Last year my New Year’s resolution was to explore the Low Waste (or zero waste) Lifestyle. And I’ve definitely done that. I’ve given up paper towels. I’ve been composting. I’ve been eating less meat and I’ve been attempting to use less plastic. It’s not been an easy journey, but I’ve been learning.
Over this last year it’s become abundantly clear that waste is everywhere, but it’s especially obvious over the holidays. Did you know that, “Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year“?
One thing I don’t want to give up is decorating for the holidays. It’s fun, it’s festive and it makes me happy. But I know that we can decorate in more eco-friendly ways. Here’s a few ideas:
- Use the holiday decor you already have! This is the easiest and best option! You don’t need to buy anything new to have a beautiful holiday home.
- Compost your tree when Christmas is over or give it away to a farm. I know I’ve seen on my local news that goat farmers often accept Christmas trees because the goats love to eat them!
- Or even better, buy a potted tree and plant it when the holiday is over!
- Many Christmas tree lots and even some home improvement stores let you take cutoffs from trees. Use these as garland or stick them in a vase for a festive touch!
- Use solar-powered lights. I was recently gifted these solar-powered string lights from Brightech and I love them. The string lights are so easy to set up and they come on automatically each night. The lights make my home look festive and fun. I might even keep them up year-round!
- Find holiday decor at thrift stores. When you thrift shop, you’re using something that has already been produced. Therefore, you’re using less resources and creating less pollution than it takes to buy something new.
- Wrap your presents with trash! This is one of my favorite tips because it’s so easy. I save paper bags throughout the year from takeout or the grocery store and wrap my presents in them. It’s easy and free! And “if every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.” Mind blown.
- Or if you have some fabric or a scarf lying around, you could try furoshiki: the Japanese art of fabric wrapping. It creates a beautiful, unique gift. (Learn how to wrap with fabric here.)
- Decorate with birdseed ornaments or dried orange ornaments. Both are lovely and can be devoured by woodland creatures when we’re done hanging them in our homes. (Check out how to make birdseed ornaments here. And how to make dried orange ornaments here.)
- Get creative! Don’t have a tree skirt? Throw a blanket around the tree. Don’t have stockings? Make some out of an old unflattering sweater. (Here’s a tutorial on how to do that too!)
The holidays don’t have to be a time of unnecessary waste. By making a few small, simple changes we can make a difference.
This post was kindly sponsored by Brightech, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.