This year no matter what, you celebrate over the holidays, there is something that many of you will find familiar. Travel. According to the American Automobile Association’s predictions, over 115 million people will travel for this year’s holidays. This is of course important as travel can connect families and bring some joy during this holiday season, but it also has a darker side. As many of us drive away to escape the cold, we are unconsciously ensuring the end of such cold. In fact, according to The Hill, over the holiday season people produce almost 15 hundred pounds of extra carbon. While the French Agency for Ecological Transition estimates over 57 percent of carbon emotions during the holidays are because of gifts. Gifts take factories to produce, planes, trains, and trucks to deliver to stores, plastic packaging, and then more planes, trains, boats and trucks to deliver to you. 

In addition to these more obvious environmental impacts, there are some that you might not normally think of, such as the vast amount of wrapping paper used, or the nearly 30 million Christmas trees sold in the United States each year. The heavy amounts of food consumed can lead to many health detriments.

In essence, many aspects of the holiday season are closely tied to a consumerism that is simply not viable anymore in this changing world. So while it is obviously important to make merry this season, there are ways to do it with better ecological awareness. Maybe use recycled wrapping paper, or meet in the middle with family to save travel additions, or even give fewer and longer lasting gifts. I urge you, and all the world, to consider the planet, when making your New Year’s resolutions. For this, and many more white Christmases.