December: Caring for the Environment this Holiday Season

The holidays are around the corner! School will be out soon, friends and family will be getting together, and there will be more food around then anyone can eat.

Indulging this time of year isn't a bad thing, but if we don't think about what we're doing it can add up to a lot of trash, food waste, carbon emissions, and overall a negative impact on the environment. There are ways we can reduce waste and still have a magical holiday.

• Make homemade presents or shop at second had stores, reusing items is always a lower impact option!
• Wrap presents in newspaper or brown wrapping paper that can be recycled. Most available wrapping paper has too much plastic to be recycled. 
• Better yet, wrap presents in reusable cloth bags! 

  

  Homemade reusable gift bags. Also available in stores.

• Replace scotch tape for wrapping presents with string or rope, helping reduce plastic waste. It can also be reused many times. 
• Save and reuse all types of gift bags for future gift giving.
• Since we visit a lot of family and friends over the holidays, carpooling or walking whenever possible can be a great way to keep our carbon footprints small as well as spend more time with your loved ones!
• Be sure to eat, freeze, or donate holiday food leftovers to reduce food waste. Food waste makes up 1/3 of our landfills and produces a greenhouse gas called methane. It’s a good thing holiday leftovers are so delicious.

Thank you for thinking of the environment this holiday season!
Warm wishes for a great holiday and Happy New Year!