Crowdsourcing our 2021 action plan

Plus, bonus tips about greening your holiday season

While 2020 surely hasn’t been easy, we can’t completely call it a wash. Collectively humanity did what no one ever imagined we could do and, according to the Guardian, we lowered global emissions by 4.6%. Since March, most Americans have halted their just-under 30-minutes average commutes to work. Around the globe we stopped taking all those unnecessary flights. We had major ceremonies like reunions, bar mitzvahs, funerals, and weddings via Zoom. We started walking and running and biking. People grew gardens and ate local. Effectively, we gave the Earth the respite it needed to begin to heal.

Most importantly, we’ve learned that we can change when necessary.

Photo by Eddie Broitman

Heading into 2021

Helping protect, and heal, the Earth is the single-most important work of our generation. This work has never felt so necessary. 2021 is the year we’re going to have to use our mom (and dad!) voices to ensure our kids can be grandparents!

As we head into the new year, I want to hear from you. What tools, actions, and inspiration can I provide to help inspire you to take one easy (and direct) action a week to protect the planet? Please share what you’d love to hear more of in this newsletter? Tangible actions? Inspirational stories? Ideas to live a greener life? Activism? What can we do as a community to protect our kids’ futures?

Bonus green holiday ideas!

So many of you reached out to me after my last newsletter, and I wanted to share some of your great green holiday gift ideas.

Gift wrapping: My friend Ana Paola Teeple wraps presents in recycled gift bags or fabric. I often use old maps or decorate newspapers. Another reader said she uses dishtowels, since “who cares what it’s wrapped in.”

Green Holiday Community Commitments: One reader told me her community was organizing a green holiday agreement to try to create less waste for the holiday season. This challenge encouraged everyone in their neighborhood to think creatively about gift giving and wrapping to avoid creating additional waste. This could also be a family agreement to only gift secondhand stuff, experiences, or something you create. Each year, I make my boys a photo yearbook, and it’s one of their favorite gifts.

Christmas trees: My guess is a lot of you have a living tree, or even a fake one. Here’s something I’d never heard of, one amazing mama decided to rent a living tree this year. Regardless of the tree situation, it’s in the Earth’s best interest to plant a tree to start the new year.

Mom Siobhain O’Learhy says:

We’ve done years where it was ‘nothing new’ meaning gifts have had to be 2nd hand or homemade. I’ve gifted potted plants and seeds. Saved jars and filled with homemade biscuits for teacher gifts. We made salt dough star decorations for the tree printed with a doily pattern. I’ve made homemade bon bons from saved toilet rolls and recycled paper - filled with jokes and lollies. In the past we’ve asked grandparents for swimming or music lessons which they wouldn’t otherwise miss out on

Mom Alyson Macdonald adds:

We have done Kris Kringle amongst adult family members for a few years now, which means only one gift to sort. Themes have included secondhand, experiences, something handmade, books. My mum has also gifted ‘A Big Day Out’ for each of her grandchildren, where she lets them choose an activity to do with them - eg a trip to Melbourne on the train to go to a museum, or a trip to a pottery class. For adults with children, babysitting vouchers are always great. For people overseas still in lockdown, look at buying them online classes in something they enjoy (exercise, dance, language, arts/crafts, I am even doing an online permaculture course at the moment).

Mama Naomi Escott chimed in:

When I bought my first Christmas tree I made a decision to only buy fair trade or handmade decorations to stop myself before temptation set in.

I love making advent special but try not to buy single use activities. I have Christmas books, puzzles and LEGO sets which we do each year and one day I might have grandkids to do them too! Other activities we do include making paper ornaments, building gingerbread houses and baking together.

I fill my kids’ stockings with things they need like pajamas, undies, a toothbrush (check out these zero waste ones!), a reusable water bottle.

Have your own eco-friendly holiday ideas? Are your holiday lights run on solar? Do you have environmentally-friendly stocking stuffer ideas? We’d all love to hear your inspirational holiday hacks here.

Growing Sustainable Together book giveaway winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered to win a copy of Growing Sustainable Together by Shannon Brescher Shea.

Our winner is Lauren Matison! Congratulations.

For those who entered and didn't win, my holiday gift to you is 35% off a paperback copy, ebook or audiobook copy of Growing Sustainable Together, from NorthAtlanticBooks.com with the code climatesolutions35 through January 1. 2021.

*limit one discount per person. Shipping limited to the U.S.