How to have a climate-friendly holiday season in Whatcom County

While the holidays should be spent relaxing and enjoying the company of loved ones, there are a few, simple actions that can be taken to limit the climate change impact of enjoying them.

Gifts, wrapping

Wrapping paper and plastics are a large part of the holiday season. Brandi Hutton, Toward Zero Waste coordinator with Sustainable Connections, a Bellingham based non-profit, said what we wrap our presents in is just as important to the climate as the presents themselves. Foil wrapping paper cannot be recycled, but plain paper can. If wrapping with ribbons and bows, save them and reuse them next year.

Hutton told The Bellingham Herald she wants to be sustainable during the holidays, and has wrapped presents with brown paper shopping bags. Hutton also recommends people use re-usable wrapping materials like gift bags that can be used year after year.

Food waste

Food waste is one of the largest contributors to climate change. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over one-third of all food produced in the U.S. goes uneaten, and food is the most common material sent to landfills and incinerated.

“The idea of abundance and eating so much is commonplace in our society,” Hutton said. “We have this idea that we need to overcook at Christmas time.”

Leftovers are great, if people eat them all. Freeze what you’re unable to eat right way, Hutton said. She also recommends labeling the food in the freezer with what it is and when it was frozen.

For people who do not want any leftovers, there is an online tool called the guestimator at savethefood.com that can predict how much food you should make for a dinner party, Hutton said.

Decorations

Americans use 3.5 billion kilowatt hours in December to power Christmas lights, costing an estimated $645 million according to Forbes. LED lights use 75% less energy than standard incandescent lights and they can last up to 25 times longer.

Don’t just throw the old lights out either, recycle the holiday lights. In Bellingham, Sanitary Services will recycle broken holiday lights, computer cables and extension cords for scrap metal. Just bundle the cords, tie them with string or a rubber band and place them next to the recycling bin.

A timer on Christmas lights is another easy way to save energy.

Christmas trees, real ones, can be recycled. The Boy Scouts of America offer tree pickup a few days after the holidays. These trees are put through a wood chipper and recycled into ground coverings for local businesses. The service is free, but donations are strongly encouraged. Christmas tree pickup is the largest fundraising event for the Scouts, and pays for most of the Scout’s gear, equipment and trips.

Troop 4007 operates in Bellingham, and has already dropped letters at houses it can pick up from. People looking to donate their trees can drop them off for the troop at a collection point at the Bayside Swimming Club, 502 Clark Road, Bellingham, or at Whatcom Middle School, 810 Halleck St., Bellingham, according to John Trull, head of the Christmas tree collection for the troop.

Transportation

Climate change shouldn’t stop people from visiting their loved ones for the holidays, but there are ways to travel without a major impact on the environment. Try to avoid air travel and carpool when possible, air travel makes up about 2.4% of global emissions, according to the BBC.

Bellingham International Airport saw an average increase of 11.5% in passenger traffic during the holiday season between 2013-2019. The pandemic lowered this number, but Mike Hogan, public affairs administrator with the Port of Bellingham, expects the airport to be about 10% busier this year, and that number will possibly increase to pre-pandemic levels.

This increase in passengers does not lead to an increase in the actual amount of airplanes coming in and out of BLI, just higher load levels per plane. However, even in rich countries like the U.S., only about half the population flies in a year, meaning cutting out a Christmas flight can make a difference, according to the BBC.