‘Tis the season of giving, but sometimes giving can be a little harmful to the environment. So how can we gift-give during the holiday season, all while keeping the environment in mind?
More and more people have started noticing the impact commercial holidays have on our environment. So how can we lower our footprint during this magical time of the year that is fast approaching?
Well, keep reading because we have a lot of advice here so that you’ll feel good about gift-giving while softening your ecological footprint. Check out this eco-friendly gift-giving guide where we suggest which eco-friendly gifts Christmas gifts will be best this year!
Tips for Eco-Friendly Gift Giving
Greenify Your Entire Holiday Process
Staying green during the holidays isn’t always just about purchasing or making an eco-friendly gift. It’s essential to take a step back and look at the bigger picture and think about how you can minimize your carbon footprint.
Take into account the entire gift-giving experience such as:
Gift shopping
Gift wrapping
Proper disposal
Making sure that you have a low waste holiday is a lot more simple than you think. We asked our favorite eco-influencers their best eco party-throwing advice.
Minimize Holiday Gift Wrapping Waste
A festively wrapped gift is always enticing during the holiday season, but most gift wraps or wrapping paper are difficult to recycle. However, there are ways that you can reduce waste by choosing a suitable wrapping material. Try using natural and sustainable materials such as unbleached paper or cloth.
There are some things to avoid when it comes to wrapping paper. As many kinds of gift wrap are hard to break down naturally such as:
Holographic and transparent film or foil or any other non-paper
Metallic wrapping paper or wrapping paper with metallic patterns printed on it
Wrapping paper with glitter on it
Generally speaking, you want to stick to ordinary paper printed with standard ink or keep it classic with some brown kraft paper to give it a quintessential timeless look.
However, if you’re wrapping a gift for kids, they tend not to care what it is wrapped with, so use old newspapers, magazines, or even comic books.
Less Is Undoubtedly More
We all want to have the experience of giving a gift to someone that we love. But sometimes, we can go a little overboard with gift-giving by getting caught up in the rush of making a purchase. Sometimes it is better to take a step back and ask yourself, “does this person really need this?”
Try and avoid making purchases such as gag gifts, cheaply made plastic toys, or any of the useless stocking stuffers. These gifts are made to be enjoyed for a couple of minutes then tossed away.
Instead, gift them something meaningful, such as homemade baked goods or something small from a brand that has sustainable goods.
Give fewer gifts, instead give gifts with more meaning and staying power.
Sustainable Shopping
Do Your Holiday Gift Shopping Locally
Support local. Supporting local businesses shouldn’t just be for the holidays. We should all support our communities and the independent businesses that are within them. Plus, since the shops are close to where you live, you can go on foot or take public transit to minimize your carbon footprint.
You can even go one step further and find products that are produced or manufactured in your area. This way, you won’t be purchasing something that came from halfway around the world.
Finding goods produced in your area might turn out to be difficult, but it’s simple to support your local businesses.
Collect Your Holiday Gifts Rather Than Choosing Delivery
We’ve all sat there watching our packages come from halfway around the world in less than 24 hours and going from different facilities and warehouses until it arrives at your door. But, unfortunately, it’s not the most eco-friendly way to receive goods.
When you collect your order, you have more control over the carbon footprint. You can choose how you’re going to go pick it up, whether walking there, biking, public transit, etc. It helps to cut down on the carbon emissions that couriers produce. Plus, it’s not just the emissions of your package, but the other 100 packages they have in the back of their truck.
Most companies offer click and collect, and it’s a service worth utilizing.
Buy From Brands That Have Sustainable Practices
There’s an ever-increasing list of sustainable brands out there. So whether you’re looking for clothing, beauty, home goods, or anything else, you can help improve the environmental impacts of your holiday gift by buying from these brands.
There are brands out there that are making the difference, like:
Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas for Everyone
Buy Secondhand Gifts
Secondhand, or as some call it, pre-loved, gift-giving is as eco-friendly as it gets. Secondhand gifts are indeed the definition of reusing.
Although not everyone will appreciate a secondhand gift, some people will love a vintage or retro design. Depending on their tastes, some people will love an older heirloom or an antique piece of jewelry or furniture.
Plus, gone are the days of needing to search through thrift stores (even though we still enjoy it). You can now find everything online, from Depop to Poshmark and eBay to Facebook Marketplace. In addition to being eco-friendly, you can find a wide variety of pre-loved items that you can gift from clothing, jewelry, shoes, handbags, furniture, home goods, and even luxury items.
Homemade Gifts Are Always the Best
Homemade eco-friendly gifts are even kinder to the environment. You can use materials you already have or make sure you buy sustainable supplies like using a paper bag instead of a plastic one or natural fibers instead of synthetic ones.
Plus, homemade gifts hit the sentimental aspect of a gift. The receiver of the gift sees how much effort and love that you put into the gift.
Are you looking for some DIY homemade gifts to pull at someone's heartstrings this holiday season? Check out these awesome DIY homemade gifts.
Gifts Designed for Eco-friendly Habits
There is an ever-growing list of really cool and exciting eco-friendly gifts on the market today. Some include:
Steel lunchboxes, water flasks, and travel mugs
Organic, low waste, and eco-friendly cosmetics
An array of home and body clean supplies
A holiday VidDay video gift
You know the person you are shopping for, so choose something they will appreciate and something they will use. Even if they prefer material gifts over sentimental ones, you can still buy eco-friendly gifts that don’t compromise on being thoughtful when they are opened.
Choosing a sentimental gift over a material gift is made easy with a holiday video gift.
Be Kind to the Planet With a Video Gift
With a mission to make a billion people smile, we are a start-up with a heart. We are harnessing the power of video to spread goodness across the globe.
VidDay is a meaningful gift that brings people together, all while staying eco-friendly. VidDay allows you to crowdsource video clips, photos, and text cards. So you can create a beautiful video gift that the recipient will cherish forever, all while being kind to the environment. Learn how to create an eco-friendly video gift with our ultimate holiday video-making guide.
“What a wonderful and meaningful concept. I loved watching this video come together. Anytime I had a problem or questions, someone helped me immediately and resolved the issue. Highly recommend VidDay!” — Julie MacNeil
Not only is creating a VidDay more eco-friendly than purchasing a paper greeting card, but sustainability is at the core of our business. For every video purchased, a portion of the profits goes to planting trees. With over 100,000 trees planted already, we are on our way to growing a forest.
Celebrate your holidays all while being kind to the environment. Celebrate with a VidDay video gift.