Zero-waste store owner shares tips for more sustainable holiday season - NBC Montana
Zero-waste store owner shares tips for more sustainable holiday season | KECI
BOZEMAN, Mont. — It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for many people, it can also be the most wasteful. On average, Americans throw away 25% more trash during the holiday season, according to a study conducted by Stanford University.
The surplus of waste comes from a variety of traditions, including sending Christmas cards, decking the halls and giving gifts.
Zero-waste store owner Heidi Noyes says people can cut back on their holiday waste by being a bit more mindful.
“Do things really need to be wrapped? If they do need to be wrapped, (then) reuse stuff,” said Noyes. She suggests using newspapers or brown paper bags to wrap gifts and cloth ribbon in place of plastic bows.
Other tips for having a greener holiday include using energy-efficient LED lights, shopping locally and gifting experiences that won’t need to be wrapped or returned.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”