Eco-Conscious Holiday
Each individual produces roughly 4.3 pounds of trash daily,* and the start of the holiday season significantly increases this number. More food is cooked, more items are acquired, and instead of creating joyous memories of roasting chestnuts, holidays have turned into a triple pump of fire chestnut flavoring in your biodegradable (we will get to that on another blog) plastic coffee cup, meanwhile spending your entire savings which you accumulated the past three months. Corporations influence holiday pressure as well, decorations hit store shelves in July and subliminal advertisements appear on websites throughout the year.
This does not necessarily have to be the case. There are many ways to ease into the holidays, making them simple and easy. Here are a few basic examples of how you can do just that:
Use natural decorations - forage pine cones, and branches from nature.
Headcount - take a serious headcount before preparing meals to avoid creating any additional food waste, and skip the appetizers.
Use natural gift wrap - anything compostable or recyclable will do. For example, you can grab a paper bag from the store and give it a second use.
Skip the cards - although a lovely gesture, cards generally serve one purpose and are not sustainable.
Thrift anything and everything - period the end.
Carpool - if you are having a family gathering, grab your closest mates and take one car to the event.
Reduce consumption - although buying for the holidays is fun, it is also not necessary. If you do choose to buy, purchase from brands that produce sustainably and do their part.
Shop local - shop small, do your part in contributing to your local economy, support those around you and circulate your system.
Happy Holidays
*http://www.ecoclean.in/whatistheaveragewastegeneratedbyahuma