As the Holidays quickly approach, we have some sustainable practices that will keep your homes festive and low waste!

Artificial or Living Christmas Trees

If you’re tired of paying too much for a real Christmas tree and want to reduce your carbon footprint, you can look into artificial Christmas trees. There are many choices that are all around better for the environment, especially if you continue to reuse them throughout the years (bonus points if you can find one secondhand!). These trees are meant to continue to be reused and you won’t have to worry about it just sitting in a landfill once the holidays are over. If you do get a cut tree, just make sure to find a company or city offering near you that will properly dispose of it (e.g. Los Angeles Christmas Tree Recycling). Another option is to rent a Living Christmas Tree where you can rent a potted Christmas tree so it can be planted at a later date. They both look amazing and make your home feel warm and cozy for this green holiday season!

Sustainable Holiday Decorations

Your home must look amazing for the holiday season, I know our office does. So how can you be more sustainable in your decorating? One of the biggest ways is to shop for your decor secondhand! By scavenging local thrift stores, you’re bound to find some unique, and more affordable, decor for your home and not create new waste. You can also use LED string lights that use 90% less energy than incandescent lights. You could even put them on a timer so you don’t forget and get a more expensive power bill.

Properly Disposing of Decor and Trees

Did you know that tossing one tree into the landfill, it will release about 16kg of CO2 into the environment? That is why it is very important to dispose of your trees properly. Look online for a place in your area that will take those bundles of holiday cheer; maybe a local farm will make wood chips for free or a crafter will cut the branches off to make miniatures. As for your holiday decorations? The best option is to just store them for next year! It’s important to not purchase new things each year just because you “should.” If you need to dispose, be sure to post them onto Marketplaces, give on Buy Nothing groups to see if anyone else may need your decorations, or donate to a local thrift store. This will give them a few more years of life and prevent someone from needlessly spending money on a new item in store.

Ask for a Gift List

It takes a lot of emissions for gifts to be made and transported to your home in time for the holiday season. While it’s great that some businesses now use electronic vehicles for deliveries, having a list from your friends and family removes the risk of a possible returns, reducing the potential waste of unwanted gifts and emissions required to return them. Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean you have to buy it!

Support Local Businesses

Even better than delivering a gift from a large online retailer? Shop local! Doing this can support your local economy and support small businesses during the busiest time of the year. This holiday season, you can support them by seeing if they have a specific item in stock or simply by purchasing a gift card for your loved ones. For example: purchase that bestselling new book locally rather than online! Shopping local supports independent businesses and reduces the waste in shipping and packaging.

Craft Your Own Wrapping Paper

Traditional wrapping paper is generally used once and then tossed into the landfill - to the tune of over a million pounds per year! We all have paper bags piled up from our trips to the grocery stores so what better way to wrap a present than with paper and wrappings that you would otherwise discard. It’s a fun way to be more creative with your wrapping and reduce waste; you can even make your own patterns and personalize! This option is not only great for the planet, it’s essentially cost-free. If you’re dead set on traditional wrapping paper, look into your Buy Nothing groups on Facebook or on Facebook Marketplace. You can also wrap consciously with reuse in mind and put away for next year!

Shop for Items that Sustain

We all have a mug, winter jacket, or back pack that has been with since our high school years. These durable, practical items are great gifts that will get use and be used by your friends and loved ones for years to come. Practical, well-made gifts are perfect partners in life as they support and sustain you as well as the environment. The investment now will be worth it!

Meal Delivery Holiday

Looking to impress the family with your new found culinary expertise and even cut down on food waste in the process? Meal delivery services like Sunbasket and Green Chef can make the holiday meals easier to cook and make sure you know exactly how many people you are cooking for. This allows for you to be able to not waste any food in the process and at the same time have a delicious meal!

Planning Out Your Holiday Feast

It’s important to plan your holiday feast and part of that is knowing what is in season and even challenging your culinary skills by preparing some vegetarian dishes for the whole family to enjoy. You can also freeze any leftovers or even send them home with family or guests. We could all go for a moist maker sandwich every now and again.

Managing Food Waste

After you have finished your epic holiday meal, you can definitely freeze the rest to eat at a later date. But what do you do with the food once it goes bad? Look into composting your food waste. Some cities have services in place to be able to do so. Online services like Litterless break down composting services by state so you can find one near you!

All of us here at Good Planet Innovation wish you a Happy Hollidays!