According to environmentalists around the world, the annual destruction of our Earth is on its way. Although Christmas is a holiday full of joy, cheer, and love, it is also a time in which our Earth’s well-being is being deteriorated faster than you can say “Ho! Ho! Ho!”. However, Christmas doesn’t have to be such a sad day for our planet. To make sure Earth isn’t being left out on this year’s holiday activities, here are some ways to make your Christmas environmentally friendly!

• Go Real!

Although a fake Christmas tree appears to be environmentally friendly as it is reusable, going real for your Christmas tree is one of the best ways to help the planet this year. According to an organization known as Carbon Trust, buying a real Christmas tree this holiday season has a drastic decrease in its carbon footprint compared to buying a reusable tree. Every year, around 23.3 million fake Christmas trees are sold, causing drastic inflation in greenhouse gasses released by factories. Additionally, most ethical tree farms will plant a new tree for every tree that they cut down for selling. Therefore, by buying a real Christmas tree this holiday season, you are actually doing our planet a favor!

• Get Creative in Your Wrapping

Yes, we all love a present bundled up with fancy, shiny wrapping paper with an enormous bow sitting atop, but our planet could say otherwise. The amount of one-use wrapping paper used each year single-handedly contributes the most to Earth’s holiday pollution. At the end of the day, no one will remember how you wrapped your 3-year-old cousin’s new toy train, especially if he is just going to tear it open. But if wrapping a present beautifully is what tops off your holiday season, there are many other ways to spice up your gifts! For example, old newspapers and fabric scraps are a great way to beautify your gifts while also giving them a personal, quirky touch; just remember to dispose of these materials properly!

• Give the Gift of Sustainable Living

For your friend who always has a plastic drink in hand, why not gift them and Earth at the same time! Although you cannot control the actions of others this holiday season, the gift of sustainable living will help ease the impacts of this holiday season. A reusable water bottle, plastic straws, and compostable gifts are all great ways to convert your friends and family to a sustainable life. 

• Don’t Let Your Food Waste Away 

Delicious to some, disgusting to others- whatever they are to you let’s make sure to not hurt the environment with leftovers! First off, cutting down on the number of leftovers will greatly reduce this issue. Taking the extra few minutes before making your holiday meals can be enough to have a positive impact on our planet. Adjust your recipes’ measurements, and you won’t even have to worry about the problems that come with leftovers. But say you’re in a pinch and this doesn’t happen, there are many other ways the waste by leftovers can be resolved. For example, storing them in real dinnerware instead of single-use can greatly cut down on plastic waste this season. Additionally, if you fall into the category of leftovers being disgusting, donate yours to those in need! No need to throw yours out when someone else will enjoy them. 

That being said, on behalf of Austin Prep’s Newspaper, we wish you all a sustainable and happy holiday season!