12/06/2022
【Culture in Your Cup】
The Reality of Indulgence without Intention: Enormous Holiday Waste
During the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday period, Americans throw away more trash than any other time of year, amounting to 25 million tons of garbage.
What if we used this Holiday season to recalibrate? Evaluate our priorities and dreams as a society? This Holiday season is an opportunity for introspection and contemplation
- Give gifts that need no packaging like memberships, subscriptions, tickets, weekend getaways and gift certificates. Sign them up for a class in their interest or donating to a local organizartion in their name. These presents are clutter-free and don’t add to the waste stream!
-Re-use
Find crestive ways to wrap presents: colorful pages torn from magazines, old maps, all pretty paper you have come across! You can alson avoid using paper entirely by using reusable decorative tins, baskets or boxes. Reusable cloth ribbons can be used in place of plastic bows. Make sure to unwrap gifts carefully and save bags for reuse next year!
If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields!
-Conserve
The potential to waste food increases when preparing large meals during the holidays. Plan, shop and prep smart to keep good food from going bad. Have your dinner guests bring tupperware with them to share leftovers!
The U.S. uses more electricity during December than some countries use all year. Energy Star qualified LED lights last longer and are 90 percent more efficient than traditional Christmas lights. Remember to turn off lights, electronics and appliances when they aren’t in use and in the quiet of night .
For More Resources
www.use-less-stuff.com is an awesome website with a checklist to reduce your waste this holiday season.
We will be sharing more ideas and swaps to make for a more sustainable (and ultimately loved) holiday season! Send us a DM with you email if you would like to be in the loop!