Not the stoney kind. Not the $$$$ kind. But the environmentally-friendly, sustainable kind.
It's 2018 babes, it's time.
Let me first say that I love Christmas just as much as the next privileged, basic, white girl. I'm down for any excuse to watch cheesy movies and decorate random things with my family that I love so much but also can't stand.
BUT I think we can all agree that it is an insanely wasteful holiday :/ With the way we celebrate in the West today, it's basically a justified shopping spree - blatant consumerism. Yes, its a beautiful thing to "selflessly" give thoughtful gifts to our people to show how much we love & appreciate them but we do that by giving s t u f f : half of which we don't actually need and the majority of which creates major environmental burden. Excess demand creates excess production which inevitably creates excess waste.
And if the production of the items themselves isn't bad enough, think about the gift wrapping. All of the plastic, boxes, and wrapping paper that end up in landfills just for the sake of cute, but short-lived presents under a tree (millions of which are chopped down every year just to be put on display for a few weeks and then, also, tossed out).
Times are changing, people are waking up. If we can start to bring this mindfulness to our daily lives, why not also to our holidays? What if we view this Christmas as an opportunity to reconnect to our values and rethink why and HOW we are celebrating? And what the potential impacts are, especially when it comes to gift-giving.
So here's a little list of a few easy ways to start greening up your Christmas ::
Shop With Intention
>> Go beyond giving just to give. Give practical, lasting gifts. Try to imagine the entire production process that went into making what you're about to buy. Is it made of plastic or other non-recyclable materials? Where was it produced and by whom- and did they receive fair wages for their work? (If it was made in China or India, probably not.)
Shop Local
>> Support local stores & businesses. Extra points for ones that are socially and/or environmentally aware. So they're producing sustainable goods in a sustainable way, minimizing waste, environmentally friendly packaging, and/or they're ethical and socially responsible. If it was produced by a large corporation, chances are that it was made in a factory that emits large amounts of environmental pollutants & is heavily profiting while it's employees aren't (ahem, Nike). So not those.
But these are rad ::
Package Free Shop :: Love their stainless steel food containers and razors!
Bumi Box :: Cute little sustainable travel food sets all ready to go.
Reformation :: Sustainably made French Riviera style dresses & crop tops. Um, Hi.
Sun Potion :: My fave is the Yin Power & Chlorella powder.
Keep Cup :: I feel like reusable coffee cups make people instantly look hotter, but that's just me.
Patagonia :: Speaks for itself!
Coconut Bowls :: For the smoothie bowl enthusiast.
Girlfriend Collective :: Affordable activewear made from recycled plastic bottles, finally.
WMN SPACE :: Made by women, for women. The moon cup wins best gift award tbh.
>> If not local, avoid shopping online whenever you can. I know I literally just posted links to online stores ^^ but you know what I mean. The point is to be more mindful! Shipping creates a whole new stream of waste, from the additional packaging to the added CO2 emissions from freight ships and airplanes. No Bueno. Browse that cute new boutique down the street instead.
>> & another major perk of shopping locally made, artisan products is that whatever you buy will more than likely be will unique. Like really, what are the odds that both you and aunt becky are gonna end up giving your sister the same merino wool hat made by a little rancher family in Ojai. Unlikely. And not only that, your purchase will directly benefit the maker/business owner and not be pocketed by greedy old white men trying to destroy the planet for profit :)))
Quality Over Quantity
>> Call me crazy but I'd rather receive one or two really thoughtful and USEFUL gifts than 20 little things that were fun to open but I'll never actually use. This is an attitude that I think we can (and should) all adopt if we hope to slow the environmental damage caused by consumerism. Try to give things that are timeless, meaning they won't go out of style and they're actually made to last.
Get Crafty!
& of course, DIY gifts! Cliche but handmade gifts really are the best. Here's a peak at my ideal Christmas wishlist::
B e a u t y :: Make custom essential oils, tea blends, dry shampoos, bath salts, or body butters. Youtube is your best friend! All natural, homemade products are the move anyway ;)
C a n d l e s :: why pay $60 for a bougie candle that you can literally make them yourself in under 30 minutes for so cheap. You can choose any scent & put them into fun little containers. Move over Diptyque.
F o o d :: because duuuhh. Who's honestly going to hate on a fresh batch of (vegan, gluten free, low sugar) cookies, truffles, or gingerbread. no. one. literally no one. except for the one annoying cousin who gives you sh*t for healthifying recipes but ends up eating them all anyway.
P l a n t s :: the actual best gift in my opinion tbh. it's like gifting a low maintenance puppy. Extra extra points for gifting their favorite plant in a chic pot like this.
E x p e r i e n c e s :: How about DOING something nice for the people you love (not that you don't already). If they love camping, plan a camping trip. If they love facials, gift them a spa day. Wash their car. Take them out for lunch. Donate to a charity/ cause that they care about. Gifts don't always have to come wrapped!
Sustainable Gift Wrap
&&& speaking of wrapping... name one thing that's more wasteful. Millions of rolls of Santa printed gift paper are made, wrapped, and ripped up every single year. But not for the conscious babes. We recycle & use minimal waste wrap over here.
You can buy 100% recycled and recyclable wrapping paper like these. They even sell paper made with little seeds that you can plant.
Or you can make your own with scraps of stuff from around the house. Newspaper, brown paper bags, and old pieces of fabric (esp. canvas and linen) make rad gift wrap.
Or keep it minimal and just tie things up with some rafia or twine to. If you wanna be a lil extra, fresh cut and dried flowers/twigs are cute statements.
& finally, the tree! If you can, source your tree from a local producer that practices sustainable and responsible growing. Or get creative and cut down a tree or some branches from your own yard. While I was in Bali, I saw several 'trees' made of stacked coconuts. Cute.
Instead of buying new ornaments, try making some out of dried flowers, oranges, pine cones, etc.
And if you're really crafty, repurpose your and wreath after Christmas! Chop the tree for firewood or look up local organizations that turn old trees into compost, paper, and other fun thingsss.
Every little bit counts babes!
xx Catherine