The holiday season is upon us! It’s a time of year is full of traditions, family gatherings and friendship reunions, but perhaps most of all… it’s a season of consumption! The spirit of giving can be satisfied without sacrifice to the health of our planet.

• Plant a Christmas tree.  When you buy a live tree, you are positively impacting the environment. Many Christmas trees are grown for the sole purpose of being displayed in someone’s living room briefly, then sent to the curb by January. Living trees come in planters and have a root ball. When the decorations come down at the end of the year, you can plant the tree and start a new tradition of planting a tree each year instead of cutting one down.
• Buy a local Christmas tree. North Carolina is a top Christmas tree producer nationally, so there are Christmas tree farms nearby offering beautiful, fresh trees. Consider buying an organically grown local tree, especially if you have children or pets. Your local Cooperative Extension office can help you find the Christmas tree farms near you.
• Recycle your Christmas tree. Each year, 10 million Christmas trees end up in the landfill. Many municipalities will pick your tree up from the curb and bring it to the land fill, which is convenient for many households. However, find out if your city offers a tree recycling program, in which trees are chipped, creating mulch. The National Christmas Tree Association. has more information.
• Plastic trees.  If you don’t want to water a live tree, then plastic trees are the way to go – but consider buying it locally and keeping it as long as possible. According to the Carbon Trust Fund, it takes thousands of years for plastic to break down. Research has shown that “micro plastics,” which are formed during the decomposing process, have negative effects at all levels of the food chain and can cause life threatening illnesses.
• Buy from local businesses and farmers. To buy from a small local business is to support a dream! Not only will the product be fresher, you will also be contributing to the growth of your local economy. Prices at most farmer’s markets are comparable to chain grocers, and the quality of food is higher. Also, every dollar spent in your local community has an impact of between $1.20 and $1.50. https://pulse.naspo.org/post/keeping-up-with-the-economy-local-economic-multipliers/
• Reuse or make your own wrapping paper. Now is your chance to be creative! Wrap gifts in the newspaper comics, use a bandana, reuse paper shopping bags, fabric - or consider not wrapping them at all. Most wrapping paper is not recyclable, so the planet will thank you. There are also companies like https://wrappily.com/ that sell recyclable wrapping paper.
• Buy energy efficient LED Christmas lights. If you haven’t already, it is time to switch over to LED lights. They last longer and reduce your electric bill. According to one U.S. Department of Energy study, “if everyone replaced their conventional holiday light strings with LEDs, at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity could be saved in a month”. https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/eco-friendly-holiday-tips#ixzz66gFjh6gJ
• Give handmade gifts. People really do love homemade gifts because by taking the time to make something personal for your loved one shows them how much you care. There are so many things you can do that won’t take up too much time and are affordable to make. Check out Pinterest for an endless supply of DIY gift ideas! Making your gifts is an inexpensive way to show people you care.
• Offset your Holiday travel.  Traveling has a significant impact on our climate. Aviation accounts for 75% of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, 10,000 miles emits 4,175 lbs. CO2. There are organizations such as Carbonfund and Terrapass that are committed to supporting climate change projects. If you can purchase an offset for your holiday travel, do so. That purchase will be used to help fund a project working towards carbon neutrality. For example, you can pay $20 to Carbon Fund to offset your holiday travel and you can choose what type of project you want that money to go to. This also makes a great!
• Donate your time and skills. Not everyone has the time, but we all have special skills. If you are able, donate that time and skills to people in your community who are less fortunate than you. Volunteering is a great family activity and a tangible way to give joy and hope to people during the holiday season.

Collin Brown works at Hickory Creek Farm in Greensboro. The farm is located at 1489 Burnetts Chapel Road.

Did you know:

• Americans throw away about 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.
• Holiday food waste, shopping bags, bows and ribbons, packaging, and wrapping paper contribute an additional 1 million tons a weekto our landfills.
• The most ecofriendly way to have a Christmas tree for the holidays is to purchase a potted tree and keep it alive until you can plant it in the earth.
• Christmas tree disposal has a large carbon footprint. The best option is to create mulch from the tree, which reduces the carbon footprint up to 80%. https://www.carbontrust.com/news/2013/01/christmas-tree-disposal-advice/

Resources:

• https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-wp0/wp-content/uploads/sites/69/2019/11/25152136/Sustainable-Holiday-Greening-Guide-2019-1.pdf
• https://blog.epa.gov/2016/12/21/creative-ways-to-cut-your-holiday-waste/
• https://carbonfund.org/