Throughout many regions globally, the ongoing climate crisis has brought severe weather conditions, such as record scorching temperatures, persistent droughts, and intense thunderstorms. Meanwhile, plastic debris litters the world’s oceans and waterways, polluting natural habitats, harming marine life, and detracting from the experience of enjoying nature. Furthermore, many species face endangerment due to habitat loss or overhunting. These environmental concerns, as well as others, are due to human activities, which, if not changed, threatens the quality and future existence of life on Earth. With the winter holiday season upon us, perhaps one of the best gifts we can give each other is prioritizing environmental sustainability. This article is the first in a series that addresses this topic, with the hope that the series encourages all Matadors and the community at large to take action to promote environmental sustainability. Small changes if made by many and carried through time can lead to tremendous progress towards a more sustainable world.
Focusing first on the upcoming winter holidays, many will celebrate by exchanging presents. One way to promote sustainability is to consider more eco-friendly gifts for others (WWF). Choose gifts that endure and will not fill up landfills. In this regard, it might be worth it to invest in gifting a single, costlier item that the recipient will truly enjoy instead of gifting multiple items that will soon go to waste. Moreover, there are greener gifting options, such as purchasing from eco-friendly companies that are mindful of reducing packaging or using materials that leave less of a carbon footprint. On this note, look for products that are constructed from recycled materials and that do not contain harmful chemicals. Other greener gifting considerations include an intangible item like a music lesson, a handmade item created from recycled materials, and donating funds to charity in the name of the giftee. Finally, try to purchase items sourced and made locally, as this lowers the greenhouse gas emissions required to transport the items.
Once the gift is in hand, there are also more sustainable options available when wrapping it. If possible, choose wrapping paper or gift bags that are made from recycled material (Weeden). Additionally, avoid foil-based, glittery, or glossy gift wrap or bags, as it is less likely that these can be recycled. Try wrapping with minimal tape and skip plastic bows or ribbons to reduce plastic accumulation in the environment. If needed, twine is a more environmentally friendly option to tie up packages. Also, consider saving gift wrap, gift bags, ribbon, and bows for reusing or repurposing.
Many people also choose to send holiday cards to friends and family. While this may be a beloved tradition that others appreciate, it is costly to the environment in multiple ways. To start, an enormous amount of paper for the card and envelope is required. Furthermore, some cards are printed with inks that are harmful to the environment. Additionally, the transport of the cards from one destination to another means more greenhouse gas emissions. If sending cards is a holiday must, then opt for cards that can be recycled and do not use harmful chemical dyes. Otherwise, environmentally friendlier options include sending an e-card or email to friends and family with pictures and updates that can be more detailed than what is usually included in a card. This latter option is usually more personal and can often be more preferred by the recipient as compared with the traditional holiday card.
What about holiday decorations? For those that celebrate Christmas and plan on setting up a tree, the more eco-friendly choice is a real tree from a sustainable tree farm instead of an artificial one since these are made from plastic. Once discarded, the artificial tree can stay in the environment for hundreds of years. For those who do get a real tree, remember to recycle it. Many cities have tree pick-up programs that turn the tree into mulch or use the tree for other purposes (WWF). Another common decoration for various winter holidays are decorative lights. For these, LED lights are the way to go because they are more energy efficient and are more long-lived so that there is less that ends up at the landfill (Weeden). Moreover, invest in quality decorations that can be reused year after year, instead of single-use items or those that are not made to last.
Finally, the holidays can bring parties and special meals. While it is tempting to use single-use plastic utensils, cups, and plates at these functions because this makes clean-up so easy, try to avoid single-use items for the sake of the environment. Try to avoid food waste as the production of food requires much energy. This means better planning so that there are not too many leftovers and dividing up leftovers if any remain. Also, try serving more plant-based foods instead of meat as meat production necessitates much land and water. Moreover, raising livestock for consumption is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
A more environmentally friendly approach to the holiday season is definitely possible. It just requires knowing what options are available and making the commitment to choose those that cause less harm. This holiday season, let’s choose to help sustain our planet. It is truly the best gift we can give each other and future generations.
Works Cited
“Top Tips for a Sustainable Christmas.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, 29 October
2024, https://www.wwf.org.uk/top-tips-sustainable-christmas. Accessed 14 December 2024.
Weeden, Meaghan. “15 Ideas for Sustainable Holidays.” OneTreePlanted, One Tree
Planted, 5 December 2024, https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/sustainable-holiday-ideas.
Accessed 14 December 2024.
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