County share: Sustainability hacks during the holiday season
Sustainable gifts are always in. Photo from Pexels.comEast County News Service
Dec. 10, 2025 (San Diego County) -- Going green and being sustainable poses some challenges, and can be especially difficult to navigate during the holiday season.
Gving and receiving gifts and packages of all makes and models -- and most come with wrapping of all types -- plus boxes, bags, ribbons, bows and more can make it difficult to be sustainabile-minded.
But you can do it! -- so says the communications staff from San Diego County.
In an email shared with media, County communications specialists wrote that we can all create a sustainable and happy holiday season -- being green, leaving a smaller carbon footprint, and conserving our environment and resources so there is some of everything left for future generations.
Some ideas and tips follow.
Give Experiences Instead of Things
It can be tough to find the perfect “thing” to give to friends and family, so cut down on the clutter and future landfill filler and give an “experience” instead.
For example, give someone tickets to a show, free lessons in something they’d enjoy, or a gift card to a local restaurant! For a list of experiences, you can go to WasteFreeSD.org’s “resources” page, do a word search for “experiences” and click on their “Gift Ideas -- Experiences Instead of Things” webpage.
Donations... Another thing you can give, or receive, instead of more physical stuff, is a donation to something you or your family are into, like an animal rescue or a pet cause. Many animal organizations allow you to “sponsor” or “adopt” an animal virtually to rescue it and ensure it is loved and cared for.
Like to cook? Bake a Gift! Everyone loves food during the holidays. And you don’t need to be a world-heralded chef to bake an excellent gift. Things like banana bread, zucchini bread and pumpkin bread are really easy to make. Cookies, cakes, quick breads are all classic gift ideas to create and share.
Shopping
Shopping locally, especially at businesses that feature sustainable and handcrafted gifts, can cut back on a lot of the carbon emissions that your car will put into the atmosphere by driving all over the county — or by having items shipped from faraway places. Holiday markets and farmers markets can be the perfect place to find unique and locally crafted gifts. Find farmers markets here.
If you find yourself shopping online to have gifts shipped, plan ahead and order early so items can be shipped on the ground — truck, trains and ships — rather than having to be rush-shipped by air, which uses more fuel and generates a larger carbon footprint.
Look for gifts without a lot of packaging. Items like candles, soaps, coffee mugs, water bottles, cooking utensils, oils and sauces are often attractive enough to be given with just a homemade bow or come in containers that can be reused again and again.
Give gift certificates to "Zero Waste" stores. More and more “zero-waste” stores are popping up. They’re retailers that sell environmentally friendly products; refillable containers or use compostable packaging; refillable products like shampoos, lotions and detergents; can sell locally grown goods and food; and ask customers to bring their own reusable containers to carry out the goods they buy. San Diego even has a zero-waste salon.
Wrapping
Forget fancy wrapping paper. There are a lot of ways you can wrap holiday gifts without using fancy wrapping paper. In fact, a lot of fancy paper wrapping can’t be recycled. Some alternatives: if you’re into crafts, you can sew your own bags to wrap gifts in, then reuse them every year. Not into sewing? Use scraps of fabric to wrap gifts. And remember to reuse ribbons and bags again in the future.
Another option is to use holiday decorative kitchen towels: Tie them up with a ribbon. They’re reusable and who doesn’t want a new kitchen towel?
If you do use wrapping paper, choose wrapping paper that is made from recycled materials and can be used again.
Holiday Cards
Go digital, and instead of buying and sending paper cards, send electronic cards like the ones here. And of course, you can post holiday greetings to friends and family on social media.
Food and Gatherings
Inviting friends over for food? Plan ahead, shop smart and serve just enough to make everyone happy without wasting food. Yes, figuring out how much food to make can be difficult. However, SaveTheFood.com has a “Guest-imator” that can help you calculate just how much food you need to prepare, based on how many people you’re serving and how much they typically eat, even during holiday feasts.
Invite guests to bring their own reusable food container). Asking guests bring their own reusable “to go” containers is an idea that should catch on. That way if there are leftovers, it’s easy as pie for your guests to bring some home. No waste and no one-time-only food containers.
Don’t forget to compost leftovers if you do have them. If you don’t have your own compost pile or bin, you can place any remaining food scraps (not meat or bones) and organic waste into your curbside green bin.
If you’re interested in buying a composting bin, you can look for potential rebates on the WasteFreeSD.org’s website. Just go to the site’s “find an item” search tool, select the “select common items” drop-down menu and look for “composting bin rebates” under composting.
The tree
Some are familiar with stringing popcorn and cranberry garlands to hang on a Christmas tree, but there are other alternatives as well. You can also make your own craft ornaments from paper, pinecones, seashells and other natural items.
Using a real tree and natural wreaths? Remember to recycle them instead of tossing them out where they can end up in landfills to decompose and generate climate-changing methane.
If you’re debating whether to have a real tree or an artificial tree, many articles and experts suggest that you need to use an artificial tree for seven to 10 years to create a lower carbon footprint than a real tree.
Recycled trees and wreaths can be turned into mulch to improve soils at parks, farms, home gardens and landscapes. Check with your waste hauler to find out if they offer curbside pickup. Or go to the County’s recycling and hazardous waste database, WastefreeSD.org, to find Christmas tree drop-off sites near you.
County personnel conclude by sharing that "Sustainability is a gift for the earth, your children and their children. And have a happy sustainable holiday season!"