If you are anything like me, you started thinking about IT, but still have not done anything about IT! Now that we spent some time thinking about it and have decided to move forward, here is our Sustainable Christmas Tips & Shopping Guide 2020. Hopefully, it will inspire you and your family to take on a more sustainable route this holiday season.
The Holidays are filled with overconsumption and “earth-unfriendly” traps. Fortunately, minimizing the negative environmental and health impact of your shopping and festivities preparations does not need to be difficult or cost a lot. Just stopping and thinking about what you are going to buy or what you are going to do is already an important first step.
Below are some tips that could guide you through your sustainable Christmas shopping and festivities process. I personally try to follow them as much as I can (and when I can’t for whatever reason, I try not to feel guilty about it).
🌎 Always research who makes your gifts, with what materials/under what conditions, and if the whole supply chain is sustainable.
🌎 Pick gifts that will last.
🌎 Prefer certified products.
🌎 Focus on a cause, if you can.
🌎 Practice precycling by attempting to avoid buying items that will generate waste. If you can’t, make sure to recycle. Terracycle has great programs for “hard-to-recycle” items. Check out their zero waste box that does not require separating items – for super easy recycling during the holidays!
🌎 Reduce food waste – consider how much plastic is used in packaging, for example -, and plan your food consumption to avoid overbuying. I used to overbuy for the holidays and I’m being really conscious not to do that this year.
🌎 Avoid disposable dinnerware during the festivities. This is a super easy one! You can get extra everyday silverware (from Ikea, for example) for bigger parties. Name your cups or ask your guests to bring their own reusable water bottles. This has worked really well for our gatherings (pre-Covid, when we actually had gatherings! 😉
🌎 Shop locally and support small businesses in your area. ALWAYS! Sometimes it’s easier to give in to temptation and shop from Amazon, but supporting small, local businesses is more important than ever, with the pandemic. It can literally be the difference between a business staying open or closing down.
🌎 Use a living Christmas Tree, if you have to have a tree. This is also a great opportunity to support local, non-profit organizations.
Now that we have established a mindset, here are some gift ideas we love to inspire you. And remember our sustainable Christmas mantra is: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year … to reduce waste and your carbon footprint!”
💚 Give a reusable coffee cup, drinking bottle, or lunch box – Klean Kanteen is a 1% For the Planet member and B certified.
💚 Shop certified organic tees for the whole family right here, at our Rebel Buda shop. I know…we had to plug our own business here…Sorry, not sorry. ; )
💚 Purchase a subscription service on behalf of a friend. We suggest Hungry Harvest that helps reduce food waste. Or Misfits Market. Maybe even a membership to Thrive Market.
💚 Support a project with a good cause. Start at these organizations from 1% For the Planet.
💚 Online shop at Earth Hero – Earth Hero has a large selection of eco-friendly products, and they are a certified B-Corp and member of 1% for the Planet among other great initiatives.
💚 Take a look at recycling heroes Terracycle. They make great products with everything recycled.
💚 By Humankind – great personal care products that do not come at Earth’s expense.
💚 Amour Vert for a great selection of beautiful sustainable clothing brands. And Allbirds for sustainable and super comfy shoes!
💚 WWF – they have a great program and we did it one year – Kids pick an animal to adopt, you make a donation and the kids get a stuffed animal. Great way to start educating the kids about animals that are endangered and connecting with the cause
And remember, there is no greater gift, especially this year, than being able to spend the holidays with the people you love. So let’s focus on connecting and enjoying each other’s company.
Happy Holidays, everyone!!
And Help me spread the word and share this post with your friends. Sharing is caring! And always. Rebel for Good. Rebel for Change!
Also, stay tuned for our next blog post and feel free to comment or write me with questions and/or suggestions about themes you would like to see covered in our blog.
*Rebel Buda, Inc. is a public benefit corporation and proud member of 1% for the Planet. We offer 100% certified organic tees and tanks for the whole family so we can rebel for change together.
