Americans Celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah
November and December are some of the busiest months of the year. In such a short amount of time, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, this year’s presidential election and everything in between.
As a student, I am constantly looking forward to going home for the holidays and eating a home cooked meal, and I know many others But, have you ever stopped to consider the stress we are putting on the environment during these months?
In October, people begin to plan their Halloween costumes; We buy fabric from China, glitter from India, makeup from Thailand and dye from Indonesia. In November, we make turkey cutouts from construction paper and paper plates. We consume mass amounts of food as Americans and then we go shopping for Black Friday. We get a few plastic bags from every store we visit and end up with dozens. Instead, you can make your own pumpkin pie using pumpkins from local farmers, make your Thanksgiving meal out of local and seasonal foods and bring your own bags to shop with on Black Friday. …show more content…
A sweater for Mom, an iPhone for Dad, shoes and jewelry for brothers and sisters; and everything must be brand-new and gift wrapped. We put up our Christmas trees and decorate them with lights that remain plugged in for weeks. You get the point: It is difficult to celebrate the holidays and keep up our usual sustainable habits. While it may seem that way, it is not impossible.
This holiday season, challenge yourself by trying to stay sustainable. There are a number of ways to go about this. Start by buying less. Homemade gifts are always a great way to make things more personal and meaningful, and they allow you to give more and spend less at the same time. Unwrapped presents may not be as aesthetically pleasing as wrapped presents, but there is a way to do so in a sustainable way. Wrap your presents with newspaper and decorate it with stamps, paint or use the shiny side of an empty chip
As a student, I am constantly looking forward to going home for the holidays and eating a home cooked meal, and I know many others But, have you ever stopped to consider the stress we are putting on the environment during these months?
In October, people begin to plan their Halloween costumes; We buy fabric from China, glitter from India, makeup from Thailand and dye from Indonesia. In November, we make turkey cutouts from construction paper and paper plates. We consume mass amounts of food as Americans and then we go shopping for Black Friday. We get a few plastic bags from every store we visit and end up with dozens. Instead, you can make your own pumpkin pie using pumpkins from local farmers, make your Thanksgiving meal out of local and seasonal foods and bring your own bags to shop with on Black Friday. …show more content…
A sweater for Mom, an iPhone for Dad, shoes and jewelry for brothers and sisters; and everything must be brand-new and gift wrapped. We put up our Christmas trees and decorate them with lights that remain plugged in for weeks. You get the point: It is difficult to celebrate the holidays and keep up our usual sustainable habits. While it may seem that way, it is not impossible.
This holiday season, challenge yourself by trying to stay sustainable. There are a number of ways to go about this. Start by buying less. Homemade gifts are always a great way to make things more personal and meaningful, and they allow you to give more and spend less at the same time. Unwrapped presents may not be as aesthetically pleasing as wrapped presents, but there is a way to do so in a sustainable way. Wrap your presents with newspaper and decorate it with stamps, paint or use the shiny side of an empty chip