Ditching traditional wrapping paper for a greener alternative is one of many ways to cut down on holiday waste.
Image Credit: ABODE STOCK
December 03, 2019 - 6:00 AM
With the zero-waste movement catching on, the holidays are a great time to reduce your footprint and give gifts that people won’t feel bad about receiving.
With a plethora of online ideas, waste-free stores and an ever-increasing list of do-it-yourself projects, there’s plenty of ways to have a holiday with less waste.
The Recycling Council of B.C. has launched a campaign for the holidays aimed at getting people to produce less waste during the festive month. From choosing the most eco-friendly tree to picking the perfect present, this resource can help make the holidays as eco-friendly as possible. Click here to find zero-waste wrapping ideas, eco-friendly holiday meal menus and compare a variety of low-waste gift ideas.
A woman in Kamloops who loves giving but hates garbage is creating her own way to ensure the holiday is as waste-free as possible.
Sarah Fridriksson has worked with the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association on a handful of zero-waste workshops and is now running her own holiday workshop.
“I don’t like Christmas shopping so I’ve always made Christmas presents. I’ve been doing it for years and years, making presents, and I’ve always tried to make presents that are not a big detriment to the environment,” Fridriksson says. “I’m just trying to make people aware that you can give nice gifts that aren’t devastating to the environment.”
Attendees will make beeswax food wrap, perfume, lip balms, bath salts, all-natural cleaners and reusable bags and cosmetic pads. Fridriksson has been in the cleaning industry for over 30 years and says she changed to natural products after two decades of using harmful cleaners. Now, she uses essential oils and vinegar to clean homes and encourages people to gift all-natural cleaners for the well-being of their friends and family.
“They’re not harmless to you or your family or the environment and after 20 years of daily exposure to this really toxic stuff I came up with a lot of cleaning products that I made myself,” Fridriksson says.
She will continue to do workshops in the new year, but notes this will likely be the only one focused on holiday gift-giving. Her holiday workshop takes place on Dec. 7 at 1 p.m., and reserve your spot by checking out her post on the Facebook page Kamloops Climate Action.
Check out your local zero-waste Facebook groups to see what kind of workshops and eco-friendly creatives have to offer for the holidays.
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