(image via krem.com)
By Jared Umphress December 13, 2020
In this article I will be answering the big question, suggesting sustainable holiday gifts, and how to have a sustainable holiday.
The artificial christmas tree. It can be reused more than one year. However, there is an initial cost from being made of plastics and metal and being shipped over from China. It must also be considered that you will eventually have to add it to the landfill when its quality has been reduced.
On the other hand, real christmas trees are grown on rolling hills with primarily natural rainfall. The main concern is that ‘you are cutting down trees’! The good thing is that, whenever a tree is cut down, a new tree is started in its place. Out of around 330 million trees grown, only 30 million are cut each year. Although shipping trees does have a carbon footprint, it is supporting the longevity of tree farmers instead of leaving the land vulnerable to more urban development. Once real trees are done, they can be recycled into wood chip mulch, creating a renewable cycle. Fake trees only add to the plastic mountains in our world. Environmentally, real trees take the win.
Gift Ideas
Converse shoes, but with a new twist of recycling materials https://www.converse.com/shop/renew-collection
Allbirds, using materials such as merino wool, eucalyptus tree fibre for its shoes and clothes https://www.allbirds.com
For Days, organic cotton clothing, once you are done they will recycle it into a new shirt https://www.fordays.com
Patagonia, clothing made from hemp, a renewable material https://www.patagonia.com/shop/hemp-clothing
Tentree, organic cotton or clothing https://www.tentree.com
Funny cotton produce bags https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/funny-food-plastic-free-produce-bags
Work out? Heres some cork (wood + natural rubber) yoga mats https://www.yogaoutlet.com https://yolohayoga.com/product-category/yoga-mats/
Plants! Get a houseplant for beginners. Aloe is good for the more experienced. If someone is into gardening get them a California Native plant such as Fuschia, California Poppies, California Seaside Daisy.
Rebel Green, dish soaps, hand washing soaps, lotions made with natural ingredients www.rebelgreen.com
Brookfield Farm, candles made out of beeswax https://www.brookfield.farm/collections/irish-beeswax-candles
World Wildlife, donate money to aid an endangered species and get a cute stuffed animal https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions.aspx
Coral Gardeners, adopt a coral, name it after the recipient and give them a picture of adoptation https://coralgardeners.org/adopt-super-corals
Give the gift of an experience. Buy someone a gift card to a restaurant, or to buy video games digitally. In non-pandemic times, give a voucher for a day trip.
How to Have a Sustainable Holiday
-Use reusable boxes or newspaper for wrapping
-Try out a vegan dish. Mashed potatoes are easy, just replace the butter with olive oil, the milk with almond milk
-Have different bins to discard food plates after eating, use paper plates or even better use your own dishware
-Give back to Local Nonprofits: https://www.cooldavis.org, www.treedavis.org, www.coolcuisine.net, www.yolobasin.org, www.putahcreek.org, www.tuleyome.org
Sources
https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/protect-water-and-land/land-and-water-stories/real-vs-fake-christmas-tree/ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/26/business/energy-environment/fake-christmas-tree-vs-real-tree.html
As always feel free to leave any comment, questions or contradictions in the comment section down below!
The Eco Soldier 
Great and insightful information.
Thank you!
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Your welcome! Hopefully it helped your gift decisions
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Thanks for the environmentally friendly gift ideas- could use more non-clothes recommendations.
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Okay, I will try to add other options. It will be for general gift ideas by then
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Thanks for these gift ideas. I just created another reusable Christmas gift box! Will try to make more for future use.
Btw, a colleague shared this available Christmas tree rental service. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts about it.
https://www.rentxmastree.com/rent-christmas-trees/category/christmas-trees-for-rent/
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Yes, the third superior option. It combines all the benefits of the real tree, with the ability to use each tree more than one year by simply renting it. By the it is too big, the trees still have their roots so the tree may be able to be added to the forest.
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allbirds seems like an interesting concept and they seem to care about the environment a lot more than the commonly seen big brands. My only concern with it is that it may not be affordable for all and i feel like their products would perish quickly as the materials aren’t very durable.
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Materials wise, organic cotton, hemp, eucalyptus tree fiber have the same durability as conventional cotton. As for shoes, although they may not have the same durability as leather or hard plastic, shoes from allbirds, or converse’s recycled material shoes will have comparable durabilities to most other shoes.
Sometimes people would like cheaper clothing simply to be able to buy more; instead of having 15 t shirts, some would rather have 30. However, affordability still is a significant barrier for some environmental friendly brands. Of environmentally friendly brands, Fordays is the more affordable brand. After buying and outgrowing/out-using a 28$ shirt, you can return it and then you can buy your next shirt for $14. They also have a an “Imperfects” section where you can buy shirts for $16. Hopefully, as these sustainable companies innovate, and consumer demand increases, the cost for these sustainable attire lowers.
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