As we enter the holiday season, you may be wondering how to reduce your impact and still enjoy all of your favorite traditions while also having a sustainable holiday season. But have no fear! You can make plenty of wonderful sustainable Christmas memories and have a lower environmental impact.
Here Are Some Sustainable Holiday Tips For an eco-friendly Holiday:
Get a REAL TREE
Why? Real Christmas Tree are more environmentally friendly than fake ones, which are made from plastic that will take hundreds of years to break down. But don’t get just any tree: some growers use up to 40 different pesticides and even add chemical colorants! Ask your local Christmas tree grower about their practices or search for a sustainable farm near you. Besides using less pesticides, a sustainable farm will plant more trees than they cut down each year. And those that they do harvest will be selectively cut in patches to maintain a healthy rotation.
ARE FAKE CHRISTMAS TREES BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
Artificial trees can last many years if well cared for, which seems to make them the obvious sustainable choice, but they do have drawbacks. Because most are made with plastic and metal materials, they take a lot of resources to create — and their plastic components will exist for thousands of years, polluting our oceans and harming wildlife.
Often shipped long distances, they also have a hefty carbon footprint— to the tune of up to 88 lbs of CO2 per 6.5ft. tall artificial tree. In comparison, a live tree that is recycled—by turning it into woodchips—or kept growing in a pot “can have negligible or even negative emissions,” according to Dr John Kazer of the Carbon Trust in an interview with The Guardian. When you consider that Christmas is one of the most highly celebrated holidays in the world, that difference adds up fast.
MAKE SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
Get creative and use things that you have around the house to create your own unique, adorable Christmas decorations. This can be extra special, for example, if you use items from loved ones to create a memento ornament that will remind you of all the beautiful Christmas memories you have shared. It’s also a great project to keep kids busy when they’re on break from school, or a fun excuse to host a crafting party with your friends and family!
SWITCH TO LED HOLIDAY LIGHTS
While Christmas lights don’t use as much electricity as some other decorations, switching to LED lights can save you around $50 on your holiday season energy bills because they use 90% less energy. Still not convinced? LEDs release very little heat and last about 200,000 hours, so you won’t have to replace them for a long time. And according to one study by the US Department of Energy, if everyone in the US replaced their conventional string lights with LEDs, it would save about 2 billion kWh of electricity each month.
RECYCLE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE
Every year, over 10 million Christmas trees end up in landfills. We know that, especially when living in an urban setting, it can be challenging to properly dispose of your tree, but many municipalities offer solutions to this. So look into what local programs are available, like turning your tree into mulch or wood chips, or even donating it towards an environmental project like stream bank stabilization.
DITCH THE CHEAP STOCKING STUFFERS
Often, stockings are filled with cheap plastic items that end up broken, lost, or discarded once the holiday season ends. Instead, fill them with delicious homemade treats and a few small, thoughtfully chosen gifts to round it out. Stockings are a fun part of the Christmas tradition, and with a little thought, they can be transformed from wasteful to awesome!
ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT
As the snow falls, we understandably respond by cranking up our thermostats. This year, get cozy with some Christmas themed PJs and a snuggly blanket by the fire. Play board games, tell Christmas stories, and take advantage of this chance to slow down and be together with your immediate family and pets. After all, that’s what the holiday season is all about.
PREPARE AN ECO FRIENDLY FEAST
While preparing all of your favorite holiday dishes, try to support local farmers that grow sustainable meat and produce. Not only will fresh, local ingredients lend an extra vibrancy to your meals, the food will taste better, too. Finally, a local, sustainably farmed roast or ham is always going to be better for the environment than factory farmed meat that has been shipped from thousands of miles away.
Simple steps can be taken every day to be more sustainable at home. Incorporating these tips into your life will not only save you money, but the earth too!
Learn more about EvCC Sustainability! www.everettcc.edu/green
Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator sustainability@everettcc.edu