go green this holiday!

Happy Holiday season everyone! I am counting down the days until my final exam and work commitments before I can head home and take time to love and be with my family for a couple of weeks! Gift giving is definitely one of my favourite things to do, and so I thought this blog could be about eco-friendly ways to do so. No matter what you celebrate this season, there are ways to do so while treating our environment in the best way possible. Here are some things to think about while you take in the holiday:
 
CHOOSING A GOOD GIFT

• TONE IT DOWN – How many people do you really need to buy for? If you have a large group of friends, why not try a group gift exchange instead of buying for every single person? If you need to buy for your parents, why not buy them a joint gift instead of separate gifts for each of them?
• BUY LOCAL – Your local farmers markets or independent shops deserve your love at this time of the year!! Think of friends and family members who would love a gift basket full of locally made preserves, jewellery, baked goods, mittens, etc. You could buy for your aunts, uncles, and cousins all in one go with a nice basket to suit the whole gang! You can also support local businesses by giving gift cards to your friend’s favourite café, or restaurants!
• GET BETTER QUALITY GIFTS – Instead of buying an inexpensive item, maybe choose to buy something a little costlier that you know will last longer. This way, you know that the person you’re buying for won’t have to rebuy the gift in a little while too! Buying more sustainable gifts helps everyone in the long run!
• KNOW WHAT THEY WANT – It’s never rude to ask what someone wants for a gift! This way, you won’t be buying them something they don’t need or care for and you know your gift will be used and loved. The best gift I ever gave someone was to my LOVELY friend Kristian as a thank you for being the best tour manager ever. I knew how much she loved tea and how many teacups and pots she had, and I also knew how crafty the lady is, so I bought her a DIY tea cosy! It was from a super cute store in Newfoundland and was made completely from sustainable materials 

• BUY ECO-FRIENDLY GIFTS – The most obvious way to remain green over the holidays, is to buy eco-friendly gifts. For example, my phone case recently broke so I am asking for a new one from the Tare Shop (https://thetareshop.com/product/pela-phone-case/) which is made from plant-based materials! The Tare Shop is a great place to buy your holiday items and remain environmentally conscious!
• DON’T BUY NEW – If you are able to, try and buy the same item either second-hand, vintage, handmade, or homemade! Another fave gift I gave was to my sister last year. She is a big book lover and I found some well-loved poetry books at The Odd Book in Wolfville. What made these books even better than if they were new, was that you could see small scribbles and newspaper clippings that previous owners had left in them. In one of them, there was a dried maple leaf which I think is so cool! It makes you wonder why they left it there, on that particular page and if it had any meaning behind it or if it was just a natural bookmark? Wicked!

A great gift I got from my sister was a notebook she gave me before I left for university. Inside she had written tips and tricks for university life and being away from home for the first time. This is a perfect example of an awesome homemade gift that meant way more to me than a flashy expensive gift!

PACKING THE GIFTS

• USE SOMETHING OTHER THAN WRAPPING PAPER – An awesome alternative for glossy wrapping paper, is newspaper!! You should be able to find free newspapers and can use that to wrap gifts of all sizes. Stanford University did a study about the waste increase during the holidays and found that the amount of discarded wrapping paper was high enough to wrap around the earth nine times! And that was in the US alone, so just think about how much the countries all over the world create during this time of year.
• REUSE GIFT BAGS – My family keeps all the gift bags that we receive from previous celebrations and reuse them for future occasions. We have a load of bags downstairs in the storage room that we can always rummage through for upcoming holidays! They’re super easy to reuse and can save you from using non-recyclable wrapping paper too!
• PACKAGE IN DIFFERENT WAYS – There’s always a family member who likes to play a trick when giving a gift. I once was given a toy in a box used for packaging a kettle and was pretty confused about it when I first saw it as an eight-year-old. But when I opened it up and saw a gift I actually wanted inside I was super pumped! This is another way to reuse old cardboard boxes that can be recycled instead of using non-recyclable packaging. Winners also has super cute and festive boxes and tins that are great ways to give gifts!
• USE RECYCLABLE ADHESIVES – There are now several brands of tape and glue that are good for the environment and some are even available in Superstores and Sobeys in Nova Scotia. Use those, or some UNREAL origami that requires nothing but the paper (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=97&v=7TA4Whui_xA).

​Some other things to think about:
 
In the same Stanford University study, they found that in the US alone, waste production increased by 25% between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Just because it’s a season of giving we can’t forget about the planet and how all of our actions have an impact. If you get invited to a holiday party this year, bring your own mugs and plates so that the host doesn’t have to buy single-use plastics to feed everyone. If you go to an outdoor ceremony where they might have refreshments, bring your own reusable mug (you might even get more hot chocolate or apple cider that way!). Only cook as much food for what you need and if you have leftovers, do something with them! Vegetable and meat scraps can turn into a yummy broth or soup, sandwiches for the next few days, and so much more! Don’t just throw them out!
 
Be conscious this holiday season and enjoy the festivities all around!!
Lots of love, kind krafters!
 
xoxo Rhi