The 6 Rs of a Sustainable Holiday

Photo: Gabe, Natalie, Davis at Hotel Negresco in Nice, France. Christmas 2010.

The 6 Rs of a Sustainable Holiday
Including a list of eco organizations worldwide that you might consider donating to.
 
Before writing this blog, I asked my young adult son, “What was your favorite Christmas gift?” Not surprisingly, he listed the years he got the paintball gun, a portable CD player and various gaming devices. However, he also mentioned a special belt he got from his Cowboy Grandpa, with a stone for a buckle that his grandfather had found and polished. (My father was quite a rockhound.) It was a very meaningful gift to my son. His friends have coveted it over the years because it was so special and unique. Alas, it’s not something that can be purchased, and most of us don’t have a lapidarist in the family.
 
Another thing was also mentioned – our holidays together in Amsterdam and France.
 
Again, it was a generic question without any prompts leading him to what I wanted him to say or what might support this blog. His response confirmed that, in addition to things, what kids really want for Christmas and what makes a lasting impression are presents and experiences that we cannot buy at the superstore. So, I’m encouraging us to get creative this holiday season about establishing new family traditions that might bring us even closer together and make the holidays even more special. For families who are feeling budget constraints, the tips below might help us to use the lack of funds as a prompt to create winter holiday magic in a whole new way.
 
 
Today's Sustainability Tip: "Did you know that recycling is the least effective of the 6 Rs, as less than 5% of plastic gets recycled in the U.S. and less than 9% worldwide? What are the 6 Rs? Rethink. Refuse. Repair. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. This is important to consider this holiday season! Maybe the gift of time and adventure (in an eco-friendly way) are better than things." Natalie Pace, author The Power of 8 Billion: It’s Up to Us and co-creator of the Earth Gratitude project.
 
The Giving Season
Are you interested in protecting the rainforest? In conserving elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and other iconic animals? Would you like to see student gardens and healthier lunch choices in schools? Are you ready to reduce your personal CO2 footprint by learning more about the power of individual choice? Do you know why an attitude of gratitude is so effective? Are you learning more about healthy, non-toxic, nutrient-dense food, regenerative agriculture and the Make America Healthy Again movement?
 
If any of these topics interest you, check out the contributors’ page of EarthGratitude.org where you will find links to organizations that are moving the needle in each of these areas. I also encourage you to watch our Earth Gratitude 5-part docuseries. You’ll be inspired by all the great work that is happening globally.
 
The 6 Rs of a Sustainable Holiday 
Rethink. Refuse. Repair. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
 
And here is how each R might create a treasured and sustainable holiday season
 
Rethink.
Rent a Living Christmas Tree!
 
Did you know that some nurseries allow you to rent a Christmas tree in a pot? After you use it, it gets returned and will eventually be planted in a forest.
 
There are other ways that we can incorporate trees into the holiday tradition without chopping one down and putting it in our living room. What if the family went and visited the trees at the nearest nature preserve? Is it possible to start a new tradition without a dying tree that will have to be composted a few days after Christmas?
 
It’s our family after all. We get to decide what’s important to us, how we want to bond together and the central themes that we wish to reinforce as a through line for our children. If preserving nature is one of those things for you, then this is an invitation – a challenge – to embrace the ethos you believe in, while rethinking your holiday tradition.
 


Experiences, Not Things
I mentioned above that two of the presents my son specifically called out were our trips to Amsterdam and France. Amsterdam was my son’s study abroad during college. He decided to conserve money, and he wasn’t going to fly home for Christmas. I went there to celebrate the holiday with him. There were only a few students in his group who remained in the Netherlands, which made our celebrations even more meaningful and bonding.
 
Beyond that, seeing all the Nederlanders commuting by bike, instead of car, gave me the courage to give up my vehicle in Santa Monica and embrace walking and biking, especially for local errands. People driving around in single-occupancy vehicles are a big part of the reason why Americans, Canadians, Australians and people living in the Middle East have a CO2 footprint that is 3X that of many Europeans.
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With regard to France, all his friends were going. He had a girlfriend in France (again this was during his college years). I figured out a way to make it even more special by getting a few rooms in a historic hotel in Nice, France – not far from where my son’s French girlfriend lived. (This was right after the Great Recession, and this amazing destination was quite affordable.)
 
Oddly, we don’t remember giving or receiving any particular present during either one of those trips. It is possible that the trip itself, along with the special meals and museums, was the gift. (That has become a tradition – saving up to do something very special together.) We now have Christmas memories of the tour of Rembrandt’s home studio, the dinner at Five Flies restaurant (where Rembrandt used to trade his etchings for food), the Van Gogh Museum, and Hotel Negresco (Nice, France) with all its artwork and masterpieces.
 
Of course, I did not spend all the time with my son and his friends. I was prepared to spend much less time together, since he was a college student with his peers. However, we ended up sharing a lot of meals with his friends (because I was paying and college students are on tight budgets probably). It didn’t feel like they were censoring themselves in anyway, but rather that I was invited to participate, not quite on par with them, but still as an intimate guest.
 
I understand that these are exotic and expensive destinations that carry a CO2 footprint. These days, we fold that decision into the mix. As an example, our most recent adventure was a train ride and a few days in San Diego – close to home in Santa Monica, but with a much lower CO2 footprint than flying or driving. It is also more fun and easier to chat when the train is part of the adventure, and you don’t have to focus on the highway and other drivers’ peculiar (and potentially dangerous) steering habits.
 
Another adventure that is at the top of my list is the year that we gave my cousin’s family a trip to Disneyland. They were moving from California to Utah, and their children had never been. Our little family came together to make it happen for them and joined them there. It was so special. (We have a tradition of giving a gift to a family in need each year.)
 
Refuse.
Polyester is an oil product, just as plastic is. They are toxic from the drilling of oil, to the microplastics, through to those petroleum-based toys and clothing going to landfills because they are not recycled or recyclable. There it could take centuries to break down.
 
Pact, Mate, Blue Canoe – there are many brands that offer competitively priced natural fiber clothing. Natural fiber clothing composts, enriching the soil (once you remove any synthetic buttons, zippers, elastic, etc.)! It is healthier for our skin to wear. Oftentimes it’s warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Putting petroleum all over our food and bodies was never a good idea. Learn more in my Plastic blog.
 
Also be careful of the vegan label. The oil industry loves it when their products are labeled “vegan-friendly.” However, if we’re concerned about animals, we should be factoring in all the animals that die each year and species that are getting exterminated as a result of oil drilling, habitat destruction, oil and chemical spills, microplastics and more. CROCs are made of polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA), which is chemically related to plastic, and was part of the toxic spill in Palestine, Ohio on Feb. 3, 2023. There are many beauty products that are considered “green” or “vegan” that are full of petroleum-based chemicals. Until recently, petroleum-based synthetic food dyes were the norm in a lot of processed food – something that the HHS and FDA are trying to phase out.

 
My friends and family have been trained to only purchase natural fiber clothing for me. They also know that I’m not that into things, in general. Which brings me to one of the easiest and most important choices we might make this holiday season:
 
The most eco-friendly gift we can give is the one we don’t buy.
 
Repair.
Are you the fix-it person in the family? Could the best gift be your time & talent?
 
As I mentioned above, one of my son’s favorite gifts was a Western-style belt with a polished stone belt buckle that his grandfather made and gave him. It’s been a staple of his wardrobe for over a decade now – even more special now that his grandfather is no longer with us.
 
If we take liberty with the repair idea – is it possible that the best gift is something that you teach someone? One gift I plan to give this holiday season is an ebook of my favorite recipes. I love cooking and have added some personal touches to a few of my favorite celebrity chef creations. I quite enjoy seeing family members use some of my cuisine hacks in their own food preparation.
 
Reduce.

• The amount of waste – gift wrapping, disposable plates and plasticware, etc.
• The CO2 footprint of our food and gifts.

 
Eat local and regeneratively produced organic food. It’s nutrient-dense, healthier, tastier and is better for our planet. If we don’t know the origin of our food, we could be eating Rainforest Beef or Cancer Alley Chicken – bad for our bodies, our oceans, our air and so much more. Learn more in my Rainforest blog.
 
 
It’s tempting to purchase the cheapest thing or buy into the chic-looking ads of fast fashion, particularly if we just want to get through our gift shopping list. Rarely do the products hold up to the marketing images, and often there is a giant waste dump of discards and social concerns that we’ve had to overlook to click and pay. Learn more in my Fast Fashion/Temu blog.

 
Is there some experience or personal touch we might offer that might be more lasting and touching? Should we investigate our closet or attic instead of online?
 
Reuse.
Many families have boxes of holiday decorations. Bravo! If you’re buying something new, is it made of plastic? Can you think of something more sustainable, such as wood? Also…
 

• Reuse gift bags and wrapping paper
• There is #NoExcuseforSingleUse
• Remember that food & drinks taste better in ceramic plates and mugs, not disposable polystyrene. This also extends to our favorite café latte spot.
• What else can we reuse? (The Rent-a-Tree is just one idea.)

 
Recycle.
Now that we know that recycling isn’t really happening, we can focus on the solutions that actually work. There is a reason why Recycle is at the bottom of the 6Rs of Sustainability list.
 
 
Happy Holy Days! 
 
Tag me at @NatalieWynnePace on Instagram with your ideas and new family holiday traditions. I’m so interested to see what you’re dreaming up.
 

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The Chapel at Versailles. Photo by Natalie Pace, Dec. 2010.

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Natalie Wynne Pace is an Advocate for Sustainability Financial Literacy & Women's Empowerment. Natalie is the bestselling author of The ABCs of Money (6th edition) and The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, and is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project. She has been ranked as a No. 1 stock picker, above over 835 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency (TipsTraders). Her book The ABCs of Money remained at or near the #1 Investing Basics e-book on Amazon for over 3 years (in its vertical), with over 120,000 downloads and a mean 5-star ranking. The 6th edition of The ABCs of Money and the 2nd edition of Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is (2nd edition) are the most recent releases of these books. Follow her on Instagram. 
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Natalie Pace's easy as a pie chart nest egg strategies earned gains in the last two recessions and have outperformed the bull markets in between. That is why her Investor Educational Retreats, books and private coaching are enthusiastically recommended by Nobel Prize winning economist Gary S. Becker, TD AMERITRADE chairman Joe Moglia, Kay Koplovitz and many Main Street investors who have transformed their lives using her Thrive Budget and investing strategies. Click to view a video testimonial from Nilo Bolden.​​

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Important Disclaimers
Please note: Natalie Pace does not act or operate like a broker. She reports on financial news, and is one of the most trusted sources of financial literacy, education and forensic analysis in the world. Natalie Pace educates and informs individual investors to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. Any publicly-traded companies, funds or projects mentioned by Natalie Pace are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations.

ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect an age-appropriate, diversified wealth plan, which has been designed strategically, with the assistance of financial professionals who are familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge, patience and diversified strategy.  
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Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument.