The holiday season is stressful enough when juggling parties with friends and family, traveling or hosting, and finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones. We are here to help! In an age of growing eco-consciousness amid the climate crisis, KCRW’s got your guide to finding sustainable options for everyone on your shopping list.
Below are reporter tips, from gift-wrapping alternatives to DIY presents to the annual question: Which is better for the planet, real tree or fake tree?
Furoshiki: An eco-friendly gift wrapping tradition
Wrapping paper has a landfill problem. Most of it’s not recyclable, and the worst offenders shine the brightest with their glitter-encrusted menorahs and reindeer. When the gift-giving is over, it’s best to think of the crumpled coverings as a big old pile of microplastics.
The Japanese tradition of wrapping packages in cloth — known as furoshiki — is an Earth-friendlier option. The name refers to both the square cloth and the wrapping technique itself, which creates a beautiful package for an endless number of small items like boxes, fruit, and books.
A box wrapped with cloth, using the Japanese wrapping technique of furoshiki, is part of a display in the Craft Contemporary Museum shop. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
Furoshiki dates back to 15th century Japan, when people started using cloth bundles to carry items to and from public baths. In the years since, the practice has evolved into a wrapping art form.
Good places to start to learn the technique are books and how-to videos. Any square-shaped cloth can be used to wrap in the furoshiki style. Furoshiki cloth imported from Japan can be found at a number of shops in Little Tokyo and at the Craft Contemporary Museum.
LISTEN: Furoshiki: Wrap presents in cloth, cut down on paper waste
Laura Wong sells vintage furoshiki through her Silver Lake-based Japanese textile studio Boro Boro. One of her favorite furoshiki techniques is to create a handle for a wine bottle that’s “so smart,” she says. Traditionally, a furoshiki cloth is returned to the gift giver, says Wong, but it can also be part of the gift.
Third-generation Little Tokyo gift shop owner Irene Tsukada Simonian sells a variety of furoshiki cloth, including designs in subdued violets for funeral urns and cheerful cats for daily use at Bunkado. “A mantra in Japan is ‘mottainai’ and that literally means don’t be wasteful,” she says. “That whole movement of using less [and] reusing things has gotten much more important for all of us.”
Buy pre-loved presents
How about rethinking the gifts that go inside that wrapping?
“There's just so much of everything out there. So it’s not only saving our planet, but saving some money for sure,” says Reyna Perches, co-owner of the tiny pink Amigas Thrift store in El Sereno. She encourages more Angelenos to shop for secondhand gifts this year.
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Perches offers these tips to finding the best pre-loved (and affordable) presents this holiday season:
- Know who you’re shopping for.
Thrift stores and their endless shelves of used items can be daunting places to search for gifts. Because of this, Perches recommends having a clear idea about what the person you’re shopping for might like. “[If] you know that somebody loves books, books are so easy and so affordable to thrift,” she says. “I think people are really scared of not being able to find things, so they don't want to do it. But there's so much out there that all you have to do is know what that person likes and just go for it.”
- Upcycle
If you find a really cool thrift-score that isn’t in perfect shape, don’t fret. Perches says a little creativity (and some cleaning) can go a long way. “Even something as simple as buying a jean jacket that's thrifted and upcycling it can make it your own,” she says. “You can add things to it and take pieces apart.”
- Mix old and new
Another great way to elevate your secondhand gift? Bundle it with something new, says Perches. “For a cook, you can thrift a vintage cookbook, and then you can add something on the side,” she says. “Add some spoons or something that would go along with the gift, like a bottle of wine.”
LISTEN: Turning thrifted holiday gifts into new treasures
Make gifts by hand
In addition to being made with love, DIY gifts are a great way to cut down on the environmentally unfriendly impacts of production and shipping, particularly if you use materials that would otherwise be tossed out.
Remainders Creative Reuse, a used craft supplies shop in Pasadena, features sprawling shelves filled with almost any art supply you can imagine. With about 10,000 pounds of donations pouring in every month, their motto is “it’s here somewhere,” says Remainders’ Director of Education and Development Toban Nichols.
“We are trying to get [these supplies] out of the landfill into the hands of people who can use it, including teachers, artists and students,” he adds.
Remainders also offers a variety of crafting classes, including how to wire-wrap jewelry, needle felt, make mosaics, and perform the Indian printing technique of Jaipur block printing.
Gifts don’t have to be physical!
If you’re tired of buying tangible stuff, why not plan an experience? A trip to the zoo, a concert, a studio backlot tour, a museum visit, an entry to a local 10K – it doesn’t need to be wrapped. It doesn’t get shipped. It doesn’t come in plastic packaging. A win-win-win!
But what if your loved one is far away? Another option is a membership or a donation. Find an organization that supports a cause they care about and make a financial gift in their name. Or buy a membership to something near them — maybe a local botanical garden if they like the outdoors or a local playhouse if they’re a big theatergoer.
If you’re in the market for a tannenbaum…
Are you deciding between a real Christmas tree or a fake one? The more sustainable option is clear: Get the real tree!
Real trees spent years sucking carbon out of the atmosphere before getting cut down. Fake trees did nothing of the sort, they’re made of plastic and created with fossil fuels, and were likely manufactured in another country, and shipped on a gas-powered boat to get to you.
However, if you already have an artificial Christmas tree, keep using it for as long as you can. It’s already destined for the landfill, so use it until it’s worn out before switching to a real one.
LISTEN: Climate-friendly holiday tips: Buy real Christmas trees, eat veg
Not all living Christmas trees are made equal, however. In Southern California, the Living Christmas Company offers evergreen tree rentals for the holidays. Upon return, they’re replanted and continue to benefit the planet long after it has provided yuletide cheer in your home.
Also, look for locally-grown trees. The noble firs you can find at your neighborhood Southern California Home Depot parking lot were likely shipped from Oregon or Washington on a gas-guzzling truck. Embrace monterey pines grown on a nearby farm.
Serve an eco-friendly holiday dinner menu
Generally, the lower something is on the food chain, the better it is for the planet. A vegan or vegetarian feast is best, but if that’s too big of an ask, try to avoid red meat. Swap out the Christmas ham or steak for a turkey or chicken dish. Let your vegetable side dishes be the stars of the holiday dinner. A green bean casserole can be perfectly lovely without bacon bits on top. Lean into the sides, and save room for a meat-free dessert!