Go (Red &) Green with These Sustainable Holiday Tips
While we all enjoy giving (and let’s be real, receiving) gifts, there’s so much stuff that comes along with the holidays. Annually, Americans discard an estimated:
- 38,000 miles of ribbon, or enough to wrap around the planet (with some left for a bow)
- $11 billion worth of packing material
- And 15 million used Christmas trees
Shocking, right?! With these sustainable holiday tips, you can still make the season bright while reducing your environmental impact.
Here’s 5 easy ways to have a more sustainable holiday season.
Sustainable Holiday Gifts
Give the gift that keeps on giving, a clothing rental subscription with Armoire! Instead of spending your gift budget on a single item, you can gift over $2000 worth of high-end and designer clothing for only $149/mo! Armoire is currently offering some incredible holiday promotions that will offer you even more bang for your buck. Besides having access to a constant rotation of today’s top styles, your giftee will love that dry cleaning and shipping are always on us!
You can find more eco-friendly holiday gifts in our sustainable holiday gift guide.
Zero Waste Gift Wrap
Did you know that over 4 million tons of gift wrap ends up in landfills because it is too thin, too laminated, or too sparkly to be recycled? Tokki is an eco-friendly gift wrap that provides a sustainable answer to the unbelievable amount of non-recyclable wrapping that goes to waste each year. Their 100% cotton wraps feature a variety of holiday-themed prints that’ll make your gifts pop, while an attachable band for cinching the fabric together has digital and social capabilities that’ll make the moment last.
Digital Holiday Cards
Each year, an estimated 2.6 billion holiday cards are sold in the US, or enough to fill a football field 10 stories high! Instead of a traditional card, consider an e-card instead. Thanks to companies like Greenvelope and Smilebox, it’s easier than ever to send your annual holiday card.
If you really can’t go without sending a tangible, physical holiday message however, try buying sustainable paper cards from places like Paper Culture. Each purchase is offset with the donation of a tree.
Here’s hoping you actually send your holiday cards on time this year!
Fly CO2 Neutral
Each flight you take, including the one you take home for the holidays, is likely a large chunk of your personal carbon footprint in a year. Flights were responsible for 2.4 percent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2018 — a figure expected to grow more than threefold by 2050. Carbon offsets offer a way to balance out your trip’s pollution by investing in projects that reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. While carbon offsets aren’t a longterm solution to travel pollution, even the small steps can add up to a more sustainable holiday season.
Learn how clothing rental makes packing for your holiday trips a breeze!
Recycle Your Christmas Tree
Once it’s time to pack up your holiday decorations, set aside your Christmas tree for recycling. Approximately 25 to 30 million real trees are sold in North America each year, according to the U.S. EPA. Luckily, about 93 percent of those trees are recycled through more than 4,000 available recycling programs. Many areas collect trees during the first few weeks after Christmas to be mulched and used for water conservation and weed control.
