3 Tips for Being Kind to Our Planet During the Holiday Season

This time of year takes a toll on our planet. Considering that there are approximately 2.3 billion Christians worldwide who will soon be celebrating their largest religious gift-giving holiday, and 326 million citizens of the United States who just celebrated Thanksgiving weekend (51 million of them traveled for the holiday according to AAA) the increase in consumption during November and December is almost beyond comprehension.

Some of the types of resources we burn through during these two months are obvious. Petroleum-based fuels for travel for instance, and tree pulp for cards, wrapping paper, and disposable dinnerware. Add in the packaging of all the gifts that will be given during this time, the raw materials that go into those products, and the energy cost of producing and transporting those products, and the impact becomes more concerning.

But there are a lot of activities we engage in during this season that do have an environmental impact but aren’t often considered when we think about how to enjoy our holidays while respecting our planet. Many aren’t holiday-specific activities, they’re just things that we do a lot more of because of all the traditions around these celebrations. You’d be surprised what a difference a little mindfulness can do to preserve the integrity of planet Earth. Here are three easy suggestions:

Eat Regional

Where was your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham before it reached your table? What about the greens in your salad or the mushrooms in your stuffing? Keep in mind that everything on the shelves of your local grocery store that didn’t begin its life locally used more fuel to travel to your town and probably required refrigeration during its journey, so you’re consuming more energy just by choosing it over a product that was produced in your own town, or at least your geographic region.

Many areas have farmer’s markets that operate year round and feature locally grown produce and meat. You may have one or more butcher shops in your area that buy their animals locally as well. The advantage is that many of these vendors and shop owners will accept requests and custom orders so all you need to do is pick it up and pay for it. Not only are you doing the environment a favor, you’re supporting your local economy.

Go Natural

As you welcome guests into your home or sit down to a feast with family and friends, you probably aren’t thinking about all the products we use to prepare our homes for the parties or to clean up after the guests have gone home. There are extra dishes that will need to be washed and extra loads of towels, bedding, linens, and clothes that we run through our laundry rooms this time of year. I hope you’re mindful of your water consumption, but beyond quantities of resources used give some thoughts to the products you choose and how you shop for them.

There are many brands of biodegradable house cleaning products, and natural laundry detergent is not only effective and better for the environment, but is often a kinder choice for fabric as well. If you cannot find the brands you want in your local stores you can order them, but before you open your browser to Amazon or another huge outlet site, consider joining a shopping collaborative. Grove Collaborative, for example, is a Benefit Corporation, or “B-Corp” specializing in natural home, health, and beauty products. Not only can you feel good about all the earth-friendly products they offer, but you’ll also feel good about choosing to spend your money with a company that is accountable for doing business for the greater good of all.

Reuse or Recycle

This one is so obvious that you’re probably tempted to stop reading about right now. But there is a lot more to this than gathering up the boxes and wrapping paper and putting them in a separate bin for someone else to sort and send to recycling centers.

Ask yourself what you can get a little more good out of before you discard it. Gift bags and tissue is quick and easy for “wrapping” presents, but there’s no need for those bags to head straight for the trash or recycling bin. With cardboard (yes, you’ll have plenty of that to recycle as well) cut to fit and glued to the inside of the bags they become sturdy organizers for everything from school or craft supplies to snacks and lunches.

And if you won’t get more good out of it, ask yourself who might. Most of us have stuff still laying around the house because we don’t know what to do with it – it isn’t eligible for recycling, and we don’t want to throw it away. A study released this year reported that 4.2 million kids experience homelessness each year. Shelters that support these kids need everything you can imagine – toys, books, office supplies, personal hygiene items, clothing and more. These are items they desperately need year ‘round, not just at the holidays. What might happen if for every new item you unwrapped this year you donated an item to one of those shelters?

Of course you’ll also want to put just a little more brain power into the decision making process when you discard items like packaging, wrapping paper, plastic dinnerware, and the like. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and throw it in the trash “just this once” but those choices really do make a difference to the health of our planet.

So there you have it, three non-extreme ideas for making two month’s worth of good choices that will impact your life and the lives of others for generations to come.

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This post is republished on Medium.

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