Conscious Choice: Have a Low Impact Holiday Season

November 2000

Have a Low Impact Holiday Season

by ULS Report

Every year, folks ask what they can do to reduce waste during the holidays — the time of year when the amount of garbage created increases by 25 percent versus the non-holiday season. (That’s an extra five million tons of trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.) What can be done to have some fun while keeping waste generation on the run?

Here’s a list of five broad categories where the average Earthling can make the biggest impact on the environment. Under each of these concepts are a bunch of waste-reducing tips and ideas. None are very hard to do, and many will help you save time and money as you save natural resources and reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Think conservation, not consumption

There are many gifts that actually help people (especially younger ones) learn the value of saving resources, rather than spending them. We also include in this category gifts that don’t require you to purchase any physical stuff: savings accounts, mutual fund shares, stocks or bonds, movie tickets, concert tickets, sports tickets.

• Don’t forget that many party-related items can be rented rather than purchased. For example, you can rent dishes and glassware, making your party more elegant and eliminating the need to buy special holiday china. Or, rent formalwear rather than purchasing tuxedos or gowns.

• Rather than buy ornaments, children can make their own out of things you already have around the house, or from materials they might find in the backyard: twigs, bark, leaves, flowers, pine cones, etc.

• Plan meals wisely and practice portion control to minimize waste in the first place.

2. Focus on energy savings

The most important resource we need to conserve is energy, because we rely so much on non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels and the burning of these fuels creates pollution and greenhouse gases. Again, saving energy is not only easy, but very profitable! Here are some holiday-related tips for home and travel:

• Turn down the heat before the guests arrive. You’ll save energy while the extra body heat of your guests will warm up the room.

• Walk to neighborhood parties, or carpool (with a designated driver!) with friends if it’s too far to walk.

• Purchase holiday lights with small bulbs. Remember, the smaller the bulbs, the lower the wattage. Low wattage has two advantages. It consumes less energy and gives off less heat, making your lights safer.

• When taking photos, use "fast film." Faster film speeds, such as 400 or 800, reduce the use of flash and extend battery life. Both save energy.

• When buying electronic toys and other portable items that are used regularly, remember to buy rechargeable batteries to go with them.

• Plan your shopping in advance. Consolidating your shopping trips saves fuel (and aggravation), and you’ll avoid those last minute frenzies when you won’t have time to make careful gift choices.

• Clean it up! Keeping the coils on your fridge free of dust bunnies will use less energy and help it last longer. Even one hundredth of an inch of dust or dirt on coils can reduce efficiency by 5 percent. The filters and parts of your air conditioner and furnace should be regularly cleaned or changed as well.

• Run the dishwasher only when you have a full load, and use the no-heat fan or air-dry setting for overnight washing.

• Full freezers and refrigerators help keep the temperature down with all the cold food. If your fridge is not so full (because you’re shopping smart and not overbuying food) fill empty plastic milk jugs with water and place them inside.

• Turn the oven off a few minutes before the food is cooked and let the heat already in the oven finish it.

• Turn off computers, TVs, VCRs and so forth, when not in use. Ditto for outdoor and Christmas tree lights. Why not put the lights on timers so they turn themselves off?

• Insulate! Keep hot water pipes covered in either foam or precut fiberglass insulation. Watch the attic too, since much of the heating and cooling loss in your home goes through the roof.

3. Practice systems thinking

Too often, we look at the little picture and don’t see the overall effect of our actions. We’ll save far more resources if we think through our decisions from start to end. Thus, it makes good environmental and financial sense to:

• Plan your meals before you shop. Start by making a list of what you want to serve during the week. Check the refrigerator and cupboards for what’s on hand, and work from that. Then, fill in from the store what you still need. And don’t forget: stick to the list!

• Plan for leftovers in advance. After a big turkey dinner, you’ll have leftovers galore. Plan what to do with them ahead of time and buy accordingly. That way, you’ll get the most out of the meal.

• Consolidate your purchases into one bag rather than getting a new bag at each store on your shopping rounds.

4. Encourage self-sufficiency

The more we can do for ourselves, the less we need to rely on what others can do for us. For example, if we can grow our own food, we can reduce the energy costs associated with transporting foodstuffs from thousands of miles away.

• Take a cardboard box and cover it with cloth. Add old clothes and jewelry to make a great dress-up kit for kids.

• Make the wrap a part of the gift. Put cookies in a flower pot or hide jewelry in a new pair of gloves. Doing so will keep "wrapping" out of the trash.

• Be creative. Instead of buying place mats or table decorations, make your own. Cut old cards into shapes and press between two pieces of clear contact paper.

• Give gifts that encourage others to use less stuff, like a book about making crafts from reusable items, cookbook for leftovers, reusable tote bags.

• Or simply set a good example by giving homemade food or something you’ve made yourself from reused items.

• Shop locally. Keep your local economy strong, making for a vital and thriving downtown — a key to reducing suburban sprawl and related problems of habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity.

• Vacation locally. Pretend you’re a tourist visiting your own town. Call the AAA, visit your Chamber of Commerce and visit the local government Web site. You’ll be amazed at the attractions you’ve taken for granted and never visited. Not only will you save on fuel and transportation costs plus food and lodging, you’ll once again be contributing to your local economy.

5. Give the gift of time

Nothing costs less or means more than spending time with loved ones. Enjoy your family and friends, and your need to find joy through consumption will decline.

This article originally appeared in the October-November-December 1999 issue ofThe Use Less Stuff Report. Reprinted with permission. To receive the electronic edition of The ULS Report via e-mail, send a blank e-mail message to subscribe-uls@cygnus-group.com.

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