Every store this time of year is filled with shiny new holiday lights, aisles of ornaments, piles of cards, and rolls of wrapping paper and bows. Unfortunately, most of these end up in garbage receptacles before the end of the year. Lakewood resident Sophia Kowalski, Lakewood High School senior Kaia Schroeder, and H2O assistant program coordinator Amy Chodzin shared some of their traditions at home, with their neighbors, and throughout the community.
In Lakewood, many residents decorate their homes, which can prove costly, but there are ways to celebrate and keep costs down.
“My family only decorates on the simple side with string lights on our porch,” Kowalski said. “However, to improve sustainability, the bulbs in our lights are LED since they use less energy and last longer.”
“Our Christmas trees are on timers, and I unplug my Christmas lights in my room every single morning before I leave,” Schroeder said.
Decorations are another item that ends up in the landfill, but do they have to?
“My mom often repurposes Christmas decorations from others who want to get rid of them,” Kowalski said. “Rather than the decorations going into the trash, she gives them new life so we can enjoy them. … One project I did was when my dad, my sister, and I made a snowman out of leftover pumpkins from the fall.”
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, “There are approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year.” Kowalski and Schroeder shared tips on making Christmas trees more sustainable.
In the Schroeder home, “We have fake Christmas trees we have had for 15 years. We also have used the same ornaments every year for as long as I can remember.”
“When I was younger, my parents found a fake Christmas tree someone was throwing out, and we’ve kept it ever since,” Kowalski said.
San Diego State University reports that an estimated 2.6 billion pounds of wrapping paper is thrown away each year. Schroeder shares her secret to keeping holiday gift wrap out of the landfill:
“So we save our bows, and we usually save the boxes, tissue paper, and gift bags.”
Sustainable traditions can be contagious and spill out of the house and into the neighborhood. Schroeder recalls a Christmas Eve tradition on Bunts Road that has been going on for as long as she can remember:
“Neighbors on Bunts recycle milk cartons, clean them out, and we put them at the end of our street and light them with big candles. And we do this every year.”
Over the years, the City of Lakewood has been working on reducing its carbon footprint. Amy Chozdin shared a few things the community is doing now and in the future to make the holidays greener. She also shared the December 2024 issue of Community News, a Lakewood City Hall publication featuring the article “Sustainability Spotlight: Green Gifting,” which provides excellent ideas for the holiday season.
“H2O is working with Ms. Sabin to advise a student club called Thrift Club,” Chodzin said. “We emphasize the positive impact of getting more use out of clothes you own by caring for them correctly, mending them, adapting them for different fashion trends, and using the fabric of pieces that can’t be worn any longer into new items.”
“We haven’t met and done any upcycling for holiday items, but we have discussed how clothing and fabric can be upcycled into sustainable gift wrap (can be used repeatedly) and crafted into holiday decor,” Chodzin added. “We hope to have time to do that with Thrift Club next year… H2O tries to upcycle used items for many of our crafts, especially during our summer camp for middle school students. We then sell the creative pieces our campers make, and people often buy them to give as gifts.”
Lakewood residents are slowly swapping out old lights for energy-saving LEDs and discussing moving towards a green Christmas. These small steps honor the spirit of giving and show care for the environment. This holiday, let us embrace traditions that spread cheer and sustainability.
