This Holiday Season:
Skye’s 5 Tips on More Sustainable Gifting
The holidays seem to creep up quicker and quicker every year, and with that, comes a season of gift giving. Here are some tips to help you make some small changes or adopt some new habits to make your holidays a little bit more sustainable.
Really think about the person you are giving to.
This one may seem obvious, but remember to be creative. Really take a second to think about if the person will actually use the item you are giving them. Although it may seem tempting to get your favorite coworker a new coffee mug, deep down you know they already have more than enough and you would both be better off with a gift card to Dunkin, you know they already go every day.
Donate and recycle!
If you are someone who likes to clean out that closet or under-bed storage to make room for new items you may be receiving, make sure to be intentional about it. Make separate piles of items that you want to get rid of: stuff that is still in decent condition, items you can recycle, and things that have to be thrown away. Before you throw everything in the dumpster, consider these options. First, I always check with my friends to see if they want hand-me-downs before I get rid of clothes! For items in good condition, check out local places that you can donate to like thrift stores, soup kitchens, or charity fairs/yard sales that you can donate to. For those sub-par items, figure out if they can be disposed of in alternate ways to avoid directly ending up in landfills. For example some second hand stores will accept textiles like mismatched socks or ripped shirts and recycle them. Additionally, many towns will periodically have electronic recycle days where you can responsibly dispose of broken electronic devices.
Gift experiences.
Afraid to give someone something that will end up dusty in the back of their closet? Instead, give them something to do. The opportunities are endless; a trip to a museum, a concert, movie tickets, a weekend trip, etc.
Thrifting is cool!
Instead of buying your best friend a brand new, expensive pair of jeans from the mall, make a more thoughtful (and less expensive) choice and try going to a thrift store and crafting an outfit for them. Second hand clothes are more fun anyway, each piece has a story behind it!
Reuse wrapping supplies
This one has always been a staple rule in my family. I know it takes a few extra minutes, but refold all the gift bags and tissue paper to use again. Plus, you’ll thank yourself next year. When your budget gets tight, you can save a few bucks since you’ll already have a stash of wrapping supplies. Now, if you want to have some real fun, unwrap each gift you get very very carefully, without ripping it, and fold it all back up to reuse next year. (Seriously though, my uncle does this every year and it’s always the source of some laughs, but it’s not impossible). You could also craft your own cute wrapping paper with old newspapers or magazines.
These are just a few small things that I recommend, but if you think outside the box, you can elevate your gift giving to be more thoughtful for the gift-receivers and for the earth.