Our Top 5 Ways To Go Sustainable With Holiday Decor
Not to sound like a Scrooge, but the holiday season can often be a very wasteful time of year when you consider all the materials and labor that go into, fake foliage for Thanksgiving centerpieces, gift wrap and packaging, fake Christmas trees, and more. Not only can the mass-procurement and disposal of these items hurt the environment, but they can also hurt your wallet. Here are a few ways you can take a sustainable approach to your holiday decorating this year.
Mind your waste
Donate your edible decorations like cornucopias filled with squash to your local farm rescue. Check out this heartwarming story where Carelton-the-pig’s mom does just that, and get inspired to replicate her efforts!
Go for a GREENer Christmas tree: The most sustainable Christmas trees have an attached root ball so that they can be re-planted once you are done using it. This company will take back your tree and grow it with your family, each year.
If you don’t have anything around your house such as old, unused maps, newspapers, or comic books to use as gift wrap, you can get them at one of these sources:
Contact your local newspaper office. Asking for misprints and extra copies.
Contact your local recycling center—if your local newspaper automatically recycles all of its unused newsprint and newspapers, they may direct you to your local recycling center where you may be able to take as much old newspaper as you need at no charge or a nominal fee.
Use free or local classified or entertainment newspapers. Many areas have these types of newspapers available at convenience stores, post offices, and restaurants, where you can ask for old, unwanted copies.
Find better companies offering cleaner, greener products. If you’re able to get outdoors and collect fallen pinecones and leaves for your tablescapes—more power to you. If that’s not your thing, get googling for companies doing better.
Like ecofetti for your New Year’s confetti needs.
Or check out shops like this one selling recycled glass Christmas ornaments.
If you need new, unique and adorable Christmas stockings, there are a ton of small artisans offering upcycled sweater stockings on Etsy, like this one!
Invest in Sustainable Table Settings
You may find that you need something in particular for your table this year, like a two-tier cake plate, or a particular size platter. Before you head to a big box store, you will save raw materials, energy, and CO2 by purchasing a pre-loved piece. We love finding the best thrift stores in the city and heading there first, and you can’t beat the convenience of searching Etsy or eBay (yes it’s still going strong!) Bonus points for trying your local online marketplace from Facebook, Nextdoor app, letgo App, or Facebook’s buy/sell/trade local groups that are common in most areas.
It’s just not the holidays without candles. A little-know-fact is that conventional candles are actually a huge source of indoor air pollution, releasing thousands of harmful toxins into our homes. You can avoid this health threat by making sure your candles are made from natural wax and use natural essential oils, free of added colors and toxins, such as these candles from Hyggelight. Also, once your candle is burned out, be sure to recycle the glass or reuse it as a planter.