Sustainable Holiday Gift Ideas for everyday ease can be simple and can be incorporated year-round to smooth out the edges on our Holiday preparations.
Alisha Drinkwater is a Senior Environmental Biologist with the GOC with 20+ years of experience creating, developing and implementing tangible changes in the way environmentally mandated Departments mitigate for environmental stressors in aquatic environments and sensitive ecosystems. She is a 5 year Board Executive member of Project Watershed (Comox Valley Project Watershed Society - Project Watershed). She has been recognized by her peers, senior managers and Provincial Minister of Environment for her contributions ensuring environmental resilience and sustainability. She is also a mental health advocate championing setting a #ThriveTrajectory and #ModernLifestyle with intentional, fulfilled living www.LuluWCLifestyle.com. She has lived experience with childhood Anxiety. She is also an Ambassador of the Op-Ed Project (www.theopedproject.org) – Changing who writes history.
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Hello, Wonderful Human!
Welcome to #ALettertoHope Blog.
As a person that lives with managing anxiety, the holidays are an interesting point in time. It’s a time of year already difficult when facing the darkening fall skies, and the long coastal winters with rain and snow. With family and community events in the middle of that dark period, I often enter into the holidays somewhat depleted. When we approach our Holidays with a dash of intention, we can create EASE with annual and holiday gift selection, giving and sharing - creating just a little bit of harmony in a chaotic time…our own Peace on Earth.
When attempting to achieve sustainability with
gift giving, we can make some simple shifts to make that more easeful and do-able.
The holidays provide an opportunity to be reminded to lighten our environmental footprint towards a sustainable one.
Check out these opportunities to incorporate during the year and over the holidays to create a NEW TRADITION of gifting more Sustainably.
Selecting modest & honest gifts
Choosing gifts of a value within reciprocal means is considerate and appropriate
Reciprocation allows for flow between individuals on an energetic level. Reciprocation as an indigenous teaching is fundamental and circular. One does not accept a gift if it's of value beyond what could be reciprocated. Giving a gift of an appropriate value provides an opening for reciprocation and energetic fortification of the relationship.
Choosing gifts of a value within our individual means is always appropriate.
Overextending ourselves isn't a hard thing to do over the holidays…building and sticking to a strict budget can keep us on track.
How much spending money can we reasonably allocate to all our gift giving?
Target sources for gifts that align with our values and budget limits.
Consider crafted gifts to reduce heavy price tags and support local artisans
A handmade Christmas ornament can be both reasonably priced and a special touch for a special person.
Creating gifts by whichever talents we are cultivating is a very special gift idea for a loved one.
2. Sustainable packaging & supplies
Selecting natural fiber or paper-based product options always over those containing plastic for our gifting and packaging needs.
Kraft wrapping paper options reduces the metals and added plastic finishings that affords shining, sparkling high gloss gift wrap. The production of kraft paper has its own environmental parameters to work within, however, introducing any plastics into our selection process, diminishes the sustainability returns on our enviro-friendly investment.
Stick with paper products for our packaging and mailing supplies, (i.e., paper padded envelopes with recycled paper fill)
Uline offers wholesale options paper padded mailers and kraft crinkle paper fill
Selecting packaging from suppliers with sustainable values systems.
Companies and suppliers will eagerly share their sustainability directives with their customers when this is a set foundation of the business. They will demonstrate ethical and sustainable considerations in their company to showcase honest attempts to minimize their environmental and plastic footprint of their operations, within the products they produce or the packaging for their products.
Minimizing the amount of tape used for gifts and packaging, reinforcing with natural fiber twine, if necessary.
Other easy options when making selections:
Choosing naturally based adhesives for wrapping of gifts and packages
Choosing paper products or printing services using environmentally friendly dyes
Reusing giftbags
Wrapping gifts in reusable fabric
Upping our gift-wrapping game!
3. Shop Local! Procure goods from local producers, shops and artisans.
When we support these local hubs of local economy, it nourishes our community through a flow of monetary support. Trickling all through the fabric of the community.
Shopping locally will exponentially reduce the carbon footprint that interconnects with products from outsourced producers on other continents. The transportation and transition points from production, to transportation, to consumption, to disposal are spread around the globe compound the footprint.
4. Reducing all areas of plastics in our gift giving.
Microplastics are just really small bits of bigger plastic.
We are surrounded by microplastics in our air, in our water and food and oceans. When we make better choices every day about in which products we choose and use, and which to turn away from, we are making progress toward a sustainable footprint.
BONUS GIFTING IDEA:
Taking a Japanese approach to giftwrapping
Adding interesting wrapping designs to our gifts adds another level of consideration in our gifting
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Simple considerations & shifts in how we purchase and choose to reciprocate adds Peace of mind and easy, breezy gifting.
Building a selection of purveyors of sustainable products and gift ideas over time helps increase our options and variety that align with our values.
Every opportunity for more conscientiousness choices ripples forward toward our collective benefit. Our choices matter.
Living Life Beautifully, Conscientiously!
For ideas on special gemstone & crystal gifts for the holiday season and throughout the year, visit the Jewelry Shop HERE.
Tied with Intention -- Reminders of fulfilled living.
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