If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas in the DMV area, this winter might give you a decent chance — forecasters are predicting more snow this season than we’ve seen during the last few mild years. But over the long term, climate change has slashed D.C.’s chances for snow on Dec. 25 in half, from about 8% in 2010 to just over 4% in 2020, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Snow on Christmas might seem like a small thing. But our planet’s rising temperatures and other environmental crises like plastic waste and air pollution have major effects on our lives and our health. Luckily, there’s a lot we can do to make a small but meaningful impact during the holidays. Check out a few climate tips that could help make the festivities a little healthier for ourselves and our world — and learn about some ways you may already be doing your part.
Swap a Meat Dish for a Vegetarian One
Plant-based food tends to be healthier not only for our bodies but also for the planet. Meat is a climate culprit because raising animals for food releases a lot of greenhouse gasses, like methane and nitrous oxide, which trap heat in the atmosphere. This makes cutting down on meat crucial for tackling climate change.
Pushing for a more planet-friendly plate doesn’t have to mean cutting out your favorites entirely — families can also opt for a ‘flexitarian’ approach. That could mean holding onto your traditional Christmas ham or turkey while switching out meat ingredients for veggie substitutes in side dishes like stuffing. Even just switching beef, which produces massive amounts of greenhouse gasses, with climate-friendlier pork or poultry dishes can make a difference.
Use Leftovers and Compost Cooking Scraps
For many families, it’d be a strange if any cousin, auntie or brother-in-law left Christmas dinner without a plate piled high with leftovers. Making sure as little food goes to waste as possible can be second nature, a way to make sure the good food and good cheer is spread far and wide. What folks might not know is that this is great for the Earth, too, because when organic matter breaks down in landfills, it lets out huge amounts of methane — a gas that causes warming even more effectively than carbon dioxide.
Composting is another great way to cut down on food waste dumping methane into the atmosphere. Cooking scraps like potato peels, eggshells and coffee grounds can all be composted using municipal services offered in many DMV jurisdictions. In D.C., residents can drop them at one of 12 farmer’s markets around the city. In Prince George’s County, they’ll pick it up curbside just like regular trash. Pro tip: to prevent smells or bugs, put scraps in a paper bag, then stick it in the freezer until it’s ready to go out.
Cut the Energy Bills with LED Bulbs and Timers for Christmas Lights
As with leftovers, lots of people already work to save electricity by turning out the lights when leaving a room or putting on a sweater instead of turning up the heat. That keeps energy bills lower, and it’s good for the planet too, since producing electricity usually means burning fossil fuels (though renewable energy sources are growing quickly).
Households can apply that same idea when it comes to one of the best and most iconic traditions of the holiday season: Christmas lights. Using strings of LEDs can slash electricity costs to 15% or less of what it costs to run old-style incandescent lights. (If you’re not sure what kinds of lights you have, check if they get hot after being on for a while: incandescent bulbs heat up, while LED bulbs don’t.) LED lights shine just as brightly with a lot less energy, and they last longer, too.
Putting your lights on a timer, so that they automatically turn on at night and off during daylight, can also save money and carbon emissions.
A Few Tips on Climate-Friendly Gifting, Minus Long Explanations
Some other ways to make your merriment more climate-friendly:
- Shop local instead of ordering online — less shipping means less emissions, plus it’s great to support small businesses in our community!
- Don’t buy cheap stocking-stuffers made of or wrapped in plastic that will just get thrown out
- Reuse newspapers or magazines (or maybe this supplement, once you’re done reading) for wrapping paper — wrapping paper with metallic foil, glitter and plastics is often not recyclable
