No
matter what faith, if any, that one practices, the holiday season is usually a
time of gift giving and love-sharing. It’s also a time of massive waste,
rampant consumerism, and high stress. For many, the holiday season is treated
more like a business exchange than a time to focus on the love we have for one
another and for our world. But there are ways we can turn the waste and extreme
human-trampling consumerism into something more personal, more earth-friendly,
and more fun!
For
those of you who want to have a “Green” holiday, see the following tips for
cutting down on waste, spending, and mass-produced gifts.
Holiday Decorating:
Decorating your space for the holidays can contribute to great waste, OR it can be a fun way to avoid adding extra paper and plastic into the environment each season.
Think of holiday decorating as something you can do using the same items every year. Don’t buy throwaway table centerpieces or plastic holiday table clothes that you intend to use once and ditch. Instead, take care in choosing items for decorating that can easily be stored away in a closet or basement the rest of the year.
A great place to start is in nature.
The winter holiday season starts just after autumn, when leaves have turned colors and fallen onto the ground. You can collect beautiful multi-colored fallen leaves to put into a pretty bowl and use as a table display. Or search parks and neighborhoods for fallen pinecones. Why buy plastic or wax pinecones when you can have the real thing! Place them in windowsills, tables and mantles, or on your desk at work. You can also take pieces of pine needles right off of pine trees and use them in your home for a natural holiday scent. Simply place several needles, or a small twig of needles, into a glass jar, and throw in a lit match. They will fill the room with the wonderful scent of pine.
The next best place to look for decorations that minimize waste is a thrift store.
Thrift stores are filled with recycled decorations minus the plastic and cardboard packaging. Last weekend I went looking for some winter-themed decorations at Maj-R Thrift (in Kansas City, Kansas) and came home with a great supply of holiday decor: a stuffed snowman table centerpiece, a snowman birdhouse for the yard, holiday-themed tablecloths, and many small holiday figures of angels and Santas (of both the Caucasion and African-American variaties).
Gifts: While some years in the past it seemed easiest to find holiday gifts for people at department stores like Target, I came to realize that the process of purchasing mass-produced items that are highly packaged in plastic and cardboard is not good for the environment or the soul. Department stores are filled with hectic, stressed-out shoppers all butting heads trying to find the best deal. To avoid such soul-shattering, earth-hurting shopping experiences, I’ve learned over the years that choosing gifts for people can be a fun, personalized, “green” activity. Start with your own hands!
A great way to show someone you care is to hand-make a personalized gift. A favorite of mine over the years has been jewelry. Because I often travel to coastal states, I have a habit of collecting seashells, and I’ve kept my eye out for those with small holes in them, perfect for stringing together into a beautiful necklace or bracelet.Last year I noticed a new kind of bookmark was being sold at bookstores: a string or piece of fabric with pretty beads and charms at both ends, the perfect item to make at home! I began looking for scraps I’d saved over the years (that I keep in my “art box” along with beads, the seashells, and many other crafty items) and was able to use some pretty ribbons, colored string, and other pieces of fabric to craft my own book marks. I then used beads and seashells to adorn each end of the fabric. The result is a beautiful, hand-made gift perfect for your loved ones who read. And if that’s not enough of a gift, find a book for them at a used bookstore and place the bookmark inside! This year I had a new idea for hand-made gifts inspired by a recently popular aromatherapy product: the oil diffuser. But why buy an individually packaged oil diffuser (containing a mass-produced jar, about 8 plastic-wrapped reed sticks, and a small bottle of scented oil) when you can make your own! You can purchase the oils and reed sticks in bulk online, which is better on the environment because you’re getting a larger amount with far less packaging. Whereas an individual reed-diffuser comes with a small 8oz jar of oils, you can buy scented oil by the pound online! And reed sticks are sold 50 at a time rather than 8! But here’s the best part: you can shop at antique and thrift stores to pick out beautiful jars for each kit you intend to make. I purchased four one-pound aromas online (WholesaleSuppliesPlus.com)and 100 reed sticks, intending to make about 13-15 oil diffusers for various friends and family. Then I found a unique jar for each gift at Blackwell’s Thrift Store (1316 E 63rd St) and the River Market Antique Mall (115 W 5th St.). Buy Local.
While most of us have friends and family who will cherish a homemade gift, we usually also have those people that expect something new and store-bought. But this doesn’t have to mean a trip to a department store. Buy local products made by local artists! There are plenty of local shops in town where you can find beautiful, professionally made gifts by local artists. Stuff is one store that comes to mind (316 W. 63rd Street in Brookside, Kansas City), featuring all kinds of “stuff’ by local and international artists. At farmers' markets you can find wonderful baked breads and hand-made candles and soaps. Also, keep your eye open for holiday gift bazaars at which local artists gather to sell their products, often times also benefiting local charities. Here you can find all kinds of locally made art, from paintings to photography to jewelry and everything in-between.
Finally, you can be easy on the environment by purchasing services. Gift cards to local restaurants and movie theatres are great gifts! Or purchase a massage or pedicure from a local spa! There are so many ways to give gifts that are unique, meaningful, and that minimize harm to our planet.
home-made oil diffusers
Gift-Wrapping:
It is in the wrapping of gifts that much waste is created each year. I find it disheartening to watch as people tear open gifts covered in wrapping paper that is immediately wadded up and thrown into the trash. Then under the wrapping paper are flimsy, holiday-themed cardboard boxes that are bought, used once, and thrown out. Don’t do it!
Again, use your local thrift stores or your own at-home recyclable products to find fun ways of wrapping your gifts. At Maj-R Thrift, I found many unique tins to use for boxing gifts. Along with the holiday-themed tins, I found an old Italian Biscotti tin that is perfect for one of my oil diffuser kits. For my dad, who has asked for incense this year, I found an old cigar-box, which he also loves and collects, perfect for holding sticks of incense.
For gifts that don’t fit in tins, use your own pop-culture boxes and paper wrapping. While some people may not find the beauty in a cardboard soup box from Costco, just think of Andy Warhol! For holding a small sweater I purchased, that’s exactly what I used. All I need to add to the box is a bow on top. For wrapping, use newspaper. Just tell your loved ones that you’re helping the environment this year by giving gifts Warhol-style, turning commercial waste into pop-culture creativity.
tins and boxes purchased at Maj-R Thrift store
Helping the Needy:
Even giving to charities or organizations can be done earth-consciously. Give money when you can; it requires no packaging and very little carbon footprint. For organizations looking for food or blankets or clothing, give gift cards to warehouses like Costco, where items can be purchased in bulk. Or find gently used sweaters and jackets at thrift stores, which aren’t going to sell clothes that have any major damage. Or if you have any to spare, give time! Volunteering for a day to sort, package, or deliver holiday gifts and food to the needy is a very rewarding way to connect with your community.
Post-Holiday Clean-up (and preparing for next year!):
A great way to prepare for next year’s holiday season is to use that which you receive this year. For instance, instead of throwing away gift bags or tissue paper, simply fold them up nicely and place into your holiday storage to re-use next year. Small tears in gift bags can be covered with stickers and gift tags. If the gift paper is torn, simply use scissors to cut away the damaged parts and nicely fold the remaining pieces. Save ribbons and bows that come with the gifts you receive.
Another major form of waste comes from holiday cards that we send each other every year. Beautiful cards are bought once (usually for up to $4!) and then eventually thrown away. After the holidays are over and you are ready to take down your card display, don’t pitch ‘em! Cut them in half and use the front of the cards for future art projects! Some may look beautiful framed and put on the wall, or used to create an art montage. Get creative! Don’t forget to stick the envelopes into your recycling bin.
