Celebrating Sustainably

While it goes without saying that a sustainable festive season is in everyone’s – and the world’s – interests, we thought we would gather some fun and helpful tips for you. This adds to our excellent article published in 2021, where we reminded everyone to celebrate sustainably during the holiday season.

Rule 1: Re-use!

Whether it's an artificial pre-lit Christmas tree you bought online five years ago, or a clay ornament your baby cousin made at daycare, re-using decorations is the most sustainable (and cost-effective) way to adorn your home for the season. Through re-use, waste is reduced and energy and natural resources are saved from the production of new materials during a season when household waste increases by 30 per cent (Kikken 2023).

Re-use is not limited to decorations either. Furoshiki are traditional Japanese wrapping cloths used to wrap and transport goods – a wonderful idea for all of us. Not only is it a chic and unique way to wrap a gift (see Figure 1), but the fabric can also be easily re-used by either you or the recipient. If you don’t have the skill or patience for Furoshiki, using a well-made gift bag instead of wrapping paper is a good reusable alternative. However, avoiding gift wrapping altogether is the most sustainable method of all.

Figure 1. Furoshiki wrapping techniques. Source: Uncommon and Curated (2024).

For those in need of a festive fresh start, here are some ways to create and sustainably source decorations for the festive season:

Design your own decorations. Swap out plastic tinsel for DIY garlands made from recycled paper; knit or crochet Christmas ornaments with ethically sourced yarn; tap into your inner child and get creative with air-dry clay. There are many ways to design unique and heartfelt decorations. Just remember to source your materials sustainably (visit stores such as Reverse Garbage, The Selvedge Society and Bower) and have fun!

Here are some festive and family-friendly decoration ideas! Source: (Alida Eco- Greener Living Wiser Thinking 2020)

Use native flora. Be a bit different and use native flora for your festive staples. If you want a Christmas Tree, consider sourcing local native conifers such as the Callitris pine and Wollemi pine trees (Figure 2). Native flora can also be used to create your own wreath and table centrepieces (see Figures 3 and 4)!

Figure 2. Wollemi pine is one of the oldest and rarest trees on Earth, and it’s endemic to Australia (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services 2025)! However, this native Australian species is critically endangered, with only 89 trees remaining in the wild. You can help the conservation of this national (and global) treasure by purchasing juveniles from garden nurseries and growing your own during the holiday season! Source: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services (2025).

Figure 3. Here is an example of a native Christmas wreath from our organisation’s manager, Kate.

Figure 4. A native flower table arrangement from ‘Fig and Bloom’. Source: Fig & Bloom (2025).

Greener Gifting

To a sustainable celebrator, gifts can be seen as a necessary evil during the festive celebration, as out of the whopping $3.4 billion spent on gift-giving, an average of 30 per cent – equivalent to $1.01 billion worth of items – are not even used (Gbor & Adhikari 2024).

Here are some ways to offset the waste and resources used in the gift-giving tradition:

Craft and create! Gifts can just as easily be DIYed as decorations. Try your hand at knitting/crocheting, sewing, building, painting and even baking for your friends and family.
Gift experiences. Instead of a tangible gift, try gifting an experience. There are many workshops and activities that are fun, creative and ecologically friendly. Register your friends and family for pottery and candle-making workshops, organic gardening and mushroom foraging classes, or a nature-based spa day.
Gift Green. If time gets the best of you and your workplace, Secret Santa is around the corner, so make an effort to gift in a greener way. This may include shopping from vendors at your local farmer’s markets, or thrifting for fun (and surprisingly valuable) items (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. This Redditor copped a Tory Burch bag – which typically values at $900 AUD – for $60 AUD! Source: Short-Salamander-369 (2024).

Be thoughtful. Taking the time to think about the giftee’s interests, wants and needs will ensure that the gift will not go unused - and will be kept out of landfill. If you are unsure about what to get someone, there’s no shame in giving them a gift card to an eco-friendly business they would love.

Festive Feast

The season is enhanced with a festive feast. This year however, challenge yourself to source ingredients that are in-season, sustainably sourced and locally grown by using resources such as seasonal produce guides, Local Harvest and GoodFish. Incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your banquet, and dry, pickle, preserve and compost any food scraps or excess if you can (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Food scraps and excess can be preserved for future use or transformed into new ingredients. Source: Crofts (2025)

Happy Sustainable Seasons Greetings!

Article by Simi Olutayo

Reference List

Alida Eco- Greener Living Wiser Thinking (2020) DIY ECO FRIENDLY HOLIDAY DECORATIONS- Sustainable & Zero-waste Christmas Decor Tips & Ideas- 2021, YouTube, viewed 6 December 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK1eONsnQZg

Crofts N (2025) ‘How to Dry, Pickle & Preserve Food’, Hoselink, viewed 6 December 2025, https://www.hoselink.com.au/blogs/diy-projects/from-plot-to-plate?srsltid=AfmBOor8dL_cRQiY_7e7waKyhXoNawqvSStkimKYntHxqXcNv_RqDD12

Fig & Bloom (2025) Christmas Table Flowers (Natives), Fig & Bloom, viewed 6 December 2025, https://figandbloom.com/products/christmas-table-flowers-australian-natives?srsltid=AfmBOopnmyvXTulwtgudMh3TPxEitJ8Vm8R0_9QzmZY9YRnkSOlYe49E

Gbor N & Adhikari A (2024) Polling – Christmas waste 2024, The Australia Institute, December, viewed 6 December 2025, https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/polling-christmas-waste-2024/

Kikken N (2023) ‘All I want for Christmas is less plastic waste: tips for the festive season’, CSIRO, 11 December, viewed 6 December 2025, https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2023/december/plastic-waste-christmas

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services (2025) Wollemi pine, NSW National Parks, NSW Government, viewed 6 December 2025, https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/plants-and-animals/wollemi-pine

Short-Salamander-369 (2024) Designer bags in Tokyo thrift store (I’m new to designer bags, please be kind), Reddit, viewed 6 December 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/handbags/comments/1g722ys/designer_bags_in_tokyo_thrift_store_im_new_to/

Uncommon and Curated (2024) Zero-Waste Gift Wrap: How to Wrap Gifts in Reusable Fabric with Furoshiki, Uncommon and Curated, viewed 6 December 2025, https://uncommonandcurated.com/zero-waste-gift-wrap-furoshiki-reusable-wrapping-paper/

Wikipedia (2022) Furoshiki, Wikipedia, viewed 6 December 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furoshiki