Choosing Sustainability for the Holidays
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! With Thanksgiving and December on the horizon, the holiday season has officially begun. Traveling, gift-giving, and sharing meals together (of course!) will fill the weeks to come, all centered around giving a little extra love to the people we care about. We hope that the Hailey community can also give a little extra love to our planet this holiday season, and make some new traditions to celebrate more sustainably.
5 Ways to Be More Sustainable This Holiday Season
- Buy local!
Consider swapping out an online purchase for a gift from one of the many local businesses or holiday fairs. Better yet, do all of your holiday shopping locally. Giving the gift of Chamber Bucks (also known as Valley Bucks) through The Chamber of Hailey and the Wood River Valley is a fantastic way to support our local economy and workforce, and it greatly reduces the greenhouse gas emissions that come from online retail. According to research conducted in 2020 by Environmental Capital Group, almost 6 billion pounds of returned goods from online shopping end up in landfills each year – not to be resold to another consumer.
- Get creative with gift wrap
Reusable bags or totes make great gift wrap, and they are another mini-gift all on their own! Local grocery stores offer a number of bags for purchase, usually less than $5. Other sustainable gift wrap alternatives include fabric wraps, newspaper, or thrifted gift tins. If you must use traditional wrapping paper, look for options with recycled materials – and try to reuse or recycle the paper again.
- Make your décor the “real deal”
The Sawtooth National Forest offers cut-your-own Christmas tree permits every year for $10. Dried citrus garland and natural wreaths are other festive options and are biodegradable. If natural décor isn’t an option, try to invest in quality decorations that can be used year after year, instead of buying new each holiday season. Many local thrift stores have a great selection of affordable, used holiday decorations.
- BMWM and BYOC – Be mindful with meals, and Bring your own container
If you’re hosting a meal this holiday season, try to plan thoughtfully with the amount of food you purchase and prepare. 30-40% of the national food supply is wasted each year in the U.S., and estimates suggest that there is an additional 25% increase in food waste around the holidays. That is a lot of water, energy, and resources used to make food, just to be thrown away! Encourage your guests to bring a reusable container for leftovers (another possible gift idea?), and don’t be afraid to come prepared with your own container when someone else is hosting.
- Get smart with lighting
To really level-up your sustainability for the holidays, switch to high-efficiency LED lights, which use up to 80% less energy. Timers and “smart home” controllers are great tools to help make sure lights aren’t on longer than necessary. This also helps support the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, which Hailey shares a border with.