As a member of the Cisco Chief Sustainability Office, I am deeply invested in our planet and hope to help educate others on various topics surrounding environmental sustainability.
Switch to LED lights: Decorating with lights is popular this time of year.
If everyone were to switch to LED lights, the usage would decrease to one quarter of the amount, as LED use about 85% less energy than traditional lights.
Cut down on food waste: Hosting dinner parties, baking cookies, and sharing meals are all delicious ways to enjoy the gift of food, but they can also lead to unexpected waste.
According to ReFED, it makes up 24% of all landfill inputs, making food the number one material in landfills.
Start with buying only what you need and plan ahead if you know you need to feed a certain number of people.
The decomposition of food and other organic materials in an environment without oxygen, produces methane, a greenhouse gas.
Wasted food is responsible for 58% of landfill methane emissions.
One of the easiest ways to cut down on food waste is simply eating all your leftovers.
Be conscious of packaging and decor: Opening a special gift from a loved one can create an unmatched feeling.
Don't worry, you can be sustainable and still experience the surprise of unwrapping a gift.
Another part of holidays that bring both joy and waste are decorations.
Besides making your own decorations, another option is to thrift or buy secondhand.
Like decorations, gifts are a perfect opportunity to get creative and make something homemade.
If you aren't the DIY type, secondhand stores have gift options for everyone.
Cisco's Erin Carter from Chapel Hill, United States likes to incorporate both by buying cute baskets at thrift shops, lining them with paper, and filling them with cookies as gifts.
A final idea from Cisco's Scott Weber based out of Ann Arbor, United States is a book exchange where each person brings a book that they enjoyed reading over the past year.
It's estimated that buying locally generates 3.5 times more wealth than shopping at national chains.
Don't forget, Cisco provides 10 days a year of Time2Give, donates $10 for every hour volunteered, and matches dollar for dollar on approved organization donations.
There are probably hundreds of other ways that we can practice sustainability during the holiday season.
This Cyber News was published on feedpress.me. Publication date: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 14:14:10 +0000