Sustain-a-ville

We are in the midst of one of the most joyful times of the year. Thanksgiving and Christmas can be so magical and wonderful excuses to spend much-needed time with loved ones. The societal expectations for these holidays, however, can also make this month of the year one of the most wasteful. By letting go of some of these expectations and creating new measures for ourselves for a successful holiday season, we can be happier AND create less waste.

I once read a quote which basically said how ironic it is that we give thanks for everything we have on Thanksgiving and then the following day people are being injured and trampled competing in stores for discounted stuff. This concept really resonates with me and I think is a good reminder of what the season is all about. But what I really want to focus on in this post is about how we can embrace our holiday spirit while also taking good care of the earth.

Shop local

Whenever possible, shop at local, small businesses rather than online or at chain stores. The creation of big box stores and online shopping were massive wins for convenience, but terrible for the earth. For one thing, these businesses often sell cheap, disposable items in an effort to get you to need more stuff (and buy more from them). The convenience of it also makes it so much easier to take away the part of the process where you think through what you really need. You didn’t know that wanted to replace your perfectly good (insert any item here) until you saw a brand new shiny one advertised to you.

Shopping at small business is often more expensive than online at Amazon or at a big box store but this is because of several factors including the cost of wages and economies of scale. However, this time of year is also associated with all kinds of discounts and sales so if you normally can’t afford to shop small, this time of year when discounts are being offered might be the perfect time to support local businesses.

Don’t go overboard

This time of year is known for excess. We eat to excess and buy presents to excess and spend excessive money on excessive stuff. But we can’t physically consume that much more stuff and that is when things end up in landfills. So consider only a three-course meal instead of five in the name of eliminating food waste. Or consider buying that special someone just one really meaningful gift you know they will use and love and skip the stocking stuffers chock full of single use plastic. And fall prey to the advertisements that try to convince you that the electronics you bought last year already need a replacement. I’m not trying to say don’t participate in the traditions of the holiday season, but just keep everything in moderation. Not only will that help eliminate waste but it will also help you save money during this notoriously expensive time of year.

DIY and use sustainable packaging

This applies to everything from pies to presents. I’m not trying to say you need to make every single thing yourself – we all have our strengths and we can’t all be good at everything. Maybe baking is your thing but crafting not so much. Or maybe you prefer neither. If that’s the case, then consider the previous suggestions of shopping local and not going overboard. And, whenever possible, choose sustainable packaging. Whether you’re buying a pie in a paper/cardboard package vs a plastic one or using compostable paper gift wrap (or an old newspaper even!) over the plastic-coated kind, the efforts you’re making are helping the earth. It’s all about the collection of small wins that helps create a bigger a difference.

Plan ahead

Like so many other areas of living a low-waste lifestyle, planning ahead makes all the difference. Wasteful items are almost always built for convenience. If you see something in a store in July that looks like the perfect gift for someone you know, buy it then! Although obviously not a helpful suggestion now that the gift-giving season is upon us, try to remember for next year. Planning ahead also helps us have time to DIY and shop at multiple local businesses rather than one big box store. It’s not possible to be prepared ahead of time for absolutely everything but my point is just that items built for convenience are usually also single-use and disposable so try to keep that in mind as you head into the holiday season.

However you spend your holiday, just remember it’s about quality over quantity.