We love helping nonprofits fundraise, but also believe in the power of individual action. 

Last year, our company’s internal Sustainability Special Interest Group created this holiday guide for social media and our research still holds true in 2023. 

Let’s use these tips to work together and make the holiday season greener.

Choose a real tree over a fake tree

Real trees get the gold star for being better for the planet. 

Fake trees require more energy to produce and transport, and eventually become landfill trash despite being reused year after year. 

Real trees are recyclable and biodegradable, and new trees are replanted after harvest.

Choose LEDs over incandescent light strands

Give the green light to LEDs over traditional incandescent lights any day. 

LED lights use 0.04 watts per bulb, 100 times less wattage than incandescent bulbs. 

LED bulbs also generally have a longer lifespan than incandescents. Plus, if one of the LED lights does burn out, the rest of the strand stays lit. 

Know your candles

Here’s a bright idea: for the health of yourself and the planet avoid candles that contain paraffin-based wax and lead-cored wicks. These materials are harmful to humans and the environment. 

Use candles with wax made from soy, beeswax or coconut and with wicks made from cotton, hemp or wood. 

Gift mindfully

Don’t forget your mother this holiday season – Mother Earth, that is. Keep waste to a minimum when gifting. 

Some low-waste gift ideas:

• Gift an experience, like dinner or a massage, so there aren’t unnecessary materials being used. 
• Buy locally-made items, art or produce to cut down on shipping and packaging resources.
• Stick to one gift per person. Think quality over quantity. 

Wrap without waste

Once more point before we wrap things up. When preparing gifts, use recycled paper, old maps, comics or newspapers. 

You can even check out some tape-free wrapping techniques online such as furoshiki, the Japanese art of fabric wrapping.