Merry sustainable Holidays!

Celebrating a sustainable holiday season is a holly, jolly challenge. With everything that is happening in the world right now,  it’s time to dig deep, reflect and refocus on what the festive break is all about. Slow yourself down, no matter if you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Spend time (and money) with what really matters!

Eco-friendly decorations, meals and gifts will help to reduce your environmental footprint this holiday season. Yet, spending money at local shops, restaurants and brands will be sustantial to keep those you love in business at the end of 2022. How to celebrate a meaningful and green festive season? Here are our best ideas for eco-friendly Holidays!

If you’re in for new decorative holiday items this year, check your local thrift store for gently used second hand decorations first. Another option is to get creative yourself. Start with entering “easy DIY holiday decorations” in Pinterest! If you really can’t see yourself getting into arts and crafts, there are plenty of natural, eco-friendly and handmade options on etsy!

This is also the year to invest in a reusable advent calendar and avoid single-use toy or chocolate calendars. Chocolate lovers could buy little treats at the local chocolatier. And families buy eco-friendly or used little toys and books and ad them to the reusable calendar!

Candles, solar power and LED give green joy

No Holiday decoration is complete without shinning lights. There are many sustainable options for candles made from bees wax or soy. Check your local arts and crafts store or candlemaker. Even though they are significantly more expensive than the less eco-friendly versions at the discounter, they are a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.

In terms of outdoor holiday lighting, there are some greener alternatives as well! The easiest way to save energy is to create your own energy source with solar powered holiday lights. While, a small solar station collects sunlight during the day, it lights up the string of lights in the evening hours. Lowering the impact of holiday lighting is also possible with electrical lights that use energy saving LED bulbs and a timer that shuts all lights off at bedtime. 

This year the “lazy”-label of gifting a gift card officially takes a break! Actually, gift cards are a fantastic way to support your local shops, restaurants and brands. 

This year the “lazy”-label of gifting a gift card officially takes a break!

What ever you decide on getting for your loved ones, support local businesses, or order at smaller online stores. With every purchase you lift a small business owners holiday spirits.

When it comes to gift-wrapping, bypass glossy and metallic wrapping paper and ribbons– we know, it looks beautiful and we know, it’s cheap, but it’s your worst bet when it comes to reducing your environmental footprint. Instead use eco-friendly gift-wrapping with reusable fabrics (think tablecloths or cloth napkins) or reusable gift bags and boxes. Explore the famous Japanese cloth gift wrapping technique called furoshiki in this NY Mag article. In the Western world we throw away 20-30% more trash during the holidays than any other time of year.

In the past studies found, that you will have to keep your fake tree for 12-20 years in order for it to have a lower environmental footprint than real trees in all those years. However there’s a shining light at the end of the fake-tree-lover’s tunnel: trees made of recycled plastic! They are a bit pricier, but might be a great option for you, if you plan on keeping it for years to come. In case funds are an issue, you could always give a second-hand fake tree a new home, which really is your most sustainable option of all – what are you waiting for.

If you love the natural smell of a real pine tree in your home, look into renting one this year, ideally locally. Many tree nurseries offer a rental service for Christmas trees with delivery and pick-up. The trees are kept in neat pots and are replanted after the holidays. Lastly for all houseplant fans, there’s the option to decorate an already existing plant in your home or to purchase a new plant, that can serve as a Christmas tree in December and as beautiful houseplant throughout the year – Who said a ficus or a monstera can’t be a festive tree after all?

That said, make sure to consider where you live when shopping for a real tree. If you have been living in a drought all summer, chances are that the tree you are buying had to be transported from afar or watered with water your region shouldn’t really spend on a pine tree farm.

To get started, getting your family photos taken by a local photographer supports a small business during the pandemic. Caring for the environment starts when you make a conscious decision about whether or not it is really necessary to print those photos onto a shiny card. E-cards are an easy, cheap and very sustainable way to send warm wishes to everybody this year. Creating a fun and festive video of you and your family and uploading it on a private channel is another one. On top, you could opt for homemade cards or get plantable holiday cards. After reading and enjoying the card, plant it, water it and watch it grow!

And if that’s all not for you, hearing someone’s voice and chatting with them means connecting on a whole different level. No time or money to send out cards or ecards – pick up the phone!

While prepping for the big feast, make sure to plan reasonably, so you can cut down on food waste and ideally munch up all leftovers before they go bad. At last, and you can read all about why below, consider a meat-free meal. Shifting your diet is the single best way to adapt to a more sustainable (and healthy) lifestyle.

Now call your favorite people, then turn off the lights and enjoy a good dose of the outdoors. You may want to stop by your beloved restaurant or coffee shop and grab some treats!