’Tis the season— for waste
Indigo Craane, Staff Writer
To most, the holiday season tends to be the most anticipated time of the year. Students finishing up their exams, airports overcrowded with those anxious to see their families and people returning from the mall with shopping bags of every size. Amidst this frenzy, the topic of environmental sustainability is easy to forget about. However, what is considered “the most wonderful time of the year” is not so wonderful for the environment.
Overindulgence, especially during the holiday season, has been seen as normal, even welcomed. During the Christmas season, the U.S. eats 80 percent more food than the rest of the year according to a study by the University of Manchester. This overconsumption of food is contributing to a growing global issue of environmental pollution and CO2 production. In fact, the University of Manchester also calculated that the nation’s combined Christmas dinners produce the same amount of carbon as a single car travelling 6,000 times around the entire world.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, household waste increases by more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, and results in about 25 million tons of waste. This waste ranges from the food being thrown out, holiday decorations that are used for a short amount of time and the wrapping paper used to package Christmas gifts.
Chopping down Christmas trees is just another source of carbon dioxide; taking the Christmas tree out of its natural habitat hurts its ecosystem. Students such as Ella Mastrippolito (’23) are worried about the long-term effect of its carbon footprint.
“During the holiday season, traveling by car and plane causes a drastic increase in energy usage as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Especially during Christmas, millions of trees are cut down leading to the increase in the rate of deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions. Unfortunately, while artificial trees may seem like a good alternative, it just adds to our carbon footprint during their manufacturing process,” Mastrippolito said.
Traveling during the holiday season is also detrimental for the growing carbon footprint. While it may be free time for many to travel the world and see family, transportation is one of the top contributors to environmental pollution, just after food consumption and living according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Carbon dioxide emissions even stretch due to gift shopping during the holiday season. Amazon stated last year that online shopping, with the combination of electricity usage, fuel emissions and manufacturing, leaves a way bigger carbon footprint than going to stores in-person to purchase the gift.
“There are a lot of ways that online shopping contributes to the carbon footprint. For one, you’re basically increasing the consumption and production of goods, which just burns more and more fossil fuels. A lot of the transport is going on for the product to go to its destination. This also involves fossil fuels for the product to go to market,” Ingo Gaida, an AP Environmental Science teacher at Samo, said.
Although holidays are seen as a special part of the year by many, the issues surrounding the environment should not be forgotten. Staying aware of one’s actions regarding the environment is always crucial, especially during the holiday season when environmental damage is so high.
Overall, the holiday season contributes to various environmental issues such as air pollution, plastic waste and overconsumption. Although holidays are seen as a special part of the year by many, the negative environmental impact is something to be aware of.
