There are many opportunities for the consumer to be more sustainable during the holiday season. Shop locally, make your gifts, and reduce waste to reduce your environmental impact this holiday season. Keep in mind, the best way to have a sustainable holiday is to simplify. When you simplify the holidays, you often reduce your costs, stress, and waste.

Recycle your Christmas tree! Many municipalities in the United States offer a tree haul-away or tree “discard” location—use these to make sure your tree is recycled instead of just being tossed into a garbage pile. Real Christmas trees can be a way to use forests for good—by careful management and encouraging future growth. And they use fewer carbon emissions to ship to customers. 

Make your gift wrap! Reduce the amount of waste and plastic consumption—store-bought wrapping paper comes bundled in plastic—and it’s the worst kind because it’s usually not recyclable, making it single-use plastic. What do you have in the house that would be a good substitute? Could you wrap a present in a lovely winter scarf? How about presenting a gift in a reusable store tote?

Shop small and shop local. Now more than ever, local small businesses need everyone’s help. Carbon emissions can be reduced (for shipping from faraway places), local artisans benefit and often make their wares from local materials. Communities become stronger when this part of the circular economy kicks in

Make your gifts: edible gifts such as breads, cookies, cakes, dried fruits, nut mixes, canned goods, jams/jellies, or herbed vinegars make fantastic gifts. Use your arts and crafts skills to knit a scarf, crochet a hat or mittens, paint a watercolor, or design your jewelry. Make a calendar by using family photos marked with important dates.

Nature provides beautiful ornaments and other holiday decorations: gather a basket of evergreen branches, berries, flowers, fresh fruit, etc., and arrange as you desire, or make ornaments from twigs, bark, flowers, herbs, etc.

Remember: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.