These sustainable gift ideas reduce waste and turn up the festive spirit

It’s the season of giving, of celebrating, of delivering all the merry. But there’s no way to sugarcoat it, the holidays — particularly gifts — put a strain on the environment. From the gifts themselves to the wrapping paper, tissue paper and festive bags used to package them, the holidays create a lot of waste. You can help by opting for sustainable gifts.

At Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), our 9,500 dairy farmers across the nation are serious about sustainability during the holidays and all year long. Through sustainable farming practices like recycling water up to four times, using renewable energy and keeping their soil healthy, they help the planet and make nutritious, delicious milk at the same time.

Join them in doing what you can to lower your carbon footprint this holiday season by choosing sustainable gifts for your loved ones. We have lots of ideas to make the holidays merry and create a greener future for us all.

Shop local to find sustainable gifts

You might be surprised what local purveyors are creating in your own backyard. Whether it’s candles, jewelry or craft beer, locally made products create a much smaller carbon footprint simply by not having to be transported hundreds or even thousands of miles.  

While you’re in the mindset of shopping local businesses for eco-friendly gifts, you can also find many of your holiday groceries in a sustainable way. 

Your local butcher can offer a holiday turkey or ham raised by farmers in your state. You can buy local honey at farmers markets and retailers. And you can choose sustainably made dairy from a DFA farmer-owned brand near you. Milk from DFA farmer-owned brands travels less than 300 miles from farm to fridge. 

Give consumable gifts to cut down on waste

Food, drinks, soaps and candles — sustainable gifts that disappear once they’re used — are generally great for the environment (and the recipient’s resolution to reduce clutter). 

Consumable gift ideas for everyone on your list:

• Food: Chocolates, cookies, jellies and jams, hot sauce, fancy olive oils, homemade granola, cookie or brownie mix and soup mix
• Dairy: Eggnog and specialty cheeses
• Drinks: Wine, craft beer, specialty teas and gourmet coffee
• Home: Candles, incense, soap and room spray
• Body: Sugar or coffee scrub, lotion, lip balm, bath bombs and bath salts
• Unique: Grow-your-own herb kit, gift cards and themed holiday gift baskets (like movie night or self-care) 

Gift an experience rather than an item

Experiential gifts are winners because they encourage the recipient to try something new and leave behind no clutter or waste. So, this year, skip that sweater, coffee mug or fuzzy hat that is destined to be stuffed in the back of a drawer, and give sustainable gifts that leave behind only memories. Even better? Choose experiential gifts that also promote sustainability.

Experience gift ideas for your loved ones:

• Cooking class, particularly offered by local businesses
• Museum or botanical garden membership
• Painting or pottery class
• Restaurant digital gift card
• Planting kits, especially to teach kids to garden
• Zoo membership

Wrap your eco-friendly gifts in a sustainable way

We all know it’s what’s on the inside of the package that counts, but what it’s wrapped in is worth considering, too. In the world of sustainability, single use is not our friend. That’s a conundrum when it comes to gift wrap, because roll after roll is torn to shreds before you even finish your Christmas morning coffee. A whopping 2.3 million pounds of wrapping paper ends up in the landfill each year.  

But it doesn’t have to be this way! Get creative with wrapping your sustainable gifts.

Reusable ways to wrap gifts:

• Upcycle paper grocery bags into holiday and Christmas wrapping paper with the help of festive stamps or markers
• Fashion a reusable shibori wrap out of a cloth napkin
• Skip the wrapping altogether and simply add a beautiful, reusable ribbon. (If every household reused two feet of ribbon, we’d save enough ribbon to tie a bow around the Earth.)
• Place the gift in a reusable tote bag

Embrace regifting to save resources and bring joy

One massive form of waste that might not be on your radar: returns. The National Retail Foundation says about 18% of purchases made during the holiday season will be returned. That breeds another wave of waste in the form of repackaging, but also — and this one’s hard to hear — a large percentage of returns go straight to the landfill. You heard that right. Many retailers trash returned items to avoid the inefficiencies of reselling them.  

Instead, why not try a green elephant gift exchange at your next festive gathering? It works like this: At your post-holiday or New Year's party, bring one gift you’ve received that you don’t want. Then, have a gift exchange and give that sweater/fruitcake/Santa tie to someone who will actually use it. Stay on-theme by providing upcycled snacks, in the form of a cheese and charcuterie board made from cutting up the rest of the cheese and the leftover ham from your holiday appetizers. 

Tips for a merry, dairy sustainable season

Finally, this holiday season, give yourself the gift of self-care. 

As you battle those holiday crowds, arm yourself with a protein-packed snack, like a sustainably produced cheese stick to sustain yourself. Even a decadent holiday beverage can come with a boost. (An 8-ounce serving of eggnog has 8 grams of protein!) 

The holidays are a marathon, not a sprint — just like achieving a more sustainable lifestyle. Once you find eco-friendly changes that work within your lifestyle, make it your New Year's resolution to keep them going.

An easy way to be more sustainable every day? Enjoy sustainably made dairy from family-owned dairy farms like ours.