Staying Environmentally Friendly During the Holidays
By the Sonoma Academy Environmental Club
The Holidays are coming up, and while this time of year is full of joy and celebration, it can also be very harmful to the environment. Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Years than they do any other time of year. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or another end-of-the-year holiday, here are some easy & sustainable ideas to make your holidays more environmentally friendly!
Make your own wrapping paper, reuse old paper, or go without it. Think of all the wrapping paper you throw away during the holidays—likely multiple trash bags full! Most wrapping paper you buy at the store is produced in Asian sweatshops and is not recyclable because of shiny coatings and colorful foil, categorizing it as garbage to be dumped in the landfill. Some alternative ways to wrap gifts include: newspaper, bandanas, maps, kid’s artwork, old scarves or shirts, pretty dish towels, wallpaper, tissue paper, old calendar pages, burlap, baskets, painted paper grocery bags, baskets, or jars/tins/cans! Tape is also single-use, so some alternatives to this are ribbons or boxes.
If you celebrate Christmas, cut your own tree.
Instead of buying your tree pre-cut, research the local tree farms in your area and cut your own! Pro tip: you can also recycle trees! When the holidays are over, just leave your tree on the side of the road and the garbage truck will come pick it up. Also, if the lights for your tree have stopped working, consider investing in lights that use 50% less energy. Another option is switching to solar-powered lights. Not only do they save energy and the planet, they are also much less of a fire hazard. Did you know that Americans use more energy for Christmas lights in the month of December than some countries use for the entire year?
-Socks or books from local shops
-Reusable utensils/cups/bags
Shop Locally! With the pandemic, small businesses have a high chance of closing and some have already gone out of business. We encourage people to shop at local stores selling eco-friendly products, or you can always make your own arts and crafts. Supporting local, sustainable brands and businesses is a much better alternative than shopping on large distribution services like Amazon. One such store in our area is Kindred, in Santa Rosa. All their products are sustainably and ethically crafted by artisans in developing countries. Another great option is Made Local, also in Santa Rosa. They sell products from creators all over Sonoma County and they have an array of cute gifts made by local craftsmen and women. There are of course countless more, it just takes a little bit of quick research to find a great store in your area. You can also find lots of neat (and affordable) gifts at thrift stores!
Whether it be wrapping all your gifts in newspapers, making a basket full of homemade soaps, ornaments, and candles, or just shopping at your local boutique, we wish you a happy and environmentally friendly holiday season!
How I Helped Pass Two Climate Action Resolutions
By Caroline Sandberg, student at Tahoe Expedition Academy, Truckee, CA)
(photo credit: Caroline Sandberg)
In September 2020, I worked to pass two resolutions for climate action. Although my school had undertaken many other environment-focused projects, it wasn’t until I attended a Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) meeting with two other students that I realized there was a way to further my school’s involvement in climate action. It was at this meeting that I heard about the Schools For Climate Action Resolution, which I immediately knew would be perfect for our school. Along with the environmental club, I got to work right away to pass this document. For the first step of our action-taking plan, we approached the Student Board and gained their support. Soon after, the School Board reinforced our school’s commitment with their own resolution. As of September 21, 2020, our school has two Schools For Climate Action Resolutions passed!
The process to pass the resolutions began with a formal resolution to the Student Board and School Board. (The example resolutions posted on SchoolsforClimateAction.org helped me determine the content and formatting I should use to draft others for my school.) After preparing outlines of the resolutions,I attended a series of virtual meetings to gain the members’ support and get the bill signed. I also communicated back and forth with a local CCL volunteer for advice and assistance with the resolutions.
Moving forward, my school and I will uphold our promise by taking further steps towards climate action. We will encourage students to write letters to their government representatives and find ways to become more sustainable on campus. I am thrilled for the opportunity to represent our school and introduce our resolutions to Congress.
The advice I would give to future students hoping to pass a climate resolution in their school community is to be persistent. When I first proposed the idea of a Schools For Climate Action Resolution to the school board, not everyone was on board with it. I had to stay determined and be organized with the emails, calls, and meetings, until the resolutions were officially signed and passed. The Schools For Climate Action Resolutions were a great success at my school, and I believe these documents can serve as a model for other schools to pass their own resolutions.
A Personal Climate Story: "I Am Afraid"
By Kate Roney (18), co-director of Schools for Climate Action and Sonoma Academy alumnus
(photo credit: AFP/Getty Images)
October.I am asleep. My blinds are closed, my body wrapped in a comforter. The house fills with smoke. My eyes open. My stomach drops. My heart begins to race.
I am afraid.
The fire is close—no, far. We’re fine. Time to leave; pack, pack, pack. Go. The town is burning, ashes falling, smoke is everywhere. This can't be real. The sun has been pushed out by the smoke; I didn't know it could do that, I didn't know smoke could be so thick. So many homes gone: a lot, so many, too many. We had to go, we got to come home.
Next November. I am in school. I am at a desk, conjugating French verbs and passing notes. The classroom smells of smoke. My eyes widen. My stomach drops. My heart begins to race.
I am afraid.
The fire is close? No, far. Not us this time. We’re fine, go home, stay home. Go.
Another year, a new fall. I am at home. Soup on the stove, socks on my feet. Smoke trickles in the window. My eyes widen. My stomach drops. My heart begins to race.
I am afraid.
The fire is close—no, not that close. Stay, don't go, stay home. Home.
October again. I am on a swing. My aunt’s dog naps at my feet, my homework in my lap. The air fills with smoke. My eyes widen. My stomach drops. My heart begins to race.
I am afraid.
The fire is close—really close. Get home, grab the dogs, pack the passports. Scrambling, looking for the list of what to take that we made long ago. The chaos is rewriting it for us. We might be fine. Time to leave: pack, pack, pack, go. GO.
We went. I am in a hotel. I am wearing a fluffy robe, hiding the shake in my hands, petting my cat who now lives in the hotel shower. I am pretending this is a vacation, and not another evacuation. The fire on the map creeps closer to my house. My eyes widen. My stomach drops. My heart begins to race.
I am afraid.
The fire is close, getting closer. At least we went, we did not stay, we cannot go. We are safe, we are stuck. At least we are at the beach. At least we can only sort of smell the smoke.
A month goes by. I am in a meeting. Really, I am on my phone. A knock on the door. I smell smoke. My eyes widen. My stomach drops. My heart begins to race.
I am afraid.
Again.
The fire could get close; stay packed, stay ready, stay home. Go? No, don't go. Just stay ready, keep those boxes and bins and laundry baskets, don't hang that poster back up, keep it tucked away, keep your everything in the trunk of your car. At least we don't have to go, but it's not quite home.
No break, no rest, no end until the rain. Even then, the smoke never really stays away. How many more times?
I think about next fall. Fall should be pumpkins and apple cider and Halloween, not packing and packing and leaving or staying. Even now, my room, my home, are not the same. It can only handle being taken apart and put back together so many times.
That picture, it doesn't go on that shelf. Those books, those posters, those stuffed animals—they're all out of sorts. I am all out of sorts. I don't remember where they go, but it doesn't matter because unlike so many, at least ours aren't gone.
There are more moments— too many, really, to write about. I think about these moments and all those to come, following this dizzying, exhausting pattern.
My eyes close. My stomach hurts. My shoulders slump.
I am tired.
Meet Us: Izzy Weaver Student Profile
By Izzy Weaver, student at Sonoma Academy and member of Schools for Climate Action
My name is Izzy Weaver and I am a sophomore at Sonoma Academy. I’ve been working with Schools for Climate Action (S4CA) for almost a year under my high school’s Student Sustainability Leaders (SSL) program. Growing up outside, nature has always been an outlet for me, so naturally I was inclined towards an environmental activism club. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been hiking, biking, skiing, swimming in the ocean, backpacking, and participating in other common outdoors activities. When I first learned about global warming in middle school, I remember feeling hopeless. I was never informed that the future of our ecosystem could improve if we took action now. In 8th grade, I was finally presented the opportunity to help when one teacher showed me what the world could look like if we fought for climate action. This changed my whole view on the matter, from defeated to hopeful and inspired. From then on, I have dedicated a lot of my life to climate advocacy and encouraging others to live sustainably. I love being involved with Schools for Climate Action because the change we create is extremely visible, which inspires me to work harder to construct a more environmentally-conscious planet.
Congressional Meetings
Have you passed a climate action resolution and would like to meet with a member of Congress? We’d love to help you get connected with your local representative to promote and propose your resolution! We typically deliver resolutions when we travel to Washington D.C. during our annual climate action conference, but due to COVID we are hosting Zoom meetings with members of Congress and student/stakeholder groups who have passed resolutions. If you haven’t joined us in D.C., we’d love to hear from you! We provide the training/planning materials and a Schools for Climate Action student leader to represent our organization. Additionally, we schedule the meeting and spend time preparing for the meeting by practicing our advocacy skills. Please contact us at empower@schoolsforclimateaction.org if you are interested!
National Children's Campaign
If you would like to learn more about the National Children's Campaign, click here to visit their website. Donations are appreciated!
New Resolutions This Month
Oakland Unified School District
Cardinal Newman High School Eco Club
Upcoming Events
Enjoy your holidays!
Follow us on social media to get our latest updates:
Except where specifically stated, opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Schools for Climate Action.
Schools for Climate Action is a non-partisan, grassroots, youth-adult campaign with a mission to empower schools to speak up for climate action. We advocate for elected officials to to combat the climate crisis in order to protect current and future generations.
