Regardless of how you celebrate, holidays are a time of joy, togetherness, and reflection. However, it can also be a time of excessive consumption. By shifting to more sustainable holiday traditions, we can enjoy the holidays while also reducing our environmental impact.

To have more sustainable holidays, it’s critical to plan ahead. Before you begin your holiday preparations, take some time to consider the impacts of your current traditions, including travel, shopping, and meals. Then, consider the meaningfulness of these practices compared to their environmental impact. Ask yourself: how can you decrease your environmental impact while maintaining the same meaning, or even while making your practices more meaningful by integrating sustainability?

Your plans will vary based on the holidays you celebrate and how you celebrate them, but to get you started, here are some ideas to consider:

• As much as possible, plan gatherings that minimize travel or choose eco-friendly transportation options, and encourage other guests to do the same.
• Consider planning a plant-based meal, or even just replacing one meat dish with plant-based one. For meat dishes that you don’t replace, source your meat products locally and organically.
• Look for gifts that are locally-sourced, handmade, or upcycled, and be sure to only gift items you know the recipient will use and enjoy. Instead of a physical item, you can instead make a charitable donation in someone’s name. Opt for reusable gift wrap, such as fabrics.
• Look for decorations that are sustainable, such as energy-efficient LEDs instead of fluorescent bulbs.
• Seek out opportunities to connect with your community around holidays, such as hosting a block party or neighborhood potluck.

Regardless of the changes you want to make, be sure to begin this process in advance. Give yourself plenty of time to plan for your new traditions, so you can implement them with success.