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Are you ready for some Halloween fun? Here are some tips to make it more environmentally friendly from Sustainable Jungle.
Sustainable Halloween Ideas: Costumes, Activities, Treats & Décor
Written By Shelby LoeppkyEdited & Fact Checked By Joy McConnochie 30 September 2025
It's October, so now that Halloween is getting closer, signs of Christmas are popping up! This is from Sustainable Jungle, 2 weeks ago!
"Holiday Creep: Why Are We Thinking About Christmas Already?
Is it just about marketing or is it our craving for connection, ritual and the people who matter..."
Sustainable Jungle Sep 24, 2025
Time for a trip to the archives for an old but very relevant article from Audubon!
How to Have a Bird-Friendly Fourth of July
Fireworks can disturb birds and pets, spark wildfires, and pollute. Consider forgoing your own pyrotechnics, or joining a cleanup the morning after.
By Zoe Grueskin Associate Editor, Audubon magazine
Published Summer 2023
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/how-have-bird-friendly-fourth-july
Here are some ideas for Valentine's Day:
A Valentine’s guide to sustainable chocolate
We’re not here to take away your candy—promise
ByLiza Schoenfein February 3, 2025
The best sustainable flowers for your Valentine—
The best sustainable flowers for your Valentine—
and the planet
and the planet
Forget roses. They’re a cliche, anyway.
ByGlorie Martinez February 6, 2025
Are you ready to start wrapping?
Here's a great article from my friend Karen:
6 Ways to Wrap a Gift with Furoshiki
https://blog.spoonflower.com/2019/11/06/6-ways-to-wrap-a-gift-with-furoshiki/
I've been kinda busy with holiday stuff, but I'm back with some tips. I have been getting e-mails from One5C about their "12 Days of Underconsumption" so I wanted to share. They are up to #8 already, but I will try to get caught up.
A Low-waste Holiday Party Plan
Who’s down for a cookie swap?
ByGabriella Vigoreaux December 16, 2024
The best presents are
the ones you eat
10 gifts too yummy to wind up in the trash
ByLiza Schoenfein December 13, 2024
Here's another installment from One5C's 12 Days of Underconsumption. This one is something I really like and have been doing for a while: Food Gifts!
Only a couple days left! I hope you're done with your preparations, but just in case you aren't, I'll post another of the 12 Days of Underconsumption from One5C. This is one about kids and toys!
Buy the toy, but don't make trash
Here is another of the "12 Days of Underconsumption" from One5C:
7 Repairs that make great gifts.
This was something I hadn't thought of. What a good idea!
Still looking for Holiday gifts? Here is another installment of One5C's 12 Days of Underconsumption. I believe I have also included the idea of experiences on my website, but they have some experiences I didn't think of.
The most-sustainable last-minute gift
Experiences make both sustainable and scientifically superior presents
By Rich Brown December 19, 2024
https://one5c.com/sustainable-gift-ideas-experiences-137025144/
A one-dish fix for holiday food waste
This casserole is a triple threat
ByGabriella Vigoreaux December 18, 2024
Are you having guests for the holidays? Do you need ideas for a Christmas morning or day after brunch? Our friends at One 5C suggest using up those holiday leftovers for a breakfast casserole you can even make ahead of time.
https://one5c.com/zero-waste-breakfast-casserole-recipe-137025051/
I haven't checked out LWV's Waste Not Want Not page lately, and I really should more often, because they have great postings like this one I found today:
Practice Gratitude this Thanksgiving
Waste Not Want Not Written By Julia Utset and Claudia Jackson
Adapted from Mayo Clinic’s Can expressing gratitude improve your mental, physical health? and Beyond Plastics’ 6 Steps to a Plastic-Free Holiday Dinner
It seems that the holiday shopping season is again upon us. Maybe you have started shopping already, or like to wait until Black Friday or later. I am going to start rereading some of the ideas from last year as well as share some new ones, like this article from One5C about watching out for greenwashing.
With Hallowe'en just around the corner, it occurred to me that people will be holiday shopping soon. So, as much as I don't usually pass along links to organizations asking for donations, some come with offers that might make good gifts. This one from Audubon might be nice for a bird lover.
Vulnerable Birds Need You
Well, I hope your Holidays were happy, and you can now relax, get back to normal, and be glad that's over for another year! Or, maybe be happy that you made some improvements over past years in trying to keep the celebrations more eco-friendly. I know mine were far from perfect, but better, and as always a learning experience to build on for next year. Just in case you haven't packed everything away yet (gotta wait until Jan. 5th!), and gotten rid of all the remains of the day, I have some last thoughts about paper. Can we recycle all the wrapping paper and cards? I did a little research:
Is all paper recyclable? No. Any paper that's coated in a material like wax, plastic or foil (such as metallic wrapping paper or some Christmas cards) can't be recycled.
Fortunately, the vast majority of the paper and cardboard that we use on a daily basis can be recycled. Generally, as long as it's not lined with a plastic film, coated with wax, or covered in embellishments like glitter, velvet or foil, it's accepted.
When it comes to wrapping paper if you can scrunch it and it stays scrunched then you can recycle it as long as it doesn't have any glitter or foil decoration. It's a fiddly process but remove any sticky tape, tags or ribbons as they are not recyclable. Here's advice from Scotland about wrapping paper: https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/what-do-wrapping-paper#:~:text=When%20it%20comes%20to%20wrapping,as%20they%20are%20not%20recyclable.
Here's a website that tells what paper you can't recycle: https://www.garbageday.com/gd/garbage-tips/can-all-paper-be-recycled/
Happy Holidays!!
Is it possible to celebrate “The Holidays” without creating mountains of waste?
Do we need to spend to celebrate? What makes the holidays special for you? Family traditions? Putting up special decorations?, Playing holiday music and singing songs? Parties with friends? Traveling to spend time with family? Cooking special meals and baking cookies? Watching children open their presents? Religious celebrations? For me it was a few special things we did every year: picking out a real tree at a family farm that played Christmas music, had pony rides and animals to pet, and a little gift shop with Santa and homemade gifts. We also had talented friends who put on a family concert at a great restaurant every year. There were also parties celebrated with friends and having our families all at our house for Christmas dinner. Most of all, I loved Christmas Eve Mass at our church with our family, and singing my favorite carols.
Between late November and January, there are a lot of holidays: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day and more. They used to estimate that half of the retail business done in a year was done during the holidays, especially Black Friday, hence the name, meaning their sales went from being in the “red” ink to in the “black”. Now the estimates are more like 25- 30%, so maybe we’re getting better about overspending. In any case, we can’t make an exception for the holidays, when it comes to cutting our consumption.
About $900 billion is spent every year in the name of religion, tradition and generosity. If you have done any traveling on our nation’s interstates, you have probably noticed the increase over the years in the amount of tractor-trailers, or “semis”, especially those from Amazon and Walmart. That is a lot of fossil fuel burned and roads that will need repair work to get that merch to the warehouses. Then there are all the stores, malls and shopping centers that need to be heated and lit for extended hours. More fuel will be burned by shoppers driving to the stores. We haven’t even started wrapping yet! Then there’s all the waste to be cleaned up. I would include all the food and goodies, but we have to eat anyway, so I will assume we will all be good and eat responsibly.
So how do we begin to address this inevitable situation? I like to go back to those 5 Questions concerning grocery purchasing, (from Sustained Kitchen) https://www.sustained.kitchen/latest/2020/8/12/5-questions-for-sustainable-grocery-shopping
because they really do apply to shopping in general with a few word changes:
1. Will I (they) eat (use) the food (item)?
2. How is it packaged?
3. Where was it produced?
4. How was it produced?
5. Who or what does my money support?
Admittedly, it would be a lot of extra work, especially during an already busy time, so as with grocery purchasing, the goal is to start with trying to satisfy 1 or 2 criteria, then work towards 3. Knowing whether someone will use the item is half the battle isn’t it? If we only knew! Packaging is usually more apparent, unless it’s ordered online. Where it is purchased should be local if possible, to you, or if you are sending or ordering, possibly, local to the recipient. Sometimes ordering things online can provide info on the company and how their items are made. If you can, try to find out more about the company, and who owns them, so you don’t support huge multinationals that are the worst offenders. It’s great to support small and local businesses and craftspeople.
So there’s the problem of figuring out what to get people, who in many cases, are the same people we buy for every year. I believe a lot of gifts get regifted (or the term wouldn’t exist) or eventually in yard sales or thrown out. Most people would admit that they have too much already, and if they want something they would prefer to pick it out themselves. Children are another case entirely. I think we can agree that children should be the exception, since they look forward to the magical experience of childhood holidays.
How about other ideas besides buying things? Experiences are especially nice. Last year my husband and I were treated to dinner and an evening at a performance of A Christmas Carol with our son, daughter-in-law and grandson, as their gift. They have also given us gift certificates to a local theater when we lived in a different state, and we have done the same for other family members. That way they can choose the performance and date. Restaurant gift certificates are good too, as well as those from a favorite museum, movie theater or spa. A gift certificate to a children’s museum can be a nice gift for a child, too.
Taking someone out for dinner or inviting them for a homecooked meal not only gives them a nice meal, but also the gift of time with you. How about putting together the ingredients to a favorite meal you have made, for someone who likes to cook? These kinds of gift "baskets" can work for other interests, too. For example: gardening tools and seeds for a friend who likes to garden. Our other son and daughter-in-law sent us a mushroom growing kit last year, because my husband misses gardening in the winter months and I like to cook. We grew 2 "crops" then planted it outside in the spring and got more! The year before they sent us a gift certificate for the local chocolate maker! Not to leave out our other son: he framed his 3-year-old's awesome paintings and gifted them to us!
Next, I am going to review some of the websites I have featured for more ideas for sustainable gifting.
Sustainable Jungle is one of those great websites about living sustainably that has advice and reviews of all kinds of products. Wouldn't you know they have gift suggestions?
https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sus.../eco-friendly-gifts/
Part 2- Sustainable Gift Ideas
Many of us will purchase at least some gifts this holiday season. So what are the best choices? Since we will most likely want to buy gifts for the children in our lives, let’s start there. I saw this idea for cutting down the amount of presents for kids:
Five Gifts:
One they want (a big ticket item)
One they need (hobby, sports, or necessity)
One to wear (clothes, shoes, accessories)
One to read ( a book, magazine or comic book)
One to do (game, movie, outing or adventure)
What is a sustainable toy? According to commercialwaste.trade: “Durable toys made with renewable materials are the best option for long-term sustainability. Disposable but recyclable toys are the next best option, but carry a carbon footprint due to their manufacture, delivery and plastic packaging.” From bigjigstoys.co.uk: “What are eco friendly toys made out of? There are lots of materials that are kinder to the planet than plastic. Natural materials like bamboo, organic cotton, hemp or cork are excellent sustainable alternatives.”
Here are some brands and their websites to help you find them:
LOVEVERY has well made wooden toys for ages 0-5, AND they are a B Corporation!: https://lovevery.com/pages/wooden-toys
Earth Hero has a wide range of brands of toys, clothes, books and other items:
https://earthhero.com/collections/kids-toys
Sustainable Jungle has the above links plus 9 more that they have already researched for us: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-living/eco-friendly-toys/
Fat Brain Toys has toys for all ages, but you have to search for Organic & Green toys in the category search: https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toys/toy_categories/organic_green_toys/index.cfm
Green Toys are made from recycled materials and are available at Target and Walmart: https://www.greentoys.com/
Green Walnut has a nice assortment: https://greenwalnut.ca/en-us?utm_campaign=gs-2020-11-06&utm_source=google&utm
More? B Corp has a whole list!! Click on: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/?query=toys
So those were some good ones, and I’m sure you can find more just by “Googleing” sustainable toys.
What about specific toys, the popular ones that all the kids ask for?
Lego Bricks- so much plastic, but such great, creative toys. Topos, an online architecture and landscape design magazine, said this:
“Sustainable materials: LEGO is already experimenting with toy blocks made from recycled plastic and bioplastic. All major products will be made of sustainable materials by 2030. Less packaging: The company is reducing its packaging waste. By 2025, all LEGO packaging will consist of renewable or recycled materials.”
They go on to explain the company’s other plans to become more sustainable in other ways, and some that they have had problems with. In recent articles found on Reuters and Financial Times, it was reported that they had abandoned their efforts to create an oil-free brick, because changing the production would have created more carbon emissions. But they are going to keep trying to make their product more eco-friendly. Another thing I can say in favor of Legos is that they don’t often get disposed of. That’s probably partly because of their expense and also because of their durability. Our grandsons both love them, and have inherited them from parents, aunts and uncles. Passing them down from generation to generation keeps them out of the landfill. We have also been given some from friends. So I would give them a thumbs up. You can find more information here: https://toposmagazine.com/lego-sustainability/#:~:text=Sustainable%20materials%3A%20LEGO%20is%20already,of%20renewable%20or%20recycled%20materials.https://www.popsci.com/technology/lego-brick-pet/
Play Doh
Our sons and grandsons loved playing with Play Doh, and although it was messy, we loved the creative aspect of it, and that it was inexpensive. Is it eco-friendly? Here are a few articles from different sources:
"While sustainable playdough brands exist, store-bought playdough is often filled with preservatives and chemicals. Sadly, this makes them unfit for decomposition and recycling – not to mention the plastic containers they come in – leading to unnecessary waste". Aug 25, 2022
"Is Play Doh Biodegradable?
"Is Play Doh Biodegradable?
Shop-bought Play-Doh is not biodegradable. Play-Doh is made from a mixture of water, salt, flour, and other synthetic materials, including petroleum-based additives and colorings. These synthetic materials do not break down easily in the environment and can take hundreds of years to decompose."
Hasbro claims that their product is safe and eco-friendly, but independent sources say they are not sustainable. I checked with Leaf score who had a handy page of eco-friendly children’s craft supplies, including Eco-Kids eco-dough 3 pk.
https://earthhero.com/products/eco-kids-eco-dough-non-toxic-play-dough?
EarthHero’s website also carries this product, plus one by Green Toys that has several play sets.
I have tried making home made "play clay" , but have not had success. I will post a recipe if I find a good one. I would recommend one of the eco-friendly products by Eco-Kids or Green Toys.
Radio Flyer
While looking through toy companies on the B corp site, I found good old Radio Flyer, maker of tricycles and little red wagons!
https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/radio-flyer-inc/
Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars
Our sons played with and collected these little cars, and our younger grandson loves them now, too. The report below sounds encouraging about what Matchbox is doing now and what it plans to do in the future. Info about Hot Wheels was harder to find. Both Matchbox and Hot Wheels are owned by Mattel. The company shows their line of sustainable products on their website, but it shows only Matchbox and not Hot Wheels. They have an “About the Company” statement, which is quite thorough and comprehensive, but is it greenwashing?
https://corporate.mattel.com/citizenship
Barbie
I was definitely a fan of Barbie dolls when I was a little girl. Barbie is also a Mattel product, and is featured on the sustainability page of their website. According to Carbon Credits website:
“The push for sustainability propelled the Barbie maker to shift to reusing and recycling plastic wastes that would have ended up in the oceans.
It was in 2021 when Mattel launched a range of Barbies made of recycled plastics. By the next year, a genuine collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute saw the birth of carbon-neutral-certified Barbies crafted from recycled ocean-bound plastic.”
https://carboncredits.com/barbie-movie-green-hollywood-sustainability/
https://corporate.mattel.com/news/the-future-of-pink-is-green-barbie-introduces-new-dr-jane-goodall-and-eco-leadership-team-certified-carbonneutral-dolls-made-from-recycled-ocean-bound-plastic
Sustainable Gifts for Grown-ups
Sustainable Gifts for Grown-ups
Now that we have done some shopping for the kids, we might still need to buy some gifts for the adults in our lives. As I said earlier, this would be a good time to start thinking outside the box and consider gifts like experiences: gift certificates to restaurants, shows, etc. Also consider those 5 questions for buying: Will they really use it? How is it packaged? Where was it made or sold (preferably local or local to them)? How was it made? Who does it support?
Chocolate
I have reviewed chocolate before, but have found some recent info to update it: see the sierra club link below. Chocolates are a popular gift, and one that is easily ordered and shipped. Environmentally, and from a human rights perspective there are a lot of problems with it, so if you decide to give some as a gift, please choose carefully. The next link is a good place to start, with of long list of recommended brands, although I haven’t heard of many of them. I suspect many are local crafters. Supporting small, local businesses is great, too. Below are links to some other recommended companies and a notice that if you purchase from Lake Champlain Chocolates, that you are aware that some types are recommended over others.
https://www.greenandblacks.co.uk/
https://shop.divinechocolateusa.com/
https://shop.equalexchange.coop/collections/gifts-more
Lake Champlain Chocolates – Recommend 57% Dark Chocolate Bar, Spicy Aztec, Sea Salt & Almonds, Raspberries & Dark Chocolate , 72% Dark Chocolate, Peppermint Crunch, Almonds & Dark Chocolate, 80% Dark Chocolate, Cacao Nibs & Dark Chocolate, Toffee & Almond Crunch Bars only
Mushroom Growing Kit
Mushroom Growing Kit
While researching sustainable products online, I noticed a website (there are a lot of them!) ranking the best foods to eat for the planet! I'm sure other sites might have different rankings, but this one said mushrooms were number 1! I love mushrooms and they are great for giving all kinds of dishes that meaty, umami flavor.
For Christmas last year we received a North Spore Mushroom Kit from our son and daughter-in -law. It was easy and fun to start it and watch it grow! We got 2 "crops" of Pink Oyster Mushrooms, and they were SOOOO good! In the spring, we followed the directions on the company video, and planted the kit outside. We got more mushrooms! This is a fun and unusual gift, that the recipient probably won’t get from everyone! Here is a link North Spore: https://northspore.com
Coffee
Coffee
A lot of people love coffee. For those who buy at coffee shops, a gift card would make a nice gift. For those who make their own, they are probably experiencing the high prices and would appreciate a gift box of sustainable coffee that they might not have tried before. Here are some recommendations:
Leafscore has a list of their 12 most sustainable: Larry's Coffee, Ethical Bean, Cafe Mam, Higher Ground Roasters, Conscious Coffees, Salt Spring Coffee, Cafedirect, Grumpy Mule, Rise Up Coffee Roasters, Wandering Bear Coffee Company, Equal Exchange, and Red Bay Coffee, in that order.
https://www.leafscore.com/?s=coffee
Fairtrade America. If you go to their website, you can find many more coffee brands that are Fair Trade certified, although they might not all be shade grown and bird friendly. Some are store brands, too, like Trader Joe's, Central Market Organics, and Kirkland Signature. What is Fair Trade? When you buy fair trade, you are not only protecting the environment, you are combatting poverty, standing up for workers rights, promoting gender equality, fighting child labor, and creating more resilient communities. So much good can be done by knowledgeable purchasing!
https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/shop-fairtrade/fairtrade-products/coffee/
Fragrance,
otherwise known as perfume and cologne, always seems to be a seller for holiday gifting, along with jewelry.
If you are inclined to give this to someone, they probably want a certain favorite, but if you want to know how they rank sustainably, the EWG has a great website, and while you're there you can look up all kinds of other personal care products as well.
https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/browse/category/Fragrance_for_women/
Our Fur Babies
Our Fur Babies
Do you have pets? Do you buy presents for them? Of course you do! I enjoy buying presents for my grand-pets more than I do for people! I found a nice website that has done the work of searching for and reviewing sustainable pet products. The list of companies and their links are below, and at the bottom you will find a link to the website and the rest of the article.
Do you have pets? Do you buy presents for them? Of course you do! I enjoy buying presents for my grand-pets more than I do for people! I found a nice website that has done the work of searching for and reviewing sustainable pet products. The list of companies and their links are below, and at the bottom you will find a link to the website and the rest of the article.
The Full List Of Recycled & Organic Dog Toys
The Full List Of Recycled & Organic Dog Toys
https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-living/eco-friendly-dog-toys/
For Bakers
For Bakers
From King Arthur Flour, here are holiday gifts AND recipes!
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2023/12/05/gifts-for-bakers
Now to wrap those gifts! Here is Sierra again with another interesting take:
How to Give Gifts Without the Waste
of Wrapping Paper
Millions of pounds of gift wrapping end up in landfills. A 1,300-year-old Japanese tradition offers another way.
By Julia Sklar December 5, 2023
Gift-wrapping traditions in the United States are a waste-producing nightmare. As of 2017, Americans spent $12.7 billion on just the colorful paper; later, millions of pounds of it ended up in landfills. Wrapping paper is made of a mix of different paper types, glitter (also a microplastic, if you’re counting the ills), and bright dyes, all of which make it unfit for industrial recycling systems. What’s worse, because it’s called wrapping paper, many people attempt to do the right thing by adding it to their recycling bin, inadvertently contaminating the whole batch and landing everything, even the genuinely recyclable objects sitting in the bin, in a landfill. What exactly are we celebrating this time of year, again?
I started thinking about the absurdity of this all during a trip to Japan mere weeks before the pandemic broke out. There, browsing a Tokyo shop with neatly lined shelves full of charming artisan products, I hesitated over a stack of brightly colored and intricately patterned cloths. They came in a variety of sizes and orientations—some like square dinner napkins, others like rectangular hand towels—but I couldn’t figure out what they were for. I must have looked like the befuddled foreigner I truly was because a shop clerk stopped by, pointing at the colorful rows with an upturned hand, and asked, “Do you know furoshiki?” I shook my head. “For wrapping,” she said, nodding with a smile and walking away.
For the rest of the article: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/how-give-gifts-without-waste-wrapping-paper
Holiday Cleaning
Holiday Cleaning
Hopefully you have most of your holiday shopping done and now you can relax and wrap, clean, bake do everything else! I found some holiday cleaning tips from EWG (Environmental Working Group), and this link will take you there:
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