‘Tis the season of giving, and the most important recipient of holiday gifts is your mother — Mother Nature, to be exact. Here’s how you can give back to your loved ones and the environment this holiday season.

Donate or start a Facebook fundraiser in lieu of gifts

Facebook offers a fundraising system that makes donating to your favorite charity a breeze. These fundraisers will encourage Facebook friends and acquaintances alike to donate to a cause when they see the fundraiser on their timeline.

Simply indicate what organization you’re raising money for, the amount you aim to raise and when you want your fundraiser to end. Then share the fundraiser with your Facebook friends and ask them to use the money they would have spent on your holiday gift on a donation.

While Facebook does keep a portion of the donated money for transaction costs, a Facebook fundraiser is a great way to spread some holiday cheer for all the right reasons.

Ask for a symbolic pet for the holidays

If you dream of getting a furry friend but still live in an on-campus residence hall, you can symbolically adopt your favorite endangered animal on the World Wildlife Fund website. Simply choose your pet’s species — African elephants and narwhals are my personal favorites — and, depending on how much you’re willing to spend, the donation will come with a plush toy, a picture and an adoption certificate. Donation options start as low as $25, and the stuffed animal  gift option starts at $55.

Buy your friend a reusable coffee cup

Nothing says winter like a steaming hot holiday drink from Starbucks. Not only are reusable coffee cups a stylish accessory, but they can help the environment as well. Starbucks produced 4 billion cups last year, and most of them ended up in landfills, according to its 2016 Global Social Impact Performance report. Many cafes also offer discounts for customers who bring in their own reusable cups. This year, your gift could save both the environment and your friend’s wallet.

Cut calories by doing Meatless Monday

If you’ve been going overboard on the comfort food goodies, a great way to save money and your waistline this holiday season is to cut out meat. If going fully vegetarian is unrealistic for you, pledge to cut meat out at least one day per week. Meat hurts the environment and is dense in calories, so justify the Christmas carbs or minimize the Hanukkah gelt guilt by passing on the meat.

Offer to clean while conserving water

Chore coupons for your parents are a classic, low-cost holiday present. If you offer to clean the dishes at a big holiday meal, conserve the water you use. Scrape dirty dishes clean instead of using water to rinse them before you put them in the dishwasher. This small step could save 10 gallons of water for just one wash.

As the holidays approach, make sure the environment makes it onto your gift list this year.

Allison Weis is a freshman newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at alweis@syr.edu.

Published on December 10, 2017 at 3:43 pm