The holiday, or festive, season has already begun. It is a time often associated with giving and sharing, spending time with loved ones, or indulging in delicious food. COVID-19 may have put a halt on such holiday plans or traditions, but regardless, this time of year can be taxing on our environment and difficult for our Indigenous, Black, and brown communities.
As many celebrate “Thanksgiving,” it’s important for non-Native Americans to honor our original environmental stewards and protectors, by learning of the deep historical trauma and myths surrounding the holiday. In order to be our best sustainable and environmentally-forward selves, understanding history’s impact is key to any efforts to protect people and the planet. Cultural Survival, an Indigenous advocacy non-profit organization, curated a resource list of 9 Ways to Decolonize and Honor Native Peoples on Thanksgiving--a helpful list to kickstart your learning and needed conversations.
Despite the joyous and cheerful time it can be for others, from the shopping, waste, and transportation--the holidays puts an added strain on our environment. In the United States, waste increases by 25 percent from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, and each person contributes an additional 1,400 pounds of CO2 emissions. If you’re gifting this year, you may want to consider:
Shopping locally and from small businesses
By shopping locally and from small business, this can help to lessen your carbon impact by reducing any travel or transportation related to your purchases. Shopping from small businesses helps support people and communities who need it most, and diverts profits away from large polluting companies. Consider supporting BIPOC-owned businesses this holiday season, and check out this spreadsheet of Black, Native, and POC-Owned Businesses in Sonoma County or this Sustainable Holiday Gifting List.
Gifting experiences or handmade and thrifted presents
An alternative to purchasing a material gift can be gifting a special experience, activity, or outing for someone. “Experience” gifts can be free to low cost, make for more fond memories, and can be more meaningful depending on your recipient. Handmade and/or thrifted gifts are other options that’re low cost and low impact, but can be unique and just as meaningful as any kind of gift as well.
Getting creative with wrapping
Instead of using typical gift wrap and buying gift boxes, there are other ways to wrap presents more sustainably. You can reuse old newspapers--or even magazines and book pages-- as fun typography-inspired gift wrap. If you have a scarf or handkerchief, it can be used as a less wasteful option to paper gift wrap--and can also serve as an extra gift. There are multiple ways to wrap or tie a scarf around a present, and you can research tutorials for what best suits you. Visiting a thrift or second hand store can be another place to check for any unique or fun gift wrapping/packaging, too. If you work in an office, or any workplace, you can use empty supplies boxes if they’re available for you to use. Be sure to also look around your home for any spare boxes, and anything that can potentially be used to wrap and decorate your gift.
From self-education to conscious gifting, there are unlimited possibilities towards a more thoughtful holidays. Any amount of effort—year round—is a step closer to a sustainable and equitable future for everyone. No matter what you’re doing this year, remember to continue to be safe, and to honor and be conscious of not just our planet, but all people.
