ReThink Red Deer
Sustainable holiday season
Can we reduce seasonal waste?
Christmas has become such a commercialized occasion in our society that it generates massive amounts of waste. Take a look at the garbage piles alongside curbs a few days after the holidays. Check the stats on how many of those gift cards are never even redeemed - economic waste that produces nothing for the economy. Think about the overflow of food that, too often, gets discarded after our overfed bodies finally say "no more."
We are bombarded with millions of messages encouraging to express our love and generosity by spending as much as possible. When we think about it, though, love and generosity really don't have much to do with spending.
So this holiday season is an opportunity to rethink our actions in ways large and small. There are a number of sites that offer tips for the interested. Here are just a few of those hints:
- SNUB - 'Say No to Unwanted Bags' - take your own shopping bags rather than leaving the mall with half a dozen new plastic bags
- avoid overpackaged products - buy necessary foods and supplies in bulk where possible
- pre-sort the after-Christmas trash to reuse, recycle and compost as much as possible - aim to have the smallest trash pile in your neighbourhood after the holidays
- switch to reusable gift bags and boxes, eliminating paper wrap
- use a potted tree (trim it like a bonsai to keep it compact year-to-year) or if you need a 'traditional' tree buy one from a tree farm - they are shown to have less environmental impact than artificial trees
- consider family commitments to charitable donations in lieu of unnecessary gifts to people who really don't need more "stuff"
- when buying gifts and foods, buy locally produced as much as possible - both to support the local economy and minimize transportation impacts.
There are, of course, many more ideas - just Google "Christmas waste" or a similar term.
Posted in General Sustainability by: lornedaniel 2009/12/07 0 Comments
