How To Keep Your Holidays Green
According to the national non-profit organization Zero Waste Canada, 545,000 tonnes of waste is produced by Canadians each year from gift wrapping and shopping bags alone. That’s enough to give us the chills! As we officially kick off the holiday season, we are offering a few tips to help you keep your holidays green and reduce your environmental impact.
Lights: Make sure to choose LED lights for your tree and decorations as they consume less power and last longer. You can also find reusable LED candles that will create a warm and cozy ambiance. They look similar to candles, are made from flameless wax, and are safer.
Tip: Did you know that old Christmas lights can be recycled? Check your city’s website or your local recycling facility to see if they accept bulbs or lights.
Wrapping: You can reuse items such as your daily newspaper to wrap your gifts, and can even create original wrapping paper by using drawings made by your children or other loved ones. Feeling more creative? You can use tea towels, old calendars, maps, jars, fabrics, paper bags, and boxes for wrapping or packaging. If you need to purchase gift wrapping, try to avoid glossy and metallic wrapping paper and select paper that contains recycled material.
Tip: Don’t forget to save paper so you can reuse it next year. Here’s a real challenge for you: try wrapping your gifts without using tape and let us know how you did it.
Decorations: The sky is the limit! You can choose sustainable materials such as organic cotton or you can use recycled material such as cardboard to create wonderful decorations. Want a new garland? Try using recycled gift wrapping. Make it a fun craft session with your kids, family, or friends – they will love it! You can even turn old toys into ornaments. Branches, berries, and twigs can be put together to create a new wreath for your door.
Tip: Treat your ornaments as a collection that you curate.
Food: Plan ahead of time so that you know exactly what ingredients and how much food you will need to buy, and don’t forget your reusable bags. Also, don’t forget to compost any food scraps.
Tip: Skip paper napkins and use cloth ones instead, and choose compostable dishware instead of going for plastic.
Gift ideas: Support your local shops, or gift an experience such as a virtual cooking class, organize a date night, or offer babysitting coupons. You can also offer your own hand-crafted gifts or even make a donation to a charity on someone’s behalf. There are so many green options.
Tip: If you are going to give toys that require batteries, choose rechargeable batteries. Old batteries and even old devices can be recycled.
Trees: If you are planning on decorating a tree, choose a natural tree. It is biodegradable and you can recycle it.
Did you know that one farmed tree absorbs more than one tonne of CO2 throughout its lifetime? An acre of trees produces enough oxygen for the daily needs of 18 people.
Tip: You can choose to have a living tree in a pot that will grow with your family.
Have other green tips? Share them below. Happy holidays!
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