Eco-Friendly Christmas

 A couple of years ago, I put together a display for my church with some ideas for making holiday gift-giving a little more Earth-friendly from a Christian perspective. Ever the re-user, I saved it and it's back up at St. Paul's UMC again this year! I tried to cover as much as a could without room to go super into detail. If you're interested in any further information or ideas for any particular area, I'm glad to help you find it!

I'm sharing photos of the display with the text typed out for easier reading!

Display in the lower level by the youth wing

Ideas for a more Eco-Friendly Christmas

The holiday season produces an immense amount of waste: hundreds of thousands of miles of of wrapping paper and ribbon, wasted food, unwanted gifts, to name a few.

We give gifts to show our love and appreciation, but what will be remembered?

What is important in life? Relationships, Family, Friendship, Love

What is not important? Stuff!

What will be remembered--trendy toy that will break? Or quality time?

The gift that will break or go out of fashion will enter the waste stream, but a gift of time will be remembered forever. Spending time with loved ones builds bonds and can positively affect our health and well-being.

Gift Giving

When you do buy gifts,

-consider materials

-is it recyclable?

-is it compostable?

-can it be fixed if broken?

-is it good quality? Will it last?

-what will happen to it at the end of its useful life?

-where is it sourced from?

-did it travel far?

-was it ethically produced?

-is it made of safe ingredients and materials?

Gifting ideas:

Instead of buying many little gifts, spend the same amount of one high quality item.

Instead of buying a “thing” to show appreciation, write a letter and tell them, treat them to a meal, or make a donation in their name.

Consider with your family if you’re open to secondhand gifts. Let your family know if they’re OK with you.

Gift a gift of experience: tickets to a play or concert, art class, museum pass, a family trip

For larger groups and extended families, consider round robin, secret santa, or similar gift exchange. Everyone gives and gets a gift but fewer are needed.

Give handmade and local products.

Give heirlooms as gifts now, perhaps with a written description of the history and memories involved with the item.

The little sign at the top reads: "Use what you have! The most sustainable thing is the thing you already have!"

Gift Wrap

Did you know that Marion, Cedar Rapids curbside recycling and Linn County Solid Waste DO NOT accept wrapping paper or tissue paper? Why not? Everytime paper is recycled, the quality of the fiber decreases. Tissue and wrapping paper does not have a high enough quality of fiber to be made into something else.

You can reduce gift wrapping waste by:

-saving and reusing ribbons and tissue paper (and not buying new)

-try reusable alternatives

-furoshiki cloth wrapping

-reusable gift boxes, thrifted baskets

-cloth bags

-get creative!

-use recyclable paper like kraft paper, kids’ art, maps, old posters, newspaper comics, etc.!

Why does any of this matter?

Because everything we use and buy comes from the Earth, which God created and calls good. We are called to be good stewards and make sure everyone can have enough.

Because Jesus instructs us to care for the “least of these”--the most vulnerable people. Today, some of the most vulnerable populations are those impacted the most by climate change and pollution. By simplifying our holidays and reducing our consumption, we can lower our contribution to these problems.