6 Invitations for a More Sustainable Holiday Season

Did you know that more than $8.3 billion is estimated to be wasted on unwanted gifts each year according to a 2022 report? Here are a few other staggering facts gathered by the Center for Biological Diversity: 

• ReFed estimates that 312 million pounds of food from Thanksgiving dinner will be thrown out this year. Producing this food generates more than 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is the same as driving 169,000 cars for a full year. More than 1 billion gallons of water go into producing this amount of food; the same amount of water used by everyone in New York City for three and a half months.
• The United States creates 5.8 million tons more waste in December than in other months of the year. That’s equivalent to the weight of 28,713 Boeing 747 airplanes. 
• According to a 2020 survey, 3 in 5 Americans have lied about liking a gift they’ve received. Retailers dump about 25% of returned products in landfills. In 2019 it was found that retailers dump 5 billion pounds of returned products in U.S. landfills each year. 
• A 2018 analysis estimated that 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper are produced in the United States each year and about half of it (2.3 million pounds) ends up in landfills.

We’ve got 6 invitations to help make the holiday season a little less wasteful and a little more sustainable (and enjoyable) for us and this place we call home. 

1. Lagom: "Just Enough"

Lagom is one of those Swedish words or rather, concepts, like hygge and fika (look them up if you haven’t before) that have started to strike a chord amongst our overstuffed, overly busy, overly distracted Western hearts and lives.

The Swedes are well-known for their functional and sustainable approach to living (hello Ikea).“This is best reflected in the untranslatable word lagom.” Says Rosetta Stone in their blog for words beyond translation. Lagom asks us to create balance in our lives by taking everything in moderation, a middle-of-the-road approach that avoids both excess and limitation. You’ll encounter lagom in the classic Swedish proverb, Lagom är bäst, which has several meanings, including: 1) The right amount is best. 2) Enough is as good as a feast. 3) There is virtue in moderation.

This isn’t about depriving yourself of the things you love. Instead, it describes a general contentment with the “enoughness” of what’s presented to you in the moment. It’s also an awareness of what’s best for yourself and/or the group you are in.” Let’s take a lesson from the Swedes this holiday season, lowering waste as we embrace the “just enough” of lagom.

2. Go Au Naturale

From decor to table settings, using natural elements is a fantastic way to embrace less waste in the holidays.  We all know Pinterest has lots of ideas and helpful hints for us DIY-ers to make all of our dreams and ideas come true.  Gathering and foraging is in and you’ll find everything from branches and natural foliage to acorns, pine cones and more. Embrace the use of food as you give the orange garland trend a try or stick to the classics with something as simple as popcorn garland.   Finally, don’t be afraid to let that inner child out, crafting paper snowflakes.  There’s plenty that paper, cardboard, and a pair of good scissors can get you when you give it the time of day. If there’s ever a time to get crafty, it’s Christmas! 

3. Avoid Single Use

As the stats mentioned earlier (and there’s plenty more where that come from), there’s a lot that goes to waste during the holidays.  Much of this is through single use items, including unwanted gifts.  Those stocking stuffers we are unattached to, but by anyway. That crappy gift we could care less about, but give out of some sense of obligation. 

Whenever possible, refrain from these single use, quick waste items.  The same holds true for our home and party decor, tables settings, and even clothing.  There are some great alternatives to these which we will get to soon. And don’t forget one of the biggest single use wastes of all, wrapping paper!  Go simple using easily recyclable items (we’ll help here at the shop as we can) or get creative with fun reusables. Make the wrapping a part of the gift.

4. Embrace Reusables

Gift giving is one of the most prominent ways you can embrace reusables.  Give gifts that keep on giving. You know we’re a huge proponent of reusables. It’s what we do. When it comes to gift giving and stocking stuffing, think of items that won’t hit the landfill anytime soon and have the opportunity to be well loved and used. 

As a local business and as makers, we also encourage buying quality sustainable pieces from artisans. Stay tuned for our Sixth + Zero giving guide featuring some of our staff personal favorites when it comes to in-store reusables and outside made quality artisan crafted products. 

And to top it all off, consider using some of our seed cards that can be reused this spring to bring beauty to the back yard. 

5. Swap

You know we love a good swap around here.  Consider making at least one giving swap this season.  What present might you swap for presence? Give the gift of experience shared with one another.  Take a trip, or just stay home and give time to something you love with someone you love.  Or perhaps give the gift of education.  Don’t worry, we’re thinking small.  What’s a class or workshop you know someone might enjoy? Learning is certainly one of our greatest reusables.  Lastly, maybe what would be most giving is to help meet a practical need of another.  

And for those who (like us) love a good clothing swap, get creative.  We’re not talking just getting rid of last year’s unwanted holiday gifts and clothing.  Some of life’s loveliest gifts can be when we receive a reminder or a piece of something, rather someone we love.  Consider swapping a piece of loved clothing, household item or favorite recipe (bonus if you make it for them and enjoy it together) with someone close to you.  I think Betty would agree it’s one of the greatest ways to say, “Thank you for being a friend” and we all could use a little more of that these days.  

6. Leave Room

Perhaps this year and this season is one in which we push back a little bit against our overconsumption. Not everything is meant to be wiped out and left for empty.  Our planet is trying to teach us this. What are some ways you can leave a little room this December? Maybe you leave room in gift spending for those end of year donations. Maybe you leave a little room on the plate, or perhaps on the calendar?  It’s helpful for us to remember that we will be just fine (and likely much better off) with a little less. Remember, lagom? Not all of it has to be used up. Leave a little room for a more sustainable earth, sustainable you, and sustainable relationships.