The holiday season is a time when we visit and celebrate with loved ones, but it also results in some of the biggest consumption practices of the year. Holiday parties, traveling, gift giving, and decorating can all have negative impacts on the environment.

Each year, household waste in the United States increases 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. This is largely due to our consumption of single-use plastics. Half of the paper consumed annually in the U.S. is used during the holiday season for gift wrapping and consumer products. Furthermore, the 2.65 billion holiday cards sent in the U.S. annually are enough to fill a football field 10 stories high. There is also an increase in carbon emissions due to expedited shipping, traveling, shopping, and increased energy usage for holiday lights. In the year 2021, it’s important we become more conscious of our consumer behaviors and work to reduce our impact on the environment.

One of the easiest ways for us to reduce the use of single-use plastics is by eliminating disposable bags during shopping trips. Holiday shoppers should get into the habit of having their reusable bags handy with them, and businesses should practice asking customers if they would like a bag rather than immediately bagging their items. Instead of plastic bags, businesses can switch to handing out paper bags or give customers the option to purchase reusable bags. Businesses can offer leftover boxes to customers to be re-used for gift wrapping.

Holiday parties also have a major impact on the environment in a number of ways. In order to have an eco-friendly holiday party, the first and easiest step is to eliminate single-use plastics at the party. This means opting for reusable dishes and cutlery, encouraging guests to bring their own Tupperware for leftovers, and avoiding saran wrap along with any other items that will immediately be disposed of. Additionally, decorations used for holiday parties can be reused year after year, or you can switch to biodegradable decorations like live plants, popcorn, and cranberries. Potted trees are more eco-friendly than plastic trees or farmed trees. Production of plastic trees creates dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and uses harmful chemicals. Farmed trees take many years to grow, depleting soil nutrients only to be thrown away after being harvested. A potted tree can be planted after the holiday season, allowing it to grow and have a positive impact on the environment.

During the holiday season, it’s also essential to consider ways to reduce our energy consumption. Carpool to holiday parties or on shopping trips. Choose ground shipping over expedited, which often uses air transportation. Try to finish all your holiday shopping in one trip, rather than traveling multiple times this season. Switching to LED lights can reduce energy consumption by up to 95% and keeping lights on a timer can ensure that you are not wasting energy in case you forget to turn off the lights.

As we head into 2022, challenge yourself to set resolutions to reduce your impact on the environment. It can be something as simple as partaking in “Meatless Monday’s,” or committing to eliminate the use of single-use water bottles and plastic bags (or any other daily disposable item.) Individuals and households could commit to reducing carbon footprints through transportation or reduce overall waste by beginning to compost in the new year. These practices will take some focus at first, but will soon become a habit that you’ll do without thinking.

The holiday season has always negatively affected the environment, but it doesn’t have to. We can begin a new era of traditions and celebrations that have just as much love and joy, but are more friendly to our natural world. For more tips on how to have an eco-friendly holiday season, follow the Worcester Green Corps on social media.