Once November starts, the anticipation of the upcoming holidays hits. It’s a time filled with loved ones, traveling, gift-giving, and big feasts. We hope that you will have a good time, no matter when or where your celebration takes place.
The holiday season also corresponds with a peak in consumerism, energy consumption, and waste generation. American household holiday lights, for example, use up more electricity than some countries do in a year. But like every problem we identify, there is an opportunity for using an alternative practice with a lower impact. For instance, if every American family wrapped just three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.
There are so many ways to keep the holiday season cheerful and festive while reducing its environmental impacts. From gift ideas to plant-centered meals to decorated trees, we’ve compiled a list of tips and resources to help you make mindful decisions as you plan for the holidays. A combination of creativity, simplicity, and money savings… this guide is our gift to you!
Guide created by Office of Sustainability communications associate, Meghan Jachna, Class of 2027.
Food and Feasts
Around the holidays, most Americans enjoy a centerpiece dish of turkey, ham, beef, fish, or lamb. Each of these animal protein choices has a different average associated carbon emission, with poultry at the low end and beef at the high end. According to Project Drawdown, a leading resource for global climate solutions, Plant-Rich Diets is the number two climate solution for keeping global warming within a rise of two degrees Celsius by the year 2100, the number one solution being Reduced Food Waste. Having a plant-rich diet does not mean eating fully vegan, but being mindful of how much and what types of animal protein you consume.
Prioritize plant-rich options for your Thanksgiving and other celebratory meals by exploring mains and side dishes like protein-packed bean stew, pumpkin and butternut squash pot pies, portobello mushroom steaks, grilled cauliflower, stuffed squash, and other delicious options that allow for great dining with lower carbon emissions. As you try out new plant-based recipes, buy in-season produce from local options, when possible.
Another way to feast sustainably is to avoid wasting food. Project Drawdown cites Reduced Food Waste as the number one climate solution for keeping global warming within a two-degree rise. If you’re in charge of purchasing groceries, try planning for the appropriate number of portions so that you don’t end up with leftovers. If you do have plenty of leftovers, there are many resources online that provide creative ways to repurpose them into a new meal. For bones and other inedible food parts, be sure to compost them to keep methane from being produced when they break down in a landfill setting. Here is a list of resources to keep your food scraps out of the landfill.
Are you cooking on campus? Visit the WashU School of Medicine Farmers Market or other local farmers markets to pick up some fresh produce for your meal such as local apples for a delicious homemade apple pie.
If you’re ready to commit to supporting local farms and producers, try out WashU’s Community Supported Agriculture produce boxes and get a wide array of in-season produce to construct your meal. Go to smaller local grocery stores such as Field Foods or Local Harvest Grocery to buy a variety of certified sustainable foods. Learn more about food labels to look for on WashU Office of Sustainability’s Food Guide.
Holiday Hosting
There are numerous ways in which you can plan the most perfect holiday party while also making it green.
Take a careful count of all of the guests who are coming and plan the food accordingly, working to reduce food waste. It is estimated that this Thanksgiving, 316 million pounds of food will be wasted. If guests are bringing sides or desserts, share a sign-up list to ensure no repeats of food options are brought. If there are leftovers, save them for meal prep for the following week or have all the guests take food home with them.
When thinking about decorations, use LED lights, which are 90% more efficient than traditional Christmas lights. Recycle your old lights, or go completely light-free and use candles (safely!) instead. Make your own decorations with pine cones, dried flowers, berries, or herbs. Instead of taking a trip to Target to buy new decorations, construct your own wreaths from collected foliage, and make your own table centerpieces from decorations you have around the house like jars, bows, and ornaments.
Cooking delicious new recipes is an important part of preparing for your holiday parties as a host, but to make this more sustainable, encourage the use of borrowing cooking appliances such as ice cream makers, cider presses, chocolate fountains, and other equipment that is likely to be used only once per year instead of going out and buying new supplies. Have a neighborhood cooking appliance swap where everyone can try out their unique recipes with these shared appliances. This is a great way to reduce consumerism during the holiday season.
Climate Conversations
The holidays can often bring concerns about politically-charged conversation with family and friends. However, rather than dreading these conservations, use these tips to be prepared to confidently take on climate change.
First, see where the other person is are coming from and assume positive intent. Rather than responding to their points aggressively or talking down to them, point out your skepticism while still being respectful. Climate scientist, Katharine Hayhoe, says that talking about climate change is the most important thing we can do, and we should do this by finding common ground. Find points of agreement within your conversation and use these points to connect to climate change.
These can be challenging conversations and you may not leave the conversation having changed their perspective, but you may open that person’s mind to a new viewpoint.
Sustainable shopping
This might sound like an oxymoron, but following these simple tips will help you shop sustainably. Focus on intentional purchases and have a plan in mind for what you want to purchase before browsing the store. For holiday gift purchases visit small, local shops. In St. Louis some great options are Dharma + Dwell, The Social Goods Marketplace, and Ardently.
Green Gifting
Giving the gift of your time and support makes a more lasting impact in the lives of those in your community while also being eco-conscious. Use So Kind to create a registry, wish list, or giveaway to exchange the skills, time, support, and love of your community through active, hands-on gifts. The gift of teaching someone a new recipe, volunteering in your local school district, raking leaves for an elderly neighbor, or planning a party for a friend can be much more meaningful than material things. Be a trendsetter and start a tradition of “alternative” gift-giving!
A means of even wider-scale change through a style of gift-giving could be sending a letter to local government leaders to promote a “winter holidays resolution” in which a specific goal for waste reduction during the holiday season is set as a gift to the earth! The holiday season can be a time when excessive waste is generated so encourage more intentional and sustainable practices with this waste reduction goal.
Your Holiday Sustainability Goals Checklist
- Add three new plant-based/plant-rich recipes to your Thanksgiving dinner
- Make a dish sign-up list for your holiday party to reduce food waste
- Do not buy any new holiday decorations and instead make your own
- You don’t have to be a climate scientist to have conversations about climate change: find common ground
- Visit a new local shop in your community to buy some of your holiday gifts
- Create an “alternative” gift-giving registry with So Kind
- Make a winter waste reduction resolution with your community
Further Reading
Guide to Mindful Holiday Celebrations
15 Sustainable Thanksgiving Tips from GreenBusiness
Cheat Sheet to a Sustainable Holiday Season from US Green Building Council