By Sophie Roback, Alliance Intern from Colorado College ‘24
Americans produce an extra 25% more waste during the holiday season, creating around an additional five million tons of garbage, according to a Stanford study. There are simple steps we can take to have greener holidays. There is recycled/recyclable wrapping paper, but better yet, reuse items you have, like cloth, newspaper and paper bags. Give gifts that don’t use plastic packaging or are package-free. When disposing of your Christmas tree, look for local environmental programs that compost them rather than overwhelming our landfills.
At the same time, why not give a sustainable present this season? There are so many creative alternatives to standard gift-giving, from experiences or handmade items to nonprofit donations or memberships. There are great eco gift ideas from our Sustainability Partner Dolphin Blue. In addition, there are everyday items that can be purchased from organic and fair trade brands that make great gifts. For example, there are numerous organic sock companies, including Good Guys, Conscious Step, Organic Basics, Harvest and Mill and Paka.
For tea brands that are both organic and fair trade, The Good Trade recommends Numi, Alaya Tea, Mizuba Tea Co, Us Two Tea, and Hobbs Tea. Dr. Bronner’s, Blueland, and EcoRoots are three personal care and hygiene companies prioritizing sustainability. Also check out Pela for a variety of colorful compostable phone case options.
If you are purchasing candles, make sure to avoid paraffin wax and wicks with lead as these can release dangerous chemicals within your home. Instead, look for candles with soy or beeswax. Finally we recommend gifts that can help make a positive environmental impact, such as the Guppyfriend washing bag, which helps to significantly reduce the amount of synthetic fibers and microplastics that enter rivers and oceans from washing our clothes.
Around the holiday season, we can feel a lot of pressure to buy new things for ourselves and for those around us. However, gifts don’t always need to cost money — oftentimes the gift of visiting or sharing an experience together can be the most memorable. And when we do purchase things, we can try our best to make healthy and sustainable decisions.