The holiday season is filled with laughter, joy, and celebrations, but it’s also a time when waste piles up. From discarded wrapping paper to uneaten food, the amount of trash created during the holidays is surprising. However, we can all do our part to reduce waste while still enjoying the festive spirit. Here are some simple yet effective ways to celebrate sustainably.

Reuse Decorations

Instead of buying new decorations every year, consider reusing what you already have. Those lights, ornaments, and garlands from last year can look just as beautiful this year. If you feel like switching things up, try making your own decorations! Old paper, fabric scraps, and even items from nature, like pinecones or twigs, can be turned into creative and unique ornaments.

Limit Food Waste

Holiday meals are often the highlight of celebrations, but they can also lead to a lot of leftovers. To avoid this, plan your meals carefully and only cook what you know will be eaten. If you do end up with extra food, turn leftovers into new meals or share them with friends and neighbors. Food banks and donation centers also appreciate contributions during the holiday season.

Make Handmade Gifts when possible

Handmade gifts are not only thoughtful but also reduce the need for excessive packaging. Baking cookies, creating art, or knitting scarves are great ways to show you care. These gifts are personal, unique, and often much kinder to the environment than store-bought alternatives.

Use Energy-Saving Lights

Holiday lights are magical, but traditional bulbs use a lot of energy. Switching to LED lights can make a big difference. They use less electricity, last longer, and are just as bright and cheerful. By making this small change, you can reduce your energy consumption while still lighting up the season.

Wrap Smart

Wrapping gifts is part of the fun, but it doesn’t have to be wasteful. Instead of single use wrapping paper, use reusable options like gift bags, fabric, or even old newspapers. Add a creative touch with ribbons, string, or natural elements like leaves, all of which can be reused or composted later.

Why It Matters

Reducing waste during the holidays not only helps the environment but also sets a great example for others. Small actions like reusing decorations, saving food, and switching to energy-efficient options show that even middle schoolers can make a big impact. By making these changes, we can celebrate with joy and gratitude without harming the planet.

This holiday season, let’s all try to give a little gift to the Earth by reducing waste. It’s a simple way to spread cheer that lasts far beyond the festivities.

Being a middle schooler, there are lots of important things—school, sports, friends—but something we never stop to think about is our world and how much plastic pollution is affecting it.

If you take a moment to look around you at the school, at lunch tables and at the cafeteria. What do you see? Plastic water bottles, snack wrappers, and utensils are everywhere. It’s easy to overlook, but did you know that millions of tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean each year? This plastic poses a serious threat to marine life, and when fish and sea creatures ingest it, the plastic can eventually make its way into our food chain. That’s right—the plastic we toss away could one day come back to us through the food we eat.

Plastic isn’t the only issue, though. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our generation. It’s causing extreme weather patterns, like intense storms, floods, and droughts, which are changing our world in ways we can already see. Think about it—maybe you’ve noticed warmer winters with less snow or summers that are becoming almost unbearably hot, more frequent hurricanes and even more frequent wildfires around us in this part of California. These changes are part of a larger global shift, and they affect everyone, including us, in ways that will only increase if we don’t act.

So, why should we care? Healthy ecosystems provide us with services we can’t live without. They clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and support the food chain that sustains life on Earth. Take coral reefs, for example. These underwater ecosystems are home to countless species and protect coastlines from storms. Forests, on the other hand, help regulate the climate and produce the oxygen we need to survive. Losing biodiversity—meaning the variety of life in our world—could lead to the collapse of these vital systems. If that happens, the consequences would be serious, not just for the environment but for our health and well-being, too.

Here’s the good news: while these problems seem huge, we have the power to make a difference. As middle schoolers, we may not be able to change the world overnight, but small actions can add up, especially if we work together. It can start with simple steps like reducing our plastic use. Instead of using plastic wrap for your lunch, why not try a reusable container? Refillable water bottles are a great way to cut down on the plastic waste that comes from single-use bottles.

Another way we can help is by encouraging our school to become more eco-friendly. Starting a recycling program or petitioning for greener practices, like compostable lunch trays or the elimination of plastic straws, can make a real difference. We can also educate others. By raising awareness about the environmental challenges we face, we can inspire our classmates and families to take action, too. Creating presentations or fun infographics to share in class can help spread the word.

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that every small action adds up. By making thoughtful choices and inspiring those around us, we can work together to create a healthier planet. We are the future leaders, and it’s up to us to protect our world today. So let’s take that first step—together, we can save the Earth, one small change at a time.