5 DIY and Eco-friendly Swaps for a Greener Holiday Season
In the current state of our climate crisis, it’s no wonder that more of us are opting to buy less this year. It is important to remember that while the holidays have long been associated with decorating, giving and sharing, you don’t have to give up all of the good stuff to make a positive environmental impact. It just takes a shift in perspective and some creativity.
It can be hard to avoid the consumerist side of the holidays. With years of gifting and costly expectations, it not only results in crazy levels of stress for everyone involved, but it normalizes excessive consumption to the point where it has become the very essence of the season. Whether it’s the glittery wrapping, Christmas cards, express shipping from across the globe or plastic wrapped candy canes, it isn’t easy to see the season as anything other than how it has been marketed and sold to us.
With that in mind, sometimes the best ways to take a step back and reduce our carbon footprint is to refer to the past. In this list, old and traditional is back in style!
Salt Dough Ornaments
Many of us may remember making these growing up. Best of all, the materials are as cheap as can be, can be bought entirely in bulk, and last for years. You can choose to paint or decorate them, but leaving them plain and opting for simple shapes creates a beautiful, organic element to a real tree. Add cinnamon to your dough for more of a natural colour and a delicious scent!
What you’ll need:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
⅔ cup of water (or until desired consistency)
¼ cup cinnamon (optional)
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Knead until you get a soft (but not sticky) dough consistency.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is about ⅓ inch thick, cut into your desired shapes and poke a hole using a straw or a chopstick at one of the corners to hang later.
Arrange the cut ornaments on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Transfer to a cooling rack, and you’re ready to go!
Dried Orange Slices
An on-trend choice for anyone looking for some frugal decorations. Dried orange slices are extremely cheap to make and are completely compostable! If you don’t plan on sealing them to keep for years to come, throw them into a pot of water with some cinnamon and cloves to fill your house with a sweet, warm scent.
What You’ll Need:
Oranges
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and slice your orange into ¼ thick slices, width wise. Pat each slice dry with a clean towel and arrange them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 3 hours, flipping them every 30 minutes or so. Keep a close eye on them as they burn easily.
Remove them from the oven and allow to cool before hanging.
Second Hand Christmas Ornaments
There are so many second-hand Christmas ornaments available at thrift stores, online or through friends and family. If you are a lover of vintage holiday decor, you’re going to have a whole lot of fun seeing what second-hand gems are out there!
Homemade Wreaths with Foraged Materials
You’ll want to make sure you aren’t breaking any laws for the foraging side of this, but wreath making is a great activity to add to your yearly tradition. For my wreath, I used tree clippings from my own Christmas tree as well as some from trees growing in my neighborhood. They add a beautiful, natural touch to your door and are compostable if you decide to opt for foraged or home-grown materials.
Furoshiki Gift Wrapping
Gorgeous, zero waste and a fun way to wrap a gift with another gift. There are tons of beautiful ways to wrap using this traditional Japanese method, and there are tons of second-hand silk scarves or cotton tea-towels available at your local thrift store that you could put to good use!
In the spirit of the holidays, I challenge you to share some tips and tricks that you already do or plan on doing this year to lower your carbon footprint. It can be any of the tips I mentioned in this post, or perhaps some of your own traditions and ideas that have helped you in the past. Small changes like this can leave a lasting positive impact on our planet, and also help to bring us back to the true meaning of the season, without all of the unnecessary spending.
Happy Holidays!