Each Christmas season over 3 million tons of waste are generated – this doesn’t exactly scream holiday spirit to me. In an effort to help you do good and feel good in this season of giving, below are 5 alternative options to make your holidays a bit more sustainable and kind. Let’s give back to the land…not the landfills. 

1. Non-Profit Gifting

Donating money to a non-profit organization in the name of a loved one is a great gift for that person in your life that swears they don’t need anything. This thoughtful gift doesn’t involve excess wrapping paper or an emission heavy truck ride, so it’s both sustainable and philanthropic. 

2. Swap out your Wrapping Paper

Indulging in extravagant gift wrapping can be fun for yourself and your recipient, but– and this shouldn’t come as a surprise– ends up in the trash every single time. Since most commercial wrapping paper and gift bags are coated in plastic or sparkles, they’re unable to be recycled and are 100% wasteful. As an alternative, go the old-fashioned way and use newspaper or try plain paper and exercise your creativity by drawing on your own fun designs or patterns. This will be charming, recyclable and doesn’t mean you have to compromise on appearance!

3. Opt for Brick-and-Mortar Shopping

I’m as much of a victim to online shopping as the rest of us, but I do encourage shopping on-site if and when you have the opportunity. The packaging that your shipped items come in produce a great deal of waste, and the scary statistic is that online shopping generates 4.8 times more packaging waste than in-store purchases. So if you can, get to the store, do some shopping and gain an extra social interaction, bring a reusable bag to take home your purchase(s) and feel good about the environmental impact you’ve made.

4. Use LED Christmas Lights

Christmas lights are one of the many simple joys of the holiday season, and they can be more of a joy to the Earth as well! When compared to incandescent bulbs, LEDs use up to 90% less energy, emit 75% less CO2 and last 25 times longer. This crowns LED lights as the clear winner to help your home save money and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. You can also try putting your lights on a timer to save even further.

5. Reconsider Holiday Cards

Roughly 2 billion holiday cards are sent in the U.S. annually and around 75% of those cards end up in the trash- this could fill a 10-story high football field. Many of these cards can’t even be recycled because they contain glitter or foil. Opting to give homemade, paper cards that can be recycled is a great option. If you’re looking to double down and reduce the paper and delivery impact, you could even send an e-card or give your loved ones a thoughtful phone call instead.

6. Shop Local

Make a direct impact in your community by shopping from local vendors. Odds are, your local options have items that are handmade, include locally sourced materials and don’t utilize large factories or partake in as many unsustainable practices as the megastores you could shop from. Love thy neighbor this holiday season.

If you’re able to implement any sustainable practices into your holiday season this year, let it be done with intention and gratitude for our Earth! The true gift lies within being able to spend time here with our family and friends, so– sorry to be blunt– don’t wreck that with irreversible climate damage.