With the holiday season approaching, many families are eager to take a long break and celebrate their respective holidays. Millions of gifts will be bought and wrapped, without the bat of an eye. The plastic used to manufacture these gifts will take a massive toll on the environment, and finding ways to combat the usage of materials detrimental to our planet is principal toward helping our planet heal from extreme pollution. 

When having guests over at your house over the holidays, refraining from single use plastic is the best option and utilizing washable plates is suggested. Many holidays, such as Christmas include decorations, lights and trees. Instead of buying materials that are thrown out after one holiday, consider buying decorations that last until the next year, reducing hassle and garbage. Plastic trees are a sustainable alternative to buying a living Christmas tree, which is single use, and requires a substantial amount of resources to grow.

Using materials such as fabric, newspaper or cloth, to wrap gifts is a more sustainable option than regular plastic wrap. It is approximated that $12.7 billion of plastic wrap is sold every year. Another way to save plastic and still create memories, is to stop buying materialistic gifts, and instead go on a trip, picnic or adventure. Gifts like these save plastic, are low-cost and build unforgettable memories. 

Finding alternative ways to shop isn’t the best resolution to decrease pollution; shopping locally cuts down on packaging waste, pollution from transporting the material and the large factories misuse.  By supporting small businesses, you’re not only saving plastic waste, you’re helping your community and funding innovative entrepreneurs.

By following this holiday season’s reduced waste plan, it’s possible you will get into healthy habits and keep living by these principles. Changes to your life like these may seem small, but when everyone starts becoming more aware of this pressing issue and consciously thinks about how they can reduce their carbon footprint, drastic results will occur.