Dec. 5th, 2024
Hey team, and welcome back to one5c! If you’re as into saving the planet as you are toasting the solstice, I’ve got a bit of rough news: Between food, decor, and shopping, household waste spikes 23% this time of year, and the vast majority of people agree that the season has become too materialistic. More garbage means not only more spent resources but also more junk rotting in landfills and spurting methane. The Scrooge-y response to all this would be to call the whole thing off, but…no! It’s the holidays! No grumps allowed.
What we need is a plan. So, we made one. Welcome to 12 Days of Underconsumption. Each weekday between now and December 20, we’ll deliver a tip to sustainably revamp your seasonal gifting, decorating, and cooking—all without harshing your yuletide buzz. We know this is more than you’re used to hearing from us, but once this run’s done we promise we’ll leave y’all alone until the New Year.
We’ve timed each tip to match where you’re most likely to be in your holiday run-up. Our advice for picking the most planet-friendly Christmas tree and culling your shopping list comes early, and we’ll be right there with you two weeks from now when you’re hunting for a last-minute present or scrambling to get things wrapped.
First up, we’ve got some advice about what to do for your kiddos. Forward it to everyone you’ve ever met who’s been up ’til 3 a.m. assembling a Barbie Dream House. —Corinne
Day 1: Blow your sustainability budget on the kids
You probably set some kind of budget for your holiday spending every year: You decide to splurge on the fancy whiskey and get the slightly-less-good wine to compensate. Adopting a climate-conscious approach to the season is no different, but instead of money we’re talking about balancing your decisions’ potential to warm the planet. And so, we’d like to take this moment to suggest that you blow your world-saving budget on the kids. Hear that? It’s OK to buy the toy. What’s not OK is to buy the toy with zero plan for what happens when the little one’s (inevitably) done with it, which is where you, as an adult, can help pull things back in balance.
Want all our tips in one place? Right this way.