumpkin, cranberry) so check out her blog for leftover ideas.
Decorations – There’s not much good news to share on this subject as holiday decorations are pretty much all plastic. Yes, you can buy LED lights to increase longevity and reduce energy, but the Jevons Paradox applies. The paradox is that when improved efficiency reduces the cost of a resource, usage of the resource increases. So, please don’t buy a bunch of new lights because they’ll use less energy. Just keep pulling out the decorations you’ve used for years and cut back on any that consume energy. If lights are a must in your family, limit the hours of use.
This blog was included as part of the December 2024 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!