The holidays are a joyous time of the year, filled with laughter and gifts! With each gift or large family meal there comes a tradeoff, extra waste. During the holiday season plastic, food, and water waste go up drastically. In the spirit of holiday giving, what are ways we can give back to our environment during this time?
1. One of the easiest ways to better your environmental footprint is to conserve energy. Turning off lights, unplugging appliances, and getting light bulbs that save energy are all ways to shave a bit off of your electric bill, especially once family gatherings start!
2. Reduce the use of single use cutlery and plates. When getting the whole family together it can be easy to choose plastic silverware or paper plates as an option of convenience. Take the opportunity this year to choose the reusable option and reduce waste this holiday season.
3. Take leftovers from the gatherings! Food waste is almost inescapable around the holidays, but to limit that you can always take leftovers and reheat them the next day or even freeze it to save the holiday spirit!
4. Buying local products or food helps your local economy. When shopping for gifts or bringing a dish to pass, doing a simple search of locally made products near you helps the local economy and families in your community!
5. Lastly, try to conserve water. This one may be the trickiest, but most beneficial for our planet. “Trapped water” refers to water that never can go back into the environment, meaning leftover water in water bottles, coolers, or any other container. Taking the extra step to dump trapped water or even reusing pasta water for nutritious houseplant water is a great way to conserve your water usage and return water back into the environment.
Keep these eco-footprints in mind this holiday season with these tips as you have large celebrations or small family gatherings. We hope these tips are useful and you have a safe and sustainable holiday season!
To view the fall 2024 issue of Partners magazine in its entirety, click here.
