Happy (Sustainable) Holidays!

The holidays are just around the corner! This is a wonderful time to spend time with friends and family and also a good time to potentially start some conversations about things that are important to you, like sustainability. By having a sustainable holiday, you can enjoy the holidays in your way, and show others in your life that they don’t have to “miss out” when living sustainably while embracing an opportunity to get creative and have fun!

Before You Head Out for the Holidays:

• Ensure all exterior doors and windows are closed and the blinds are down to reduce heat escaping from buildings.
• Turn off copiers, computers, lights, and other electronics and appliances that typically just go into standby mode.
• If you work in a lab on campus, do these things for your lab space, too. This includes turning off any non-essential lab equipment such as fume hoods.
• Unplug all non-essential electronics including coffee pots, chargers, microwaves, printers, copiers, computers, and televisions. This applies both on and off campus. Keeping these things plugged in, even when they’re “off” can still use 10-15% more energy than if you completely unplug them.

Holiday Decor:

If you haven’t gotten around to decorating or are still in the process, this is an easy opportunity to reuse what you already have!

• Get crafty! You can make ornaments and decorations from things you already have like old sweaters, scrap ribbon, or packing paper, and natural materials like dried oranges, pinecones, and branches. It helps you avoid having unnecessary plastic in your home and is often a much cheaper option than buying new decor.
• If you feel like your old decor needs a bit of a facelift, consider what you can do to alter it instead of getting rid of it to buy more. Sometimes painting it a different color, adding a natural element, or just completely repurposing it can bring a whole new feel to the decor and your home.
• If you feel like you absolutely must have something more in your decorations, consider having a swap with friends or buying secondhand. Several thrift stores in town offer home goods and there are also always online reselling options like Facebook Marketplace,  Poshmark, and eBay if you feel like you can’t get to the stores in person this year.
• Have you ever considered making your own Advent Calendar? Instead of paying money when you don’t even know if you’ll like what’s inside, consider making one for yourself or friends.

Eco-friendly Gift Ideas:

The number one tip for getting sustainable gifts is to make sure it’s something that the person actually wants! It doesn’t matter if a gift is sustainably made by the best company in the world if it ends up in a landfill after a few weeks. Try to get solid wish lists from those you’re buying for and in turn, make sure they know what you want.

• Edible gifts are a great option. Maybe host a cookie swap with friends where you all share your favorite recipes. You get both a tasty treat and new recipes that you can have forever.
• Growable things like potted plants or seeds are fantastic gifts for passionate botanists and beginners alike. If someone has mentioned a desire to grow their own food, a small herb planter for a window sill could be perfect.
• Experience gifts like a wine tasting, bike tour, art class, museum tickets, or taking them to a concert or play not only keep them from having an extra item in their home that may go to waste but also make a wonderful memory to share.
• Gifts that reduce waste like reusable shopping bags, portable utensil sets, and water bottles are great for friends just getting into their sustainability journey!
• If they want electronics, gifts that help cut down on energy use like smart thermostats, smart power strips, rechargeable batteries, and Energy Star devices are good things to look into.
• Another fantastic option is donating money in the name of your gift receiver. You can make this to an environmentalist charity or to a charity that you know means a lot to the person the gift is for.

Gift Wrap Alternatives:

Can we talk about how absurd it is that we go out and spend money on something that’s entire purpose is to be destroyed and thrown away? Not only that but most wrapping papers are made of mixed materials and unrecyclable. Here are some alternatives you can consider, but there are plenty of options if you’re creative.

• Reuse old gift bags from previous years.
• Reuse paper grocery bags. You can even decorate them with drawings, paintings, or stamps. This is especially a great option if you have kids around!
• A reusable cloth bag can be a little bonus gift and wrapping in one.
• Cereal boxes are the perfect size for clothing. If you don’t like the way the outside looks, you can cut it open and use the plain inside or take it as another opportunity to decorate it.
• Reuse paper waste: magazines, newspapers, crossword puzzles, comic strips, or packing paper can make fun gift wraps, especially if you combine them to make personalized collages.
• Get creative with gift toppers, too! Instead of bows, consider using pinecones, twigs, cinnamon sticks, homemade cookies, dried orange peels, or even making the bow out of scrap materials you have around the house.
• Similar to the idea of using a reusable cloth bag, you and also wrap a gift in another gift like a hand-knit scarf, tablecloth, or blanket.
• Clay plant pots can be a place your gift in the pot and use the drainage dish as the lid to hide the present from view. Tie it together with a reused ribbon, or strips of scrap fabric.
• Put together a “bucket” for hobbyists – use a bucket-like item related to what they love. Using a cooking pot for a friend who loves to cook or a watering can for a gardener will look cute under the tree and show them you know them inside and out!

Have a fun break and be safe! If you’re curious about what ECU does to help be sustainable during the holidays, check out the Green Holiday section on our energy management page. If you try any of these tips out or come up with new ones, make sure to snap a picture and tag us on social media @SustainECU!