Before we begin, we remind you to vote! You’ve likely heard enough about this but we want to recognize the importance of voting (especially for initiatives/candidates who will fight for environmental justice!), as this is our last post before next Tuesday, 11/3. Also, feel free to join us 10/29 for our first ever eco-faith discussion on gardening. Now, to continue with our regular programming:

Today we begin exploring ideas for living into our eco-faith, purposefully and hopefully, as we prepare for and enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas. Welcome!

Let’s start by acknowledging three hard realities that co-exist with the holiday season:

Christmas icons and climate change: Many of our holiday traditions are rooted in the notion of a cold, snowy northern hemisphere. Meanwhile, a Smithsonian Magazine article identifies several important seasonal symbols under climate attack:

Northward-receding habitats have put reindeer populations at risk.
Drought, heat, and flooding have made Christmas trees more difficult to grow—and more expensive.
Global warming threatens to make white Christmases a quaint memory.
Extreme weather conditions challenge cocoa and maple syrup production and increase their price.
Santa’s North Pole home base and workshop will sink or face relocation as the polar icecap disappears.

Holiday feasting and food insecurity: According to the National Turkey Federation and the University of Illinois, U.S. turkey consumption has almost doubled since 1970, with nearly 90% of Americans surveyed eating turkey on Thanksgiving; roughly 46 million turkeys are downed that day, followed by 22 million more at Christmas. But in this pandemic year, turkey farmers worry about reduced demand, even as a “new study from the University of Washington estimates statewide food insecurity is at 30%.” Hmmm …. Too much and yet not enough.

Christmas gifts, greenhouse gas emissions, and landfills: Gallup data suggests a COVID-driven decline in Christmas spending this year. But the pandemic makes online shopping more appealing—with negative consequences for the environment. Most delivery trucks generate exhaust fumes, after all. And a less obvious factor is the ease and convenience of gift returns: those items require transportation too—and The Guardian reports that much of what is returned “ends up in landfills. Each year Americans return about 3.5 billion products, and five billion pounds of returned goods ended up in US landfills.” The article continues “… data shows that 88% of consumers think that returns go right back on the shelf and are resold to the next consumer…. But in reality, the majority of returned items cannot be resold as new. …the landfill waste from returns alone contributes 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere…. Clothing sales have a particularly high return rate, between 40 and 50%. That’s because, as one market research firm puts it, ‘the bedroom is the new fitting room.’”

Wow. So how might we respond to these realities? We could let them diminish our holidays. We could settle for less comfort and joy. We could just plow ahead and allow some guilt or resignation to dampen our spirits.

Or we could mindfully, intentionally seek ways to adapt our holiday traditions to today’s environmental realities. We could enjoy all that’s good and important and meaningful about the holidays at the same time that we care for our environment. For example …

We might buy a live Christmas tree or, if we choose a cut or artificial tree, plant a live tree as well.
We could make it a point to donate food as a way of sharing our blessings and reducing food insecurity.
We could think long and carefully about the gifts we give—and ask for—this year. Are they really needed? Must the gift be purchased new, or could it be a used item? Could something be repaired or repurposed and thus transformed into a welcome gift? Could our pre-loved items be donated to those who would appreciate them? Could we give experiences instead of things? Could we shop with a view to minimizing packaging and same-day deliveries? Could we re-gift items instead of returning them?

Together, let’s choose this much more purposeful, hopeful second path! Let’s set aside our eco-anxieties and take one—or a few—earth-friendly actions that might just add to the warmth and joy of the season. Our goal over the next few weeks will be to offer some ideas for you to consider as we all look for ways to care for the earth as we care for each other.