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Holiday Gives That Support the Planet

So much of the holiday season surrounds the act of giving, why not support the planet with your holiday gifts. The holidays are an opportunity to get together with friends and family, enjoy meals together, and share gifts with one another. The holiday season is filled with joy for many of us, and by adding small gives to our planet we can truly make it the most wonderful time of the year.

Send an E-Card To Support The Planet

Sending an e-card is a great way to show your loved ones you’re thinking of them during this holiday season, especially if you are not able to get together with them due to Covid-19. It’s less wasteful than sending the traditional mailed holiday cards as it doesn’t require any paper or gas for shipping, and it’s guaranteed they’ll receive it because there’s no chance it can get lost in the mail– making it a win-win for everyone!

Make Your Holiday Treats Plant-Based

We all deserve to indulge during the holiday season. By making slight changes in our holiday recipes, both our planet and our taste buds will thank us. An easy way to make your favourite holiday treats plant-based this year is by swapping the milk products in the recipe for plant-based milks like oat or cashew, and by using vegan margarine rather than butter. You can also make your holiday meal more environmentally friendly by swapping meat products in your main course for hearty vegetarian options like beans, tofu, or tempeh.

Get Creative With Your Gift Wrap

Every year, gift wrap produces a lot of unnecessary waste. The name ‘wrapping paper’ is quite deceitful, considering it is not the type of paper that can be recycled due to the materials used to create it. Ways you can support the planet while still wrapping your gifts include re-using gift wrap from previous years, or opting for more environmentally friendly gift wrap made from compostable materials. If you’re feeling creative, make your own gift wrap out of old items you can find around your house like baskets, glass jars, brown bags, fabric scraps, magazine covers, or the classic newspaper comics.

Rethink Your Decorations To Support The Planet

While decorating your home with festive pieces may be charming, a lot of holiday decorations are made of plastic that will one day find their way to a landfill. By rethinking ways to decorate our homes this holiday season, we can help support the planet without losing out on that cozy charm. Fallen branches and pine cones found in a forest are great alternatives to the plastic centrepieces that are sold in stores. Or if you’d like to get more crafty, this website has great ideas for making your own decorations out of materials like old Christmas cards, food tins, cinnamon sticks, cds, and plastic bottles.

Opt Out of Gift Giving and Donate Instead

With the restrictions many of us are facing during the times of Covid-19, this year is a great time to rethink how you’ll be giving gifts to the ones you love. Rather than going through the stress of shipping gifts to your friends and family and hoping they receive them on time, why not scratch out gift swapping altogether and donate to a charity instead? Global Organizations that are great options to donate to include the World Wide Fund for Nature, Environmental Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the Sierra Club Foundation.

Making a positive impact on the planet together as a family will make you feel more connected than ever, despite how far away you may really be from one another. Sign up for the 365give Challenge so that you and your family can keep on giving to the planet, even after the holidays are over.

 

What people are saying about 365give

“I wanted to express my gratitude for the teaching you provided today. Your message was delivered eloquently, compassionately, and without judgment. The kids were engaged, and now have knowledge with which they can change the world. We all appreciated how you took the time to help us learn to build positive mindsets and practice happiness.”
Shelley Gardner, Grade 6 Ridgeview Elementary (West Vancouver)
“Actions really do speak louder than words, which is why I believe the 365give Challenge has resonated throughout my community. Every give we do is so important to us and leaves us happier and appreciating our lives a little bit more than before.”
Mahina Niyozova (Tajikistan)
“After watching the 365give TEDx Talk, I was inspired to join and begin a daily giving program in India. Today, along with 12 other volunteer women, we provide 100 meals to local underprivileged children in Bangalore for school every day.”
Deepika Ahuja, Mom (Bangalore, India)
“My life has greater meaning now.”
Renate Jorge, @BeKindBrazil and 365give Member, Family Program (Brazil)
“I just wanted to share that 365give really helped me. I am a better person now, thank you.”
MayLee, 365give Member, Individual Program
“This 365give Challenge has really injected excitement and extra enthusiasm in each work day as I think about what we can do. It has motivated me and the students.”
Cristina Peters, School Counselor (New York City, USA)
“I have seen a huge shift in energy throughout my classroom since doing the 365give Challenge. The Challenge has empowered my students to make a positive difference in the school’s community and beyond.”
Cella Adriana, Special Needs Educator /The Holliswood School (New York City, USA)
“The 365give Challenge helps students understand their impact on others. It opens avenues for introducing and discussing global and local issues in classrooms. It is powerful to watch students of all ages think about how they can make a change in another person’s life with one small act.”
Jessica Hall, Primary Teacher, French Immersion at École Pauline Johnson (West Vancouver, Canada)