Submitted by jessica on

While the holiday season is a time filled with joy, family, and festivities, it also comes with an environmental cost. The abundance of decorations, gift-giving, and parties that we participate in can create excess waste and energy usage. When we multiply the decorations, parties, and gift-giving by all of us throughout British Columbia, who celebrate the holidays, it becomes apparent how quickly excess waste and energy usage add up. 


Here are five simple things we can do to be environmentally focused while we are enjoying our holidays. Be festive and reduce, reuse, and recycle this holiday season!

1. Choose a  Real Christmas Tree
While this may sound counterintuitive, a real Christmas tree has been found to be more sustainable than artificial ones. While fake Christmas trees, made from non-biodegradable plastic and metal, can last for many years, eventually fake Christmas will end up in a landfill. The long-term disposal impact outweighs the environmental benefit. Fake Christmas trees:
•    Have a large carbon footprint. The manufacturing process takes significant energy and resources compared to growing and harvesting a real tree. 
•    Are made from plastic, which cannot decompose in landfills, contributing to long-term waste. 
•   Made from potentially harmful chemicals such as PVC or heavy metal, both harmful to humans and the environment. 

Buy a real Christmas tree and make sure to recycle it properly by taking it to your local transfer station where you can compost it for a composting fee or try a local tree chipping event. There’s one in January, on the 5th at Town Centre Park - Lot A 1299 Pinetree Way in Coquitlam or check your local recycling curbside pickup for how to recycle your tree responsibly.

2. Rethink Gift Giving
When it comes to gift giving, it’s not always the quantity, but it’s the quality. This year, make your gifts more meaningful and give less of them. This makes your gifts more impactful and helps reduce waste. Focus on low-environment impact options such as:
•    Experience-based gifts such as hiking passes, cooking classes, or local adventures.
•    Homemade or upcycled presents: Add a personal touch while being kind to the planet.
When it comes to wrapping any presents, try to skip the store-bought wrapping and try reusing old wrapping paper, fabrics, paper bags, or old newspapers for some unique gift wrapping.

3. Mindful Holiday Lighting 
Holiday lighting can be a fun, festive way to celebrate the holiday season, but it can impact energy usage and local wildlife. Here are a few tips to keep energy usage down and avoid disturbing any wildlife: 
•    Consider switching to warm coloured LED lights and being mindful as to where you place them. Try to place them in non-obtrusive locations, like under your eaves.
•    If you’re considering making the switch to LED lights, make sure they have a timer on them as well. This will reduce your energy usage while being convenient at the same time.

4. Go Easy on Holiday Travel
Trains, planes, and automobiles—the holiday season usually sees an uptick in travel, significantly increasing carbon emissions. Maybe skip the big vacation this year and plan something more local to still celebrate. If travel is necessary, try to carpool and combine trips to reduce your carbon footprint this year.

5. Sustainable Holiday Feasts 
This year, be mindful about how our holiday meals can affect the environment. Substituting beef or lamb for chicken or other plant-based alternatives can go a long way in reducing your impact on emissions. Sourcing food from local farmers helps reduce emissions, supports your local economy, and the food is usually higher in nutritional value. 

This holiday season, we encourage you to be environmentally aware and make choices that support our environment.  

Happy Holidays from all of us!