11 Ways To Have An Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Holiday During Lockdown.
HoHoHo — Have yourself an eco-friendly Christmas — follow your Earthling conscious mind!
Photo by Manja Vitolic
Originally published on Medium.
Time to get real and be the change we want to see in this world and era.
We cannot go into 2021 without really recognizing, accepting, and forgiving ourselves for not knowing (even if you did know, forgive and move forward) but do not forget how unsustainable, unequal, unjust, and white privilege affects the majority of the population on this planet.
We ALL have a lot of unconscious work to do (those who have being awake, and sharing your work. I appreciate you. Thank you.), and become anti-racist is work too. Let’s still hold accountability to corporations, governments, the education system, and corrupted greenwashing companies. Let’s take matters into our own hands, (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), compost, donate what you don’t need anymore, less consumption, less waste,
support BIPOC and POC businesses and support local + eco-friendly brands!
I’ll start by letting you know, how I’ve been reducing my ecological footprint. Which has been a journey of roughly 7 years and 2 years of no more meat consumption. This blog post is a mix of it with some cheer holiday mojo for ya.
The minimalist and eco-warrior process has not been easy, however, it has saved me money, energy, time, and cleared space to be more creative. I’ve shared some of it here. During these times of being at home reading and researching in my environmental field. My work has been getting deeper meaning and urgency lately.
The more I’m learning to decolonize my mind, my ecosystem and help my community by sharing what has worked and doesn’t. The more is clear, we have a lot of conscious work to do because the mainstream media, the government, and all “It’s out of your control” BS which is basically, profiting of our unconscious minds and making it normal because it is what it is. Right?
Is not and we should remember that humans rights need to be respected when it comes to people’s health. Keep tuned, I’ll be releasing more blogs during this month and one of them is about massive research I’ve been doing on the new vaccine.
I’m still a student. Even though I’m an environmental scientist. I still have a lot to learn, since my education most probably was whitewashed and colonized bias education. I’m still grateful to know (not so much of student debt because I swear, I’ve been learning more outside of University than I did when I was there. But hey! here we are. The price of colonized mindset and living in cities where capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy thrive. We are all paying the price of it. In some form or the other. Unless you’ve been privileged enough to pass the middle class and poverty line. Just accepting, recognizing, and moving on).
I’m also grateful that I know nothing. And I’m here learning, dismantling, making mistake, failing by trying, not giving up, forgiving myself and societally imposed limitations, my second language is English, educating my girls, building a community of equity, justice, and earth warriors plus still continue the journey of being a good and conscious citizen for Earth.
We are done with the BS commercials and brainwashing media Christmas whitewashing strategies.
#themoreyouknow: Jesus wasn’t white by the way, and he was very awake and conscious men who die telling us the truth about our unconscious minds. The bible was written by men who were unconscious just like our colonizers. Jesus was killed because he was telling the truth. Which we already know that’s what societies and governments do to people who preach the truth right? He set us free by sacrificing and freeing himself. That’s what being awake is. It’s a form of death. The death of your unconscious mind. The ego. We are all God’s creation, and we are all creatives with special abilities. We just have been conditioned and programmed NOT to believe it. Again, it benefits those who thrive through inequality. Religion and time are illusion folks. Ways to control the unconscious and human psyche. This is why I’m very skeptical of this vaccine and the secretive ways they magically decided that it fits all humans. I’m not for or against it. Just facts. Love, nature, and your conscious + emotional intelligence are your true religion and your medicine. Meditate for 20 mins daily and you will see. Decolonize your mind, and you will see what I mean. Do your own research.
Now, let’s continue because is time we start realizing that our patterns of consumption are unsustainable and it only benefits 1% of people. Which are already extremely and ridiculously wealthy in the middle of a world pandemic.
New Report Shows Top Billionaires’ Wealth Skyrocketing During Pandemic
1. Save Energy
Photo by Evelin Horvath
While saving energy is a good idea any time of year, it’s especially important to address during the holidays with a long winter ahead. Here are some ways to reduce your energy bills while helping the environment at the same time:
Fireplace: While Christmas is all about sipping eggnog while gathered around a fire, your fireplace may actually draw more heat out of your house than it produces, not to mention the pollution released by the smoke. So consider limiting your fireplace use this year, and be sure to close the damper once the fire is completely out.
Thermostat: Turn down your thermostat when you’re asleep or not at home, or install a programmable thermostat to do it for you.
Lighting: Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents (CFLs) to reduce your lighting bill by 75%.
Insulation: Adding insulation to your attic is the best way to reduce your heating and air conditioning bills. Depending on the R-value of your insulation and where you live, you should have 12”-15” or more of insulation in your attic.
2. Shop Local and Support BIPOC Green businesses
Photo by Chris Yang
Rather than burning gas driving around searching for that perfect Christmas present, shop online instead. Having your gifts shipped directly to out of town recipients saves even more energy by minimizing transportation costs.
Canadian Black-owned Green stores (part 1) (part 2) (part 3)
Women-Owned Eco-friendly Canadian Apparel.
USA Black-owned Green stores (part 1) (part 2) (part 3)
Indigenous (part 1) (part 2 ) (Etsy stores ❤) (Shop First Nations)
Latinx American Green (part 1) stores to support!
Etsy stores (Black-owned) ( Latinx owned) (sustainable stores in Etsy) ❤
We’ve curated some of our favorite sustainable businesses above, but here are some resources that feature even more Black-owned companies to support:
The dough is a platform for women makers and has the option to sort by impact and community hashtags, such as #blackgirlmagic.
You can find some great Black-owned Etsy shops here: https://www.hunker.com/13724352/black-owned-etsy-shops
And here is a directory of businesses owned by Black women: https://www.buyfromablackwomandirectory.org/
There are many ways to support Black-owned brands: purchasing their products, giving them a follow on Instagram, subscribing to their mailing list, and sharing their stories with your friends. We hope that this list is a helpful reference for shopping sustainably and supporting the Black, Indigenous, Latin, and POC community — now and always.
3. Give Green Gifts
Photo by Milada Vigerova
Consider giving eco-friendly or homemade gifts to those on your shopping list. Purchased green presents include:
Energy-saving items
Books on green living
Ebooks gifts
Bicycles
Bus/ metro transit passes or monthly passes (if they have a car, a nice way to let them know they should drive less and enjoy taking buses (with masks of course!).
Gift certificates to health food stores or organic restaurants
Membership in an organic farm or co-op
Donations to organizations that support the environment
4. Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping
Olsen Olsen Design (Canadian Etsy Store)
Here are some ways to reduce the waste from gift wrapping:
Buy gift wrap made from recycled paper.
Old newspapers.
Make your own gift wrap from cloth and other materials. For Example Furoshiki Wrapping ❤
Save wrapping paper from gifts you receive to use next year.
Reuse boxes for shipping and gifts, rather than buying new ones.
Recycle wrapping paper (if allowed by your recycling service) and boxes rather than throwing them away.
Don’t forget is not about the gift, is the intention and love behind whatever you choose to give and share. Also, let’s make it normal that this year was rough for you and your family. That if the gift cannot be exchanged, that’s okay. Your company, share good laughs, good food and good moments together. That’s priceless. Those who are able to give and share, remember the universe and god might be using you to deliver someone’s prayers. Be extra kind if you can. You’ll never regret it. ❤
5. Green Christmas Tree
Photo by Loren Cutler
Visit a local Christmas tree farm and cut down your own tree. Not only is it a fun family activity, but it eliminates the transportation required for shipped trees. Try to find an organic tree farm that is pesticide-free to reduce the toxins in your home. Also, plant it in your yard after the holidays are over. Make your own oxygen supply and for your neighbors!
An even greener option is to RENT a live Christmas tree. In London Christmas tree Rental, let’s you rent it and in Jan the tree goes back to live on a farm (can get the same one next year). When the tree reaches 7ft he “retires” and gets planted in a forest!
Yep! Here is in Canada, Vancouver, and Quebec ❤ The USA
6. Make Natural Decorations
Photo by Michelle Henderson
Rather than buying plastic ornaments, wreaths, and decorations shipped from overseas, make your own from pine cones, holly, seashells, river stones, and evergreen branches. Christmas tree lots often will give away branches they’ve trimmed off the bottom of trees.
Homemade presents include:
Baked goods and other food items
Paintings and photographs
Handmade candles
Pottery and ceramics
Sewing and knitting
Handmade ornaments
Woodworking projects
7. Use LED Lights
Photo by Nicolas Gras
These small Light Emitting Diodes use 80% less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, plus they’re cool to the touch. Look for the Energy Star seal for the ones with the highest energy efficiency rating.
8. Limit Lighting and Food Waste
Photo by Markus Spiske
Turn Christmas trees on only when you’re in the room to enjoy them. Turn outside decorations off before you go to bed at night, or put them on a timer that will remember to do it for you. Food waste tips here.
9. Send E-Cards
Replace snail mail cards and letters with e-cards and e-mails to save paper and mailing expenses. It also will reduce your carbon footprint since it eliminates the fuel used for transporting standard mail. ❤ Get creative!
10. Reduce Travel
Photo by JK
Between shopping, trips to visit relatives, and the flurry of parties and other activities, the holiday season often involves a lot of travel, which in turn adds more pollutants to the atmosphere. Every gallon of gasoline used by your car releases 19.4 pounds of CO2, and air travel is equally bad. So if you really want to go green, consider limiting your travel plans this year. Take the bus, or subway (metro) and bring your reusable bags. This winter definitely feels a lot different. Do your best and one thing at a time.
11. Recycle Decorations
Photo by Noah Buscher
After the holidays, be sure to recycle your Christmas tree and other natural decorations rather than sending them to the landfill.
Remember to be kind to your planet, to you, and to others. Stay healthy and conscious.
Love and Light,
_AO.
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