Limit waste and secure your spot on Santa’s nice list
Hawene Alemayehu, Staff Writer
This winter season will bring many students together to celebrate the holidays. The amount of purchases predicted to be made this year ensures great celebrations, but also brings rising concerns about waste and environmental consciousness.
According to a Stanford University’s Recycling, Land Build and Estates Center, Americans waste 25 percent more trash during the holiday season compared to any other time of the year. All this adds up to almost 1 million extra tons of waste per week.
Becoming a conscious consumer this year starts with planning ahead. For instance, by doing this with food, gifts and decoration, more time is set aside to think of sustainability and determining purchase prices. A guaranteed way to be sustainable is by timely putting out guest and grocery lists which will ensure what is needed is bought and ready. However, leaving shopping to the last minute leaves doors open to buying food in abundance which can lead to potential waste.
Another step towards sustainably can be reflected in gifting and decoration habits. When thinking about what gift to buy from a friend or family member, consider buying it with both environmental and loving intentions. Since most micro trends die off quickly, purchase gifts that are long-lasting and will be used in the future. The production of these items use a lot of fossil fuels which eventually end up piling up in the landfill; which take centuries to decompose. Acquiring little to none of these fashion items and products will help the environment greatly. If at the end of the season there are any more unwanted gifts consider donating them so that they can be reused instead of wasted. Mila Rudgard (’24), Samo student, talks about her plans for gift buying this year.
“When I’m shopping for gifts, I only buy things that I know are needed and are going to be used several times. This way I can ensure both enjoy the gift and it won’t negatively affect the environment” Rudguard said.
Traditionally, as the holiday season approaches, many decide to decorate their homes, offices and lockers. This means massive purchasing of decorations such as lights, wrapping paper, trees and ornaments. One way to be more sustainable is to reuse past decorations. Instead of buying into decoration trends, invest into long lasting decorations that can be used annually. Phoebe Benun (’25) describes how her family has formed a tradition of reusing gift bags during the holiday season.
“We have a bin for gift bags that we collect throughout the year, so when we are done using them instead of throwing them away. We just use it for the holidays,” Benun said.
This year, helping the environment means making changes on every level, including sacrificing specific things during the holiday season. Being sustainable is simply finding healthier alternatives to normal necessities through research and planning ahead. Everyone can do their part this year and continue to make this routine a habit.
