How You Can Have A Greener Christmas And Holiday Season
And help the planet, too!
It’s that time of the season when it is also the biggest shopping time of the year. It’s also a good idea to think “Green,” so we can help heal the planet. One thing we need to do as a global community is to prevent waste and prevent unnecessary items from going to the landfill. Case in point: due to the amount of cheap clothing, people are buying more clothes and sending them away to the charity bin after a few years. What people don’t know is that many of these clothing bins are sent to developing countries. Once there, clothing that is not considered usable is thrown in landfills and burned. It’s shocking and we need to do our part to help prevent clothing waste.
The global pandemic has only illustrated just how fragile our earth is, and how we are all linked to everyone. If you are reading this, it is because you care and want to help. That is the first step is to have compassion for ourselves and the planet.
One Small Step for Humankind, One Giant Step For Our Earth
Back when Neil Armstrong landed on the surface of the moon, he helped encourage space exploration when he blurted out, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” I am all fine with space exploration but I also think it is time we give a big focus on where we all live: earth. We need to love our planet earth and adopt practices that are loving, compassionate, and healing. Here are a few ways in which we can show love to our planet:
- Avoid Buying Plastic When Possible
Think about what will go in the garbage after Christmas. Skip buying plastic cups or bottles. Use regular drinking cups. Pass over plastic plates and stick with regular plates. When you go shopping, bring reusable bags. A lot of our plastic ends up going into the ocean and our waterways and hurting sea life. Plastic is one of our biggest threats against our planet. Studies have pointed out that discarded plastic is found in all-natural land and freshwater habitat, and has even been found on mountains. If you go hiking, take your garbage with you. There are no garbage collectors in the woods. To get a better idea of how long it takes plastic and other manmade materials to decompose, I consulted a chart made by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- styrofoam cup -50 years
- monofilament fishing line -600 years
- plastic bottle -450 years
- aluminum cans -200 years
- disposable diaper -450 years
- plastic grocery bag-1–20 years
- plastic beverage holder -400 years
- cigarette butt -1.5 -10 years
We can all do our part to help reduce plastics. Here are a few suggestions to use:
- reusable water bottle and coffee cup
- reusable bags or carry a basket
- powdered laundry detergent in cardboard
- bar soap instead of plastic soap
- reusable straws, in glass or bamboo
You can get more ideas here.
2. Offer An Experience Instead
Instead of buying clothes for someone who has enough skirts, jackets, or pants to fill 2 closets, why not opt to give the gift of an “experience” instead. Give cinema tickets, or passes to the opera or museum. Make your own gift of orange chutneys and Christmas cookies. Instead of buying a gift (plastic) card, offer money instead and your loved one can choose their own items. Give someone your own homemade wine or hand-made chocolates. Gift exchanges do not have to be expensive!
3. Spread Your Gift To Those Who Need It
In some developing parts of the world, you can help individuals, families, and farmers get the support they need to practice sustainable farming. Charities like World Vision has an extensive gift catalog for people of all budgets. I personally use this site because our money donation multiplies by 4 times in value. Whether you choose to give to a local charity or one far away, your donation will be life-changing for the recipients and their community.
4. Choose Your Wrapping Paper Carefully
Since you are going to wrap your gifts with paper, choose your materials carefully and ensure plastic is not a part of the material. Reuse wrapping paper. Or you can also choose to wrap your gift in linen or cloth. If you buy ribbon, reuse it and don’t toss it. Gift bags can also be reused for many years to come.
Now for some fun: sing or listen along to this great “Green Christmas” song.
If you have a chance, check out my recent article to make you more brainy at this link.
Medium readers: what are your tips for an eco-friendly holiday season?
I really enjoyed writing and researching this article. Please follow me for more stories like this and follow this fine publication. Have a safe and wonderful holiday season. Keep on smiling:)
