Easy Ways to Enjoy a More Sustainable Holiday

The Holidays are a season for giving, receiving, eating, drinking and for some, traveling and exploring.  It's also a time when a lot of trash is generated and a lot of things end up in the garbage.  For this reason, we wanted to come up with a list to help make our celebrations a bit more eco-friendly.

Here are 6 easy ways to keep waste at a minimum this Holiday Season.

1. Save on Wrapping Paper. 

For some of our parents and grandparents, it was not frowned upon to save and recycle wrapping paper.  This year, we can tap into these traditions and use newspapers for gift wrapping, or save the bags and carefully unwrapped paper for reuse next year.

2. Gift an Experience. 

While material gifts may sometimes not hit the mark or be left unused and forgotten, experiences will create a memory that lasts a lifetime.  Whether it’s a gift card to a nice restaurant, spa, or a voucher redeemable for a weekend getaway or outdoor activity, these gifts will most definitely not go unappreciated.

3. Use energy saving led lights.

Inflation was one of the most talked about topics this 2021 and using led lights will not only help save financially, but also keep consumption sustainable.  Led lights consume up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs and are a great way to light up your home without hurting your wallet.

4. Gift something made sustainably.

It can be something made from responsibly sourced materials, homemade, made locally, pre-loved, something that can be recycled or repurposed, or that uses eco-friendly packaging.

5. Use real dinner & silverware.

We know friends and family gatherings mean a lot of dirty dishes.  However, not all plastic and paper can be recycled and much less if there’s oil and grease stains, so a large portion of our trash still ends up going to the regular trash.  Using real dishware will prevent excess waste from ending up in landfills and if each person pitches in to wash their own dishes, the workload will be greatly reduced!

6. Gift a Digital Gift Card. 

Gift cards can be purchased online and sent by email.  This not only eliminates tons of plastic waste, it also prevents them from getting lost.  Shop SUAVS Gift cards here.