Christmas is among my favorite times of the year. I love the friendliness people share, when looking at Christmas light displays, attending concerts or even while shopping. I love the mound of gifts under the tree — and I love slipping a new package into the pile (and having my children discover it, shake it, wonder about it). Unfortunately, Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week! (1) That extra waste is often not recycled and not recyclable. Wrapping paper with foil or tape embedded cannot be recycled, neither can embellished cards. Organic materials, like paper, that are sent to the landfill either do not decompose, or they create methane gas by decomposing anaerobically. Creating greenhouse gasses and filling landfills is not in accord with the spirit of the season.
All is not lost. You can give beautiful gifts without creating waste. Wrapping gifts in reusable wrap is an easy way to eliminate the waste without eliminating the fun. Use cloth gift bags to wrap things quickly and easily (tied with a reused ribbon) or explore the art of furoshiki to wrap a gift in a length of fabric or a scarf. Upcycle a shirt into wrapping. Check out this article from The Guardian: Save That Wrapping Paper for Christmas and Save the World Too
You might look at Pinterest for other ideas. It’s a small change that can have a huge impact, if we all do our part.
Roberta Price
Editor’s notes: This 2023 version of Roberta’s article has been modified with this current resource from Plant with Purpose: https://plantwithpurpose.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/13-Ways-to-Love-the-Earth-this-Christmas-2023.pdf
From the upcoming Uptown Safe Haven Decoration event on 12/14, here are additional ways to lower our carbon footprint as we reuse and repurpose materials to decorate home for the holidays: make paper chain garlands with one-sided paper; create and stuff small cloth ornaments with cut up bits of used clothing; fold origami ornaments from one-sided paper squares; replant decorative potted plants; And save it all for next year!
