photo credit: Valentina Urbaez
As the fall season begins to wrap itself to make way for winter, the country welcomes the holidays along with it. As families bring out decoration boxes opened once a year to bring out decorations, the minds of many flood with the need for gifts.
People can argue left and right about whether the holidays are a time for giving or receiving, but the overlooked aftermath is always found at the center: waste. It’s of no one’s surprise that consumption skyrockets during November and December, and our trash with it.
Although a simple answer to keeping the planet clean during this time doesn’t exist yet, it could also be the season to get creative and implement ways to go greener.
Wrapping paper: Starting off simple with the fastest thing to make its way to a landfill is wrapping paper. The beloved rolls that run anywhere from $3 to $29 dollars on Amazon just to be torn up are a major culprit of waste. Household waste increases by up to 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s according to Stanford University. Overall gift packaging adds one million tons to landfills every week during that period.
So, while most of the fun is found in the mystery of what’s under the paper, people should find inspiration in stocking stuffers. One big sock filled with smaller treats doesn’t need wrapping to be enjoyable. Bigger gifts can come in bags, with preferably recyclable tissue paper. Newspaper, cloth, jars and baskets can replace that quick waste. Not only that but also reusable wrappings or containers can be seen as a gift all on their own. Whether it be more of a gag gift is up to the receiver, but it can still definitely be enjoyable.
Food: One of the saddest scraps of the season is the mountains of food that feed giant holes in the ground instead of hungry mouths. Landfills are yet again the next consumer of family meals that can be avoided by taking a quick pit stop. Nearby, there are places like LSS Delaware County Food Pantry and Worthington Resource Pantry that are open to food donations for lower income families.
There’s also always a need for more compost, whether or not a backyard is available. By means of improving soil health, it’s best to throw in whatever is left over from the holiday feast. Those who can cook can find creative ways to incorporate those leftovers in bigger meals or encourage guests to take food home with them.
Energy: The holiday strain of saving energy around the home could also help save families pockets. When the tree or candles are lit, welcome the mood lighting they bring. There’s no need to keep everything turned on when the main attraction likely takes up most of the room.
LED lights are cheap, effective and will likely brighten the room more than the traditional string lights. Putting lights on a timer to automatically turn off at a certain point of the night sucks up less juice, and so does unplugging lamps and devices while on vacation.
Because the season is meant to bring friends and family together, carpooling is one of the simplest ways to do just that. Extra time, gas and energy is saved by piling into one car and enjoying the ride with loved ones.
This time of year tends to be too hectic to spend worrying about how green habits are, but just some slight adjustments like these can lift the world bit by bit.
