Holiday sustainability: tips, tricks and why it’s important Date: 12/6/2021 EAST LONGMEADOW – Many consider the holiday season the most wonderful time of the year. Our planet, however, might disagree.
According to East Longmeadow Recycling Coordinator Elizabeth Bone, Americans spend an average of $1,100 on gifts and decorations and “produce 25 percent more trash than usual between Thanksgiving and New Years Day.”
Much of the money spent goes toward gifts and purchases that will be overused and discarded quickly and packaging that ends up being disposed of improperly and harming the environment.
Bone said that incorporating sustainability and environmentally friendly habits is more important now than ever.
“I just think our planet’s in trouble and if we don’t start making changes, whether they’re large or small, we’re gonna go down a rabbit hole and we won’t be able to get out,” she said.
In order to have a more sustainable holiday season, Bone offered tips and tricks to Reminder Publishing readers:
Go for goodies: Most people love gourmet goodies. Gourmet cookies, wine of the month club, local craft beers, and high-end coffees are all quick and easy wins that will delight recipients and stay out of the landfill.
Make or bake: If you’re crafty or a good baker, consider making some holiday gifts. Tie up some lavender or make some herb-infused olive oil. They are low-cost, easily customized, waste-free gifts.
Bone said that she will personally be implementing this tip and gifting her own bee’s honey.
“I’m a beekeeper, so I give away my honey as a present instead of buying things,” she said.
Give memories, not things: Most people in your life probably have things they want already and studies show that extra belongings don’t bring joy. Plus, every pound of stuff we buy is accompanied by nearly a hundred pounds of upstream waste.
Whether it’s a trip, concert tickets, and an hour session for a massage or a rock-climbing class, experiences can leave a mark on our memory without leaving a trail of plastic waste.
Bone noted that this is one of the easiest ways to start being sustainable this holiday season. The memories that come with experiences will last a lifetime, whereas small gifts will be forgotten quickly.
“I’ve started to do more of the experience route. So I’ll give restaurant gift cards, memberships to zoos or tickets to go to a concert,” she said. “If I have a distant relative who’s living in Philadelphia, then I’ll look up any restaurants in the area and I will give her a gift card to a restaurant. I think that’s a really good way to start.”
She noted that this can even be useful for young children.
“Even for little kids, they might want a toy or something like that, but giving them a gift card to go to the zoo or to Six Flags, I think that they’d still appreciate that as well,” said Bone.
Gifting experiences is also key to keeping the local economy running, according to Bone.
“Our economy and our planet is circular, so when we’re going and buying an experience or something that helps the planet, you’re helping small businesses and therefore it helps your local economy,” said Bone.
Shopping locally also helps prevent excessive waste and carbon emission.
“All of that creates so much waste. The packaging from all of the presents, that creates a lot of waste, the carbon from planes and trucks and trains delivering all of these presents…” said Bone.
Revive a relic: Whether it’s a broken necklace or a dusty antique tea set. Clean it up or take it to a professional to be restored.
Give sustainability: The gifts you give can take on a life of their own, and either save or waste natural resources and your loved one’s money. If a gift requires batteries, include a set of rechargeable ones, saving them hassle and money. Stay away from single-use gifts like a single-serve coffee maker that requires the user to buy single-use coffee pods that cannot be recycled. A SodaStream for example lets the user save money making their own seltzer, reusing the same bottles over and over.
Bone also emphasized how important it is to buy from brands with a purpose and mission behind them. She gave the example of Patagonia who, on Black Friday, donated all of their sale proceeds toward climate change.
“If I do buy something online, I try to find a sustainable company, so Patagonia’s a great company, there’s lots on Etsy where people are handcrafting things, so I look to find things like that,” she said. “If you can just do something like that I think that will help make a difference at Christmastime.”
She said that giving sustainably can even work when shopping from big companies like Amazon. She noted that buying a book which can be reread or passed on, buying a coloring book made from recycled paper or buying something that has the purpose of being planted, cooked or reused is a great start.
Bone also had tips for decorating and recycling holiday waste:
Decorate from nature: Stop buying the cheap garland year after year and take a trip outside. Natural items such as pine cones and evergreen boughs can be found in your backyard or the local park. Give the kids something to do and make popcorn chains while watching their favorite holiday movies. Christmas trees are essentially crops and by supporting local tree farms, you’ll help keep them in business, so they can plant more carbon-eating trees and provide a habitat for wildlife. Afterwards, leave your tree on the curb for pickup or bring it to a farm with animals who love to munch on evergreens.
Wrapping: Most wrapping paper is not recyclable since it has foil coatings or glitter. Consider wrapping with Sunday funnies or brown paper grocery bags. Other alternatives are reusable gift bags, bee wrap; a nice ribbon can be a great colorful option.
Bone also noted that bows, ribbons and Styrofoam are not recyclable and need to be placed in the trash. Items such as plastic grocery bags or bubble wrap can be brought to local stores with plastic bag recycling bins. Tissue paper is recyclable as well as cardboard boxes.
Having a completely sustainable holiday may seem like a daunting task, but Bone said that implementing even some of these steps is key to helping the planet and reducing waste.
Interested residents are able to reach out to Bone at 525-5400 ext. 1108 or elizabeth.bone@eastlongmeadowma.gov for more information, answers to questions or sustainability help.
Bone said that she also posts frequently on the East Longmeadow Recycling Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/recyclingeastlongmeadowma/.
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