The winter holiday season is one of the worst times of the year- environmentally speaking, at least. Gift giving, while it means well and can be very thoughtful, has become materialistic and overuses our limited resources. The following are 6 great ways to try and reduce your environmental impact this holiday season.
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Make Memories or Experiences
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The best way to be more eco-friendly and still show that you put thought and time into a gift is to give an experience. This could be concert tickets, a cooking class, membership to a museum, or gift certificate to a spa. The best part of a gift like this? It gives the person who receives it something to look forward to after the holiday season!
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Give Your Time
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Giving your time is the perfect thing to give someone if you happen to be a college student with very little money. This could be babysitting for free for relatives with young children, house sitting when someone’s away. Consider making an updated version of those coupon books we made as kids, but with things like “wash car”, “make dinner”, or “organize closet”, etc.
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Upcycle or Regift
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Even though regifting may get a bad rap, giving someone a gift they will appreciate more than you will is a great way to save time and money. You never know when you’ll find something really cool at a thrift shop to upcycle, too!
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Make Something
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I personally love this option for gifting. If you know how to crochet or knit, a scarf or hat is a super easy gift to make for people to show how much you care for them. A few years back, I made some candles that were a huge hit as well, and it was super easy. Homemade fudge, cookies, candy bark, dip mixes, etc. are all great options to keep environmental impact low while still showing thoughtfulness.
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Buy Ethically
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Buying from places that support ethically and environmentally conscious. Ethically shopping can be really hard, but becoming educated on the issue and asking questions while shopping is a great first step.
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Small business
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Small businesses in your hometowns might surprise you! It’s always a great idea to check them out, and you may find something one-of-a-kind! If you prefer online shopping, Etsy supports smaller businesses while reducing waste because most items are not made through mass consumption.