Welcome back! It’s time for part two of our holiday blog where IAATO Communications and Environment Assistant (And Antarctic Ambassador) Hayley Fier shares her top tips for being environment-conscious this festive season. Click here if you missed part 1!
Skip the tinsel.
Tinsel may be a shimmery addition to your festive garlands or Christmas tree, but most of the time it is made from flimsy strips of plastic that easily break off from larger pieces. Instead of buying this pretty pollutant, consider reusable or compostable decor.
Wool garlands, for example, will last you for years to come, and when they no longer serve you, the fibers can naturally degrade. Similarly, homemade citrus, cranberry, and popcorn garlands have become popular compostable-yet-Pinterest-worthy holiday decorations over the last few years!
Leave wildlife-friendly reindeer food (or skip this newer tradition altogether).
In recent years it has become popular to put out pre-mixed reindeer food – found in many holiday shops from mid-November – for Santa’s reindeer. This mixture usually contains dried oats, sugar sprinkles and that magical ingredient glitter. It may look like a snack worthy of your favourite festive visitors, but leaving it on your lawn can result in a less-than joyous impact on your local wildlife. Glitter is made of microplastics, and edible glitter often contains small pieces of mica. Neither of these things is meant to be eaten in large quantities by anyone, but if mixed in with dry oats (which are okay for some animals to eat) wildlife may inadvertently ingest loads of plastic.
If you still want to participate in this tradition, consider a more wildlife-friendly recipe, like this one from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). They suggest ingredients such as wild bird seeds, dried cranberries, grated cheese, and dried insects.
Rewear that ugly Christmas sweater.
In 2019, Hubbub, an environmentally-focused charity based in the UK, estimated that 12 million new Christmas sweaters would be purchased during the holiday season, with 65 million sweaters already gracing British wardrobes at the time. To make matters worse, two in every five of those sweaters purchased are only worn once during the entire Christmas season, and one in three people under 35 buy a new one every year. Many of these sweaters contain acrylic (plastic) fibers with 95% being made wholly or partly from plastic.
To avoid contributing to clothing waste, rewear your old Christmas sweater, or sew on some patches to make it even uglier than last year!
Send out seed paper cards.
If you love to send out loads of holiday cards, consider sending out seed paper cards! Instead of throwing away the card after the holiday season, your loved ones can cut it up and plant the pieces. Seed paper cards are often made with wildflower seeds, so in a few months, you will be helping their local pollinators. If seed paper is cost-prohibitive, consider avoiding cards with glossy coatings, glitter and gold foil that prevent the paper from being recycled.
Wrap your gifts in reusable or recycled materials.
While wrapping paper helps keep the joy of gift-giving alive, it’s contributing to the waste that’s killing our planet. You may be thinking: “But paper is recyclable?”. And in some cases, you would be right, but especially during the festive season wrapping paper has non-paper additives, such as gold foil or glitter, that are definitely not.
Instead of using traditional wrapping paper, why not give your gifts in drawstring gift bags that can be reused, Canvas totes, or wrapped in newspaper (just make sure you use positive news stories…).
Are you going to try out any of these tips this holiday season? Or do you have any of your own to share?
Let us know what you think on Facebook or Instagram, – and Happy Holidays!
About the Author – Hayley Fier
Hayley is a recent graduate of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences where she completed her Master’s degree in Marine Conservation and Policy.
Before joining the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) as an intern in January 2023, she spent her time interning at zoos and aquariums, learning about husbandry for animals in human care and educating the public about conservation.
As part of her role, Hayley works with IAATO’s Antarctic Ambassadorship Committee to create content and resources to help create and support Antarctic Ambassadors around the world.