It’s September – a time when we transition away from summer fun and prepare for sweater season and pumpkins spice. But before we know it, the holiday season will be upon us. This festive time presents a valuable opportunity to think about and reduce waste in our personal and professional lives.
The EPA estimates that individuals produce 25% of additional waste during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Some sources of this waste include packaging, unwanted gifts, and food waste. The New York City Department of Sanitation (2023) reported that in 2022, New York City residents disposed of 86 million pounds of food in intact packaging and a total of 1.2 billion pounds of food. The USDA (2020) estimates that the average American family wastes 1,160 pounds of food annually. It’s not only the physical item that is wasted – all the energy that went into the manufacturing, packaging, transportation, and storage has also been wasted.
For this edition’s Climate Conversations, we’d like to share some tips for reducing waste during the holiday season while still maintaining the magic, tradition, and joy. If you’ve ever thought about the amount of waste that is generated during the holiday season here are some tips on how to reduce the impact. If we all make some small changes, together we can have a big impact. This year let’s add Earth to our Holiday List and turn December into Sustainability Season!
Gifts
- Share the gift of a meal – Make a dinner date or buy some specialty ingredients. Gift basket ideas can include non-perishables such as a Breakfast Basket with pancake mix, maple syrup, and ground coffee or an Italian themed basket with pasta, jarred sauce, and a bottle of wine.
- Embrace the idea of buying used items – thrift stores offer many treasures.
- Create a wishlist for family and Secret Santas to prevent giving and receiving gifts that aren’t wanted.
- Give an experience with memberships to a museum, zoo or gallery.
- Donate to a charity or plant a tree in someone’s name.
Gift Wrapping
- Considering the amount of packaging when purchasing items.
- Reuse packaging paper or newspaper to wrap gifts.
- Utilize reusable wrapping such as bags or cloth bags.
- If you’re purchasing decorations, choose items that can be reused and passed on.
Food Waste
- If you plan a potluck at work to celebrate the holiday season, have a sign-up list to reduce redundancies and make sure everyone knows how much food to prepare.
- Whether you’re celebrating at work or home – guests can bring reusable containers to take leftovers home.
- Bring your own containers to restaurants for leftovers.
Travel
- When possible, carpool to events.
- Decide on designated drivers to get everyone home safely.
- Use mass transit to reduce impact.
New Traditions
- Connect with nature as a family. Plan a holiday walk or run around the neighborhood.
- On New Year’s Day – visit state parks, trails, or historic sites as part of New York State’s First Day Hikes initiative.
- Think about old traditions that you can let go of while creating new traditions.
- Incorporate necessity items into your traditions – such as buying everyone new pajamas at Christmas
This holiday season brings the opportunity to create new sustainable traditions while maintaining the magic of the season. Remember, even one or two small changes can make a big difference! Let’s celebrate in a way that not only honors tradition but also gives back to our planet—a gift that will continue to benefit future generations, keeping the magic of the season alive for years to come.
References
Environmental Protection Agency. (2016). Green your holiday scene. https://archive.epa.gov/students/web/html/holiday.html
NYC Department of Sanitation. (2023). 2023 NYC Waste Characterization Study. https://www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/resources/reports/waste-characterization.page
US Department of Agriculture. (2020). Tips to reduce food waste at Thanksgiving. https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/tips-reduce-food-waste-thanksgiving
