How to Give Sustainably This Holiday Season

The holiday season is once again upon us and with it, the time of giving. There is nothing more special than someone unwrapping the present you put time and energy into and watching their face light up. Unfortunately, all this gift giving also amounts to roughly 25 million extra tons of waste. No need to worry – there are plenty of ways to give thoughtfully without sacrificing the environment. If you love gift giving, but are looking to up level your sustainability efforts, here are five quick tips for giving sustainably.

Use what you already have

The mantra goes reduce, reuse, recycle because the first step should always be to reduce what you’re using in the first place. If you have leftover wrapping paper, bows, bags, or tags from last year, use that first before buying more.

Consider regifting

Anything unopened and in good shape that someone else will enjoy is always a good regift. There are so many occasions you get random stuff you’ll never use. Use this instance to pass along that to someone who will use it, instead of throwing it out. 

Reuse wrapping

When it comes to gift wrapping, I prefer to use gift bags since they can be reused. But if you prefer actually wrapping presents, reuse the packaging it came in. For instance, online orders often come with brown packing paper that can be substituted for tissue paper. If you’re looking to use wrapping paper, make sure it’s recyclable and doesn’t contain glitter. 

Buy local

Buying local not only supports your community but cuts down on shipping emissions. You save money, emissions and your giftee gets a more unique gift than something you would find at a big box retailer.

Give experiences

Experience-based gifts like concert tickets, cooking classes, or a coffee subscription are great ways to give without feeling guilty about the impact to the environment. They can save resources, since they don’t require the production of anything new, and can be used to support local business!

It can be hard to give a great gift without feeling like you’re killing the environment. Keeping these five tips in mind can help you feel guilt free this holiday season and giving great. What are your favorite ways to give sustainably?