As someone who has been involved in the world of social media storytelling for environmental causes for over a decade, there is one piece of content that I always look forward to seeing circulate at this time of year: an image from Toronto artist Sarah Lazarovic called The Buyerarchy of Needs [1]
I love this piece so much that my colleague and I assembled a blog full of eco-friendly Holiday tips based on these principles – maybe you’ll find some inspiration in them, too!
This image becomes a mental shield during the onslaught of Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails flooding my inbox (for what felt like the entire month of November this time around!). There’s nothing wrong with getting a deal on something you need or want, of course, but when you are in the middle of a climate crisis, constant reminders of the overconsumption contributing to our demise becomes a little…extra.
Especially when you’ve read stats like: up to 80% of the stuff we purchase new — and any plastic packaging they are wrapped in — end up either in landfill, incineration or low quality downcycling, while most of the resources they are made from will only get one use before becoming waste. [2] And according to research by Zero Waste Canada, our country’s waste volume increases by 25% over the Holidays (take a walk on the first garbage day post-Holidays and that statistic will materialize right before your very eyes). [3]
This kind of performative consumption doesn’t necessarily reflect what the Holidays are about – time spent with friends and family, time for rest, time for reflection, time for sharing meals, gearing down and then gearing up for what’s around the corner in the new year. And it doesn’t necessarily reflect what any of us even wants – it has just become habit.
Which is why I get joy from following Lazarovic’s Buyerarchy of Needs for Holiday preparations. Something about wrapping a gift in a reusable upcycled cloth that gets passed from family member to family member every time a gift is given; something about quietly perusing a thrift store or using a local online marketplace to find secondhand gifts; something about making decorations out of dried fruits and other natural items – these are a few of my favourite Holiday things.
Explore all the low waste holiday things
From gifts to decor to wrapping paper and food prep – there’s almost always a creative solution that is easier on the planet and bonus, lighter on the wallet, too. I haven’t bought wrapping paper or tape in I can’t tell ya how long and honestly, it feels great 
I also love the fact that this approach is hitting mainstream popularity. People sharing how they are putting together thrifted gifts. Tutorials on how to make dried orange garland. And spreading the love for reusable wrapping methods. There is just something about participating in these traditions that feels…right.
Unwrap all the reusable wrapping techniques
And once again, I want to reiterate: no one should feel guilty about their purchasing decisions. We live in an economic system that revolves around “infinite growth” – and that requires encouraging infinite consumption, which results in the single-use world of materialism in which we currently reside. And corporations must take the lion’s share of responsibility for this.
I share this with you only in the hopes that these low waste Holiday habits offer a glimpse into a future that just might be right around the corner. As we fight for a Global Plastics Treaty, as we rally to make big polluters pay, as we come face to face with the recognition that there is real power in community – we also bake new traditions into our lives that weren’t dreamt up in a corporate boardroom. But actually hold meaning – for ourselves, for our loved ones, for our community and for our planet.
I hope this email finds you making, thrifting, upcycling and baking into the new year…and the future we all know is possible.
Happy Thriftmas to all, and to all a good climate fight 
Emily,
Digital Content Specialist, Greenpeace Canada
Sources:
[1] sarahl.com
[2] Building a Circular Economy: How a New Approach to Infrastructure can put an End to Waste, Green Alliance and Resource Recovery from Waste, 2019
[3] Canadians to toss 540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper, gift bags this year: advocacy group, December 28, 2017