Happy holidays, dear friends!
I hope you and yours enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving. As always, I have much to be grateful for, including a loving, supportive family, incredible friends, and — drum roll, please — a successful hip surgery! While I’m not back up and yoga-ing (or, let’s face it, working and socializing) like usual, I’m hobbling around a bit more each day.
But for three solid weeks, I did little but lay in bed, lulled into a medicated sleep that finally gave me refreshing rest — something I haven’t experienced in a decade.
One evening, I awoke from a long nap to find a small cardboard cube on the edge of the bed. I recognized the handwriting immediately: Kate, one of my longest and closest friends. We’d just had an epic phone conversation about the upcoming vote to ratify the new SAG/AFTRA contract, but she didn’t mention a delivery.
Inside the package sat a vintage chinoiserie ceramic cat trinket box. “Found this a hundred years ago when going through [my elderly cousin’s] stuff,” read the accompanying note. “Who else, after all, do I know in my life who even might appreciate this?”
I smiled ear to ear. This fusion feline made the perfect pick-me-up.
Another day, I awoke to a package from my childhood friend Kevin, who sent me used copies of Douglas Adams books to help me pass the time (and which I’ll read when I wake up, I swear). Other days, dear friends Jill and Marjorie dropped off vegan treats, and sweet Maya left a tub of yummy homemade soup and a loaf of bread. No balloons, stuffed animals, or cut flowers, just thoughtful, convenient, and sustainable gifts.
And while this story is no O. Henry tail, er, tale, it does have a bit of a moral: You don’t have to buy the newest, best, fanciest, most expensive thing to choose a great present. You just have to show the recipient you truly know who they are.
How To Gift Sustainably
The U.S. might not be cool enough to have the world’s first recycling shopping mall, but making climate-conscious gift choices is easier than ever. Instead of falling prey to the overwhelming consumerism this time of year, here are a few ways to enjoy giving and receiving without adding to your carbon footprint.
Search out secondhand items
Keep usable goods out of our landfills and oceans by hunting for gifts at in-person or online resale shops — the circular economy in action. If you need any tips on how to tackle your first antique store, flea market, or garage sale, drop me a line. I’m an expert on buying used, having purchased nearly everything I own secondhand since 2008, as evidenced by this little ditty.
Buy from online retailers that purchase carbon offsets
Shopping online actually has a smaller footprint than shopping in-store. Still, 37% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from shipping and returning products purchased online. Imperfect as they are, carbon offsets have the potential to fund sustainable development and conservation efforts while delivering your gifts.
Give business to small and local shops
Buying small helps stimulate the local economy and reduces transportation emissions. Plus, many small businesses are women- and minority-owned, giving more opportunities for consumers to support people who have traditionally been excluded from the marketplace.
Look for gifts with minimal or no plastic packaging
Less than 10% of all plastic ever created has been recycled. The rest of it will sit in landfills for hundreds of years. As it breaks down, plastic pollutes our water supplies, resulting in our consuming a credit card’s worth of plastic each week. Less plastic means less waste and better health for people and the planet.
Keep an eye out for certifications
Companies with certifications like B Corp, 1% for the Planet, and fair trade help ensure your gifts were created under ethical and environmental principles.
Give gifts people actually want
Unfortunately, not every returned item gets resold, causing about five billion pounds of unwanted merchandise to wind up in landfills. Prevent this waste by giving easy-to-enjoy gifts that reflect the recipient more than the giver.
Choose experiences over things
Whenever I visit my nephews in Colorado, we pick a couple of family activities instead of a big haul of stuff. Research shows that experiences foster stronger relationships than material items. Plus, experience gifts usually have smaller carbon footprints than objects that have to be made, packed, transported, gift wrapped, and eventually rehomed or tossed.
Donate in your loved one’s name
For the person who has everything, there’s nothing better than giving to one of these or many other non-profits doing important work:
Pacific Forest Trust – helping preserve forests for carbon sequestration
Rewilding America Now – helping restore wild horses across U.S. grasslands
Story of Stuff – helping combat plastic pollution
LA Waterkeeper – helping keep the region’s waterways healthy
Giving Multiplier – transforming your donation into more
Closing Out the Year
I began 2023 with a focus on climate storytelling and getting a handle on my connective tissue disorder. What became clear was how much I needed to prioritize my well-being so I could continue working.
For the first time in, well, my entire life, I don’t have any exciting announcements, no big projects in the works. My dance card is full of physical therapy and trigger point injections. This limbo feels strange for an overachiever like myself, but I’m doing my best to find equilibrium amidst the uncertainty.
The next time you hear from me, I hope to report weeks of pain-free, well-rested sleep with great progress on rehabbing my hip. You’ll certainly be getting more great news about the future (Wireless EV charging! Carbon farming!) and tips on how to green your 2024 and beyond.
In yet another year fraught with war abroad and division at home, we remain united in creating a more compassionate, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Thank you for opening your heart and your email.
Wishing you a merry everything, filled with laughter and love. I’ll be home in Colorado, so I’ll leave you with my favorite song of the season from composer Samuel Lancaster.
Buone feste,
P.S. Forgive this belated newsletter. It’s been a heck of a fall.
Thank you for this and you. Now, continue breathing in reprieve.