The holidays are here, and we can all use a little extra joy as we end 2020. This time is an opportunity to pause, think about other people – whether giving to family and friends or giving to charity – and to reflect on the year passed and the year ahead. It’s also a great moment to think about the planet, and how we can each play a role in being a little greener, for the benefit of humanity.
Buying presents, traveling, and eating are the best things about the holidays, but they also add stress to the environment. Studies are scarce on the exact amount of carbon produced by the holidays overall, but we know the impact is big. Consumerism ramps up, (the United States alone spends $1 trillion over the holiday season) – which leads to more more shipping (vastly increased this year due to COVID-19), as well as more packaging and more food waste. All of these things, in their own ways, contribute to increased amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere. This is why, if we don’t each take the responsibility to act, and fast, CO2 levels will keep rising.
This year, many countries remain in lockdown, budgets are more limited for many, and international travel is largely off the agenda - meaning the impact of the season on the planet looks set to be less intense than usual. But there are still vital things we can do to cut down on our carbon footprint if we want to guarantee a more hopeful future.
Here are some suggestions.
1. SHOP MORE EFFICIENTLY
With each click to order a gift online, we’re contributing to carbon output since these items will need to travel to get to their destination, and as retailers compete to shorten delivery times, items are not always delivered in batches. Combine with unnecessary paper and plastic packaging, and added returns (which many retailers just discard), and our carbon footprint can grow quickly.
The good news is, many of the companies we buy from are making pledges to cut down. Amazon, for example, has pledged for carbon neutrality by 2040, a goal that inevitably means switching to electrifying transportation or using hybrid home-delivery vehicles. But even with that in mind, it can be a good idea to shop from nearby stores to reduce travel, supporting your local economy in the process.
Every year, over the holiday season, households produce greater amounts of paper and packaging waste. An article on wrapping paper in The Atlantic, found that wrapping paper and shopping bags account for around 4 million tons of trash created annually in the US. That’s a lot of trees. Instead of wasting paper, you can reuse material, old wrapping paper, newspaper, or magazines rather than buying new. Or, if you do buy new, make sure to buy recycled or recyclable wrapping paper, and after you’ve recovered from all the turkey, make a trip to recycle all the cardboard packaging and paper from your gifts. The US recycles around 68% of paper and cardboard, so there is room for improvement.
“If you’re traveling to shops to go shopping, you can always bring your own bags to reduce plastic use,” points out Marcius Extavour, who leads the $20 million NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, our global competition to recycle CO2 into valuable products. Regifting can also cut down on waste, he adds. If you’re a parent you could pass on toys that your children no longer play with.
Not sure about that scarf grandma bought you? Consider donating it to a clothes bank or giving it to someone you know will love it, which is much more sustainable than putting it in the trash. (Just remember not to give it back to grandma.)
2. CONSIDER YOUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION
A few years ago, when we saw that one house on the street that’s lit up with Christmas lights like an amusement park, we might have thought: “Wow, what’s that doing to their electricity bill?” Now that we understand a little more about clean energy, we’re hopefully thinking “Wow, what’s that doing to the planet?”
Unless an electricity source is renewable, it’s likely the power is coming from a power plant that’s burning fossil fuels and emitting a lot of carbon into the atmosphere. This is why less is more when it comes to your Christmas lights. You could even invest in a timer so that they turn themselves off if it slips your mind. LED lights much more energy-efficient than regular bulbs and also last much longer – something to bear in mind when you’re shopping for decorations.
This, along with watching your thermostat, could significantly cut down your bills too. “That thing your grandparents said about putting on a sweater so you can turn the heating down one degree, it really works!” says Extavour. “Or if you live in a hot country, turning down the AC a little bit.”
3. TRAVEL EFFICIENTLY
If you’re visiting loved ones this year, think about how you’re going to reach them. Can you get there by train, or bus, or lift share? Is this a safe option for you given the COVID-19 situation in your area? If you have to stay home, stay safe, and think of it as a time to also save resources.
“Flygskam” is a Swedish word meaning ”flight shame” popularized by the movement of switching to other modes of travel in order to fight climate change. Airlines in Sweden and Germany have seen reduced bookings since this trend took off, pre-COVID-19. Aviation only makes up 2% of carbon emissions, but making like the Swedes and Germans and cutting down on air travel does make an impact on the planet meaning it is an abundant area in which we can make better choices. If you’re curious about what your impact is, you can use an online carbon calculator.
“We saw travel emissions in the US go down in April and May because people were traveling less, and I think we will see that over the holiday times,” predicts Extavour. “But let’s be honest, whether it’s Hanukkah, Diwali, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, people are still going to want to see their families. So even if you’re not flying a lot during COVID-19, and you’re driving, making sure your tire pressure is up to spec is an easy way to increase mileage efficiency on your car – it’s a simple check you can do before a long road trip to help cut your emissions.”
4. EAT WELL FOR THE PLANET
The food industry contributes a great deal to greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that the way we consume food can have a HUGE contribution towards a more positive future for the climate.
Industrially farmed meat, for instance, is usually produced in facilities that take up a great amount of power and The New York Times reports that “compared with plant-based foods, meat and dairy have a bigger emissions footprint — accounting for 14.5% of all greenhouse gases”. That’s why reducing the amount of meat you consume at Christmas, as well as all year round, is a fantastic way to cut down your carbon footprint.
When you switch to vegetables, try not to buy those wrapped in excessive amounts of plastic, and try to look out for vegetables that were farmed sustainably. Whether it’s gas or electric, cooking uses energy, so consider cooking your meat or vegetables all in one batch, and keep the oven on for as short a time as possible
And finally, try to cut down on food waste. Reports suggest that wasted food accounts for as much as a 10th of all our global greenhouse gas emissions. When we waste food we waste the water and energy it took to produce it, and then when it goes to landfill and rots it creates the greenhouse gas methane. Experts urge us that cutting down on our food waste is one of the most powerful individual acts there is in fighting climate change, and the best part is, we can start today.
5. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TREE
Finally, if you celebrate with one, think about your Christmas tree as more than just festive decor. On an individual level, compared to all of the above, a Christmas tree is going to make up a very small amount of your holiday carbon footprint. Yet, once we add up all the Christmas trees bought across America (estimates go for around 30 million) we can see the scope of the impact.
Buying a plastic Christmas tree is not a great alternative, because it is likely shipped from China and will likely end up in a landfill, and we’re not suggesting you go without a tree at all – that would be Grinch-like! However, when you buy a Christmas tree, you could consider paying for one to be planted in your city, or giving someone the gift of a tree ($1 each) in one of America’s National Forests. Trees take pollution out of the air and drastically contribute to offsetting CO2 emissions, so really, you’d be giving the gift of a cleaner future. What better gift is there?
As New Year rolls around, you could round off all these positive steps by making a resolution to cut your carbon in even more ways – making a year-long pledge. In 2020, forests around the world were ravaged by wildfires and the hottest temperatures ever were recorded on earth. We all have an individual responsibility to take action to slow climate change urgently. This doesn’t just mean saving the planet, but better caring for humanity, too – which is what the holidays are all about.