Happy Holidays! We are all celebrating the season with family and friends and that includes the joy of exchanging gifts. Of course, gift-giving can be joyous and thoughtful while also being more sustainable with just a little attention and planning.
What is the issue?
According to a leading public interest research group, “Household trash peaks during the holiday season when household trash rates in the U.S. [for example] increase by 25+ percent during the holiday season. Much of that trash is plastic waste that will be around for centuries since plastic doesn’t break down naturally in the environment.” Most plastics are not recycled and in landfills they leak potentially harmful chemicals into our water and soil.
Below are some helpful suggestions and this QR code links to even more information:
Sustainable gift-giving ideas:
- Choose gifts made from more sustainable materials – wood, metal, glass, wool, cotton, silk, linen.
- Think outside the box – gift cards or experiential gifts (dinner out, event tickets, sustainable travel).
- Purchase items as gifts without excessive plastic packaging.
- Avoid glitter as most is technically made of microplastics.
- Create wrapping paper alternatives like hand-decorated, recycled paper or reusable, festive bags.
Learn more about sustainability from our partners at Aggressor Adventures, here: https://www.aggressor.com/pages/sustainability and download our free sustainability guide.
