‘Tis the Season to be Sustainable

As December approaches, many of us prepare for the holidays and celebrations such as Christmas, New Year’s and more. These holidays are deeply meaningful to many, and offer a great time for folks to rest, reflect and reconnect with loved ones! For others, December also represents a time filled with get-togethers, gifts, parties and a bit of retail therapy. It’s easy to get swayed into the holiday spirit as one walks along streets decorated by twinkling lights, excited to bring home some new ornaments or a fresh Christmas tree. Staying in to decorate with family and picking out gifts for loved ones are memories I truly cherish.

However, as someone passionate about sustainability who joined the EPA, I have met many who have challenged me to see my practices through a different lens that has pushed me to really reflect on what my ignorance during the holidays can mean for the planet. 

December is also a time when sustainability can be easily forgotten, and overconsumption becomes a normalized routine we tend to dissociate from. It’s easy to keep ourselves oblivious, especially because the winter holidays come just once a year, and many of us have just finished our finals. But with the rise in travel, gift-giving, Boxing Day, and Christmas shopping, food waste, and disposable decorations and ornaments, this holiday season can rapidly turn into new horrors for the environment; this can look like full landfills, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and massive amounts of waste that can end up exported to other nations. In fact, the environmental impact of the holiday season is undeniably huge. The production and disposal of decorations (many of which are non-biodegradable and energy-intensive) can increase carbon footprints. Surges in packaging waste and single-use plastics can contribute to exacerbating the environmental crisis! Holiday feasts are one of my favourite parts of December, but the carbon footprint of these meals, the year-round processes of the production and transportation of food, as well as the rise in food wastage during the holidays can contribute heavily to GHG emissions. Improperly discarded Christmas trees, non-recyclable wrapping paper, and general overconsumption all result in higher waste, higher energy use, and an environmental crisis. 

And these results are further highlighted when we think about our celebrations as students; many of us just enjoyed Halloween, a day that already generates huge waste streams and overconsumption if not celebrated mindfully! December, then, gives us a reminder to really think about how we can conduct ourselves and our celebrations in an environmentally conscious way. How can we enjoy these holidays while being kinder to the environment, especially in an era of late-stage capitalism when overconsumption is advertised as necessary? 

I have chosen to categorise these approaches into three interconnected steps; they are not rigid or separate, but complement each other to encourage you and your community to question your institutions, decisions, and practices. 

You can start by individually making greener choices. Your actions add up, and even minor changes in your everyday decisions can make a bigger difference than you might expect! To ensure that your gifts for loved ones are more sustainable, ethically sourced, and less energy-intensive, consider shopping locally and supporting the small businesses that avoid the emissions-heavy processes of production and transportation such as those of large corporate chains. You can also choose to make your own presents, ornaments, decorations and wrapping paper instead of buying new materials. Additionally, buying second-hand goods or thrifting can help reduce waste and lower demand for new items. And as a huge advocate for re-gifting (hot take), I would also contend that when it is done intentionally and with care, it serves everyone’s needs by reducing waste and providing gifts to someone who will genuinely use and appreciate it; this consequently reduces short-term use and prevents unnecessary hoarding or consumption.

Try to avoid single-use plastics as much as you can. Consider using scrap paper, newspapers or reusable gift-bags for your gifts. When it comes to Christmas trees, you can opt for a reusable one, or even rent a tree.

Finally, you can create experiences rather than relying on indoor festivities! Going for nature hikes, bird-watching, and long-walks create experiences that allow folks to reconnect with nature and learn more about their environments, instilling a sense of belonging and stewardship while also lowering the impacts of holiday lightings and energy-use.

The second step to making these holidays sustainable, is to focus on the bigger picture. We cannot just make one holiday sustainable and then return to old habits. Sustainability requires an ongoing process of challenging our processes and the way we choose to do things. Thus, the second step is about sharing these ideas of sustainability and encouraging environmentally friendly ways of giving, because our strength is in numbers. Think about potlucks, carnivals, gifts for parties and get-togethers. How much waste do these events generate when one doesn’t consider sustainable practices? Share ideas about creating sustainable practices all year round with your friends, roommates, clubs, and families. Consider spreading these practices to other groups, facilitating dialogue about sustainability and self-awareness, sharing resources about holiday traditions, and encouraging your circle to think about sustainable alternatives. Consumer habits spread socially, and you can use your choices and positionality as a consumer to influence others.

Finally, the third step is to change the system and challenge mindsets. This is one of the most impactful actions we can take, and you can do so by joining environmental organizations, action groups, climate action networks and clubs to spread awareness about focusing on mindful consumption and environmental advocacy. To learn more, you can start by educating yourself, and then speaking up and challenging practices when you see harm done. Some resources about sustainable practices include a Guide to organizing events and minimizing their environmental impacts - Theseus and Giving the Gift of Goodness: An Exploration of Socially Responsible Gift-Giving | Journal of Business Ethics, and you can also access our further readings section to learn more.

Sustainability doesn’t mean sacrificing your celebrations or joy, but instead working on sustainability intentionally through these celebrations. With a few different choices, we can reduce waste, carbon footprints and energy-use. Happy Holidays, UBC! Stay warm and sustainable!

Works Cited and Further Readings:

Apiday. “7 Tips to Have a Sustainable Christmas.” 7 Tips to Have a Sustainable Christmas, October 16, 2025. https://www.apiday.com/blog-posts/how-can-you-have-a-sustainable-christmas.

Aylmore, Freya. “Christmas: The Environmental Impacts.” The Oxford Blue, December 20, 2023. https://theoxfordblue.co.uk/christmas-the-environmental-impacts/. 

Cowan, Shannon. “How to Have a ‘green’ Christmas.” Eartheasy, November 14, 2024. https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/how-to-have-a-green-christmas/.

Efficiency, Waste. “Christmas Pollution.” Christmas Pollution, December 20, 2023. https://www.wasteefficiency.co.uk/christmas-pollution-why-its-crucial-to-have-an-eco-friendly-christmas-in-the-uk/#:~:text=Cardboard%20boxes%2C%20plastic%20packaging%2C%20and,a%20surge%20in%20waste%20generation.&text=Christmas%20decorations%2C%20toys%2C%20and%20packaging,add%20to%20the%20environmental%20impact.

Green, Todd, Julie Tinson, and John Peloza. “Giving the Gift of Goodness: An Exploration of Socially Responsible Gift-Giving - Journal of Business Ethics.” SpringerLink, February 5, 2014. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-014-2076-0.

Head, Lesley, and Carol Farbotko. Gifts, sustainable consumption and giving up green anxieties at Christmas, 2013. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016718513001735.

Lammi, Mette. “A Guide to Organizing Events and Minimizing Their Environmental Impacts.” Theseus, 2020. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/335542.

Lee, Marvin. “Real vs Fake Christmas Tree: Comparing the Environmental Impact.” Earth.Org, December 11, 2024. https://earth.org/real-vs-fake-christmas-tree-environmental-impact/.

Wilson, Aaron. “A Guide to a Sustainable Christmas in Canada.” ECO Canada, February 27, 2024. https://eco.ca/blog/a-guide-to-a-sustainable-christmas-in-canada/.