Here Are 7 Ways You Can Reduce Your Waste During the Holidays

Have you thought about what Mother Earth wants to find under her (hopefully not dwindling) trees year after year?

I’ll give you a hint: it’s less of everything (except love).

And this is a perfect time of year to turn over a new leaf because according to Washington University in St. Louis, MO, Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s than at any other time of year. This amounts to 25 million tons of trash in just a few months.

If you’re feeling inspired, here are 7 ways you can help bring that number down – and keep it going all year long.

7. Make a list and stick to it.

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Surprises are a nice idea, but unless you know the person really well (or vice versa) there’s a good chance that thing you wondered whether they’ll like will end up as waste.

Ask people what they want and like, then buy it for them, and be straightforward with the people asking you for ideas too.

6. Bring reusable bags.

You should be doing this every time you run to Target or the grocery store (I keep mine in my car), but don’t forget to bring them along for holiday gifts, too.

5. Try gifting experiences instead of things.

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Tickets to a concert, season tickets to a sporting event, passes to the zoo, cooking classes – the opportunities are endless, and people just might get to enjoy that gift for months at a time.

4. Only send Christmas cards to the people closest to you (or choose virtual cards instead!).

Wash U says that the “2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 [stories] high.”

Most people are going to toss your card in the trash, so think hard before you send them to everyone you know.

3. Don’t bother wrapping your gifts.

Hide them instead, or just pull them out of a reusable bag at the party. Scavenger hunts are fun, too – at least, for the person who makes them, they are.

2. Or at least use recyclable paper.

Make sure to double check that the paper you buy can end up in the recycling bin – just make sure to remove the tape first or use reused ribbon to tie it up nice and tight.

1. Buy light strands that run on parallel circuits.

You don’t want to throw out your entire strand because of one faulty light – and a simple parallel circuit means you won’t have to.

Also, use a timer for energy savings, too!

 

I’m off to do some last minute gifting to the planet – how about you?

The post Here Are 7 Ways You Can Reduce Your Waste During the Holidays appeared first on UberFacts.

Ford Is Making Headlights from McDonald’s Coffee Bean Waste

This is pretty cool!

Coffee beans and headlights don’t seem like a natural pairing, but McDonald’s and Ford are working to change that.

The two historic American companies have come together in a joint effort to drive sustainability initiatives in quite a unique way. This year, Ford began utilizing coffee chaff—the coffee bean skin that comes off during the roasting process—as a key component of its plastic headlamp housing. Naturally, the iconic car manufacturer turned to McDonald’s to steer them in the direction of the fast-food giant’s coffee bean suppliers.

As data showing the harmful effects of plastic pollution and carbon emissions makes its way into the public consciousness, there has been a trickle-down effect into the business world as well. Environmentally-conscious consumers continue to push for products that are comprised of sustainable materials.

Hence: coffee bean waste into plastic alternatives.

Debbie Miewelski, Ford’s senior technical leader of materials sustainability, explained that the coffee-containing version of the company’s headlamps is more sustainable than its traditional plastic and talc-based models due to its lighter weight. Additionally, talc is not a renewable component, whereas coffee chaff is widely available and has typically been discarded.

The coffee chaff innovation is just the latest in a long line of sustainability projects by Ford. Ford vehicles have featured soy-based foam in their cushions since 2011, and waste from wheat, coconut, tomato and other plants has been utilized in other Ford car components.

“If you came to our lab, it looks somewhere between a landfill and a farm,” Miewelski said.

When Ford decided coffee was its next fix, its team reached out to McDonald’s due to its scale and similar sustainability goals.

The gigantic fast-food restaurant chain achieved its goal of sourcing all of its U.S. coffee sustainability a year ahead of schedule in 2019. Their partnership with Ford will hopefully lead to more opportunities for crafting environmentally-friendly, sustainable products.

As Ian Olson, senior director of global sustainability at McDonald’s, said, “This is just scratching the surface of trying to understand what’s possible.”

Cheers to that!

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These Sneakers Aim to Reduce Ocean Pollution While Looking Cool in the Process

You might not be someone who is super into sneakers, but after you see what Adidas and Parley for the Oceans have teamed up to create, you just might change your tune. The new, innovative line of shoes is made using upcycled waste from beaches and coastal communities – which prevents the plastic from entering the oceans.

The shoes, called Ultraboosts, not only look cool but each pair prevents 11 plastic bottles from littering the oceans. They’re made with Adidas’ custom “boost” cushioning, too, so no worries about losing performance in your quest to better the environment through your choice of kicks.

Photo Credit: Adidas

If you’re convinced (and why wouldn’t you be?) you can grab a pair of these shoes on their website today – and while you’re there, make sure to sign up for the Adidas x Parley Run for the Oceans. Adidas will donate $1 to Parley School for the Oceans for every kilometer run!

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