zero waste christmas

DIY Old-Fashioned Popcorn Garland

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SUPPLIES

  • Popcorn

  • Thread

  • Needle

  • Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Make your popcorn. You can do this day of or a few days before.

    • Prepping popcorn in advance allows it to get a bit stale so it isn't so brittle when you're stringing it!

  2. Thread your needle, I like to double mine up. Be sure to tie a solid knot at the end and leave extra thread on each end for attaching to your tree!

  3. Thread a piece and push it all the way to the end, test if your knot is secure. Continue adding popcorn kernels, pushing them down the string once you get a several threaded - it saves time to push several, rather than one-by-one.

  4. Continue threading until you have the desired length. Tie another knot at the end.

  5. Add these garlands to your tree, or hang on your wall and enjoy!

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Zero Waste Holiday Gift Guide

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Gifting and Going Zero Waste

I absolutely adore the holiday season, and gift giving is one of the many reasons why! 

If you know me personally, then you know I consider myself to be a pretty master gift giver. I love buying and giving gifts. I'm not as good as Leslie Knope (yet), but that's essentially what I strive for.

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Cards on the table, I started writing this post in September because that's how excited I get every year for the holiday season.

However, the holidays can be very tricky when you are trying to maintain a zero waste lifestyle. 

Giving gifts that people actually want while maintaining your zero waste values can be a bit challenging and confusing. 

So here is a list of awesome holiday gift ideas for those of you trying to stay zero waste, minimal waste, or just eco-frindly in general this holiday season! 

Stay Away from stuff

The easiest way to stay zero waste for the holidays is just not give stuff. Who needs more stufF?

Not going to lie, I do, I'm still pretty young, I move around a lot, and I am working on cultivating some different hobbies. HOWEVER, that does not mean that you need to ask for stuff nor give it! 

Giving Experiences 

My absolute favorite example of zero waste gift giving is giving experiences!

Last Christmas my brother and his fiance got my partner and I a "date night" as a gift. They gave us a gift card to a local restaurant (Urban Root) and to a couple's pottery class at our local arts center! It was so fun and such a creative gift!

  1. A "date night" - pay for dinner and a movie, or for a "wine and painting" class, something a couple could do together!

  2. Tickets to a movie, concert, play, ballet, or museum

  3. Taking them out to eat yourself!

  4. A fun class like cooking, improv, soap making, pottery, rock climbing, etc. Whatever you think you're person might be interested in!

  5. Spa treatments like massages, facials, etc. at a local place

  6. For those long distance friendships, an airplane or train ticket to come see you (or a partial pledge)

Charitable Ideas

Make a donation to a charity in the name of your giftee! 

Try to pick a charity that you know they would like.

Some of my personal favorites are: Heifer International, World Vision, The Earth Organization, and the NRDC

Ok, some Stuff

Ok, so experiences and charitable gifts are awesome, but you may want to actually get some stuff for your loved ones. This is where things can get a little more challenging, but it's totally doable!

Firstly, keep things as local as possible. Try finding locally made soap, tea, coffee, pottery, or yarn shops and get something they'd like made right in your area!

Secondly, go second hand if you can! 

The only reason I don't go second hand at times is because I want people to have the option to return their gift. In this case, I want to make sure that the company that I purchased from meets my own zero waste / ethical standards. 

Stocking Stuffers (under $15)

  1. Stainless Steel Straws

  2. Bulk Spices or Spice Blends

  3. An herb or other plant

  4. Homemade Vanilla Extract

  5. LUSH body products

  6. Organic Socks from PACT

  7. Bulk Tea or Coffee

  8. Soy or Beeswax Candles

  9. Bamboo Travel Utensils

  10. Cotton Produce Bags

  11. Bamboo Toothbrush

Small gifts ($15-50)

  1. GUPPYFRIEND™ Washing Bag

  2. LUSH body products, maybe a little set!

  3. Hydro-flask Wine Tumbler

  4. Little Seed Farm Soap

  5. Pela Compostable Phone Case

  6. Klean Kanteen Tumblers

  7. Beeswax Food Wraps

  8. Organic Wool Dryer Balls

  9. French Press

  10. Yarn, or other knitting/croceting supplies

  11. French Press with bulk coffee

Gifty Gifts ($50+)

  1. Wrapped gift sets from Lush

  2. Wine or other Booze - Go for local stuff if possible!

  3. Safety Razor, Blades, and homemade shaving cream

  4. Locally-made pottery

  5. Klean Kanteen Gift Sets

How to Have a Zero Waste Christmas Tree

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There are multiple ways to have a zero waste Christmas tree. Here are some options for you if you're trying to green-up your Christmas!

Acquiring The Tree

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  1. Cut your own!

    • Here in Colorado we have the option to pay $10 to go cut down a tree from most National Forests. The tree must be 6 inches or less in diameter and cut 6 inches or less from the ground. 

    • Christmas tree cutting is done in designated areas and helps mitigate fire risk!

  2. Find it Local

    • I know this isn't possible for everyone. But if you can find a tree at a local Christmas tree farm, or at your farmer's market, these are more likely to not have been trucked for thousand's of miles to reach your household. 

  3. Plantable Trees

    • You may be able to buy a living evergreen tree w/ the bulb at your local gardening store. After the holidays are over, take it outside and plant it! 

  4. Artificial

    • I don't recommend artificial trees, simply because they can contain PVC or lead and are often made in non-fair trade factories abroad. However, if you really want one, I'd recommend finding one used or vintage!

  5. Non-Traditional

    • The possibilities for non traditional trees are really endless! I recommend doing some searching on Pintrist for inspiration! 

Zero Waste Christmas Tree Ornaments

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  1. Dried Fruit

    • This is the type of ornaments we went with this year! They were super easy, and look great on the tree! Checkout my DIY on how to make your own!

  2. Twig Ornaments - DIY

  3. Crocheted Ornaments - DIY

  4. Wine Cork Ornaments - DIY

Zero Waste Tree Garlands

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  1. Popcorn Garlands - my DIY

    • Also a super easy (and yummy) decoration! I made a bunch of stove-top popcorn, and invited a few of our friends over for a couple drinks and garland making! It was easy and really fun!

  2. Felt Garlands - DIY

Christmas Lights

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Oh dear, Christmas lights. 

This was by far the hardest thing to figure out how to do, and I'll admit my own solution was not perfect. Second hand Christmas lights usually aren't working correcting and can take a significant amount of time to go through and find faulty bulbs.

What I'm trying for now are minimal-plastic LED lights. These are more energy efficient, and should last for a very long time! While they are not plastic free, they are not insulated the same way that traditional lights are, so they have much less plastic.

I think you could go no Christmas lights if you're feeling committed to the cause. If anyone has a better answer to this particular problem I'd be happy for the suggestion!