If you could do just a few things differently to create memories and reduce holiday waste this season, what would they be? Do you need some help with great gift ideas for that special someone this holiday season?
Why not get creative and give the gift of experience instead of more stuff! Treat someone to a trip to the spa, start a new hobby with a loved one, re-gift a favorite novel or board game. Or give the gift of experience with ski passes, movie tickets or tickets to a local hockey game. All help to ‘Create Memories, Not Garbage’.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan encourages residents to reduce waste while celebrating the festive season. Waste Reduction Office Facilitator Cynthia Coates says, “The ‘Create Memories, Not Garbage’ campaign is courtesy of our partners at Metro Vancouver. It’s a festive, fun, resource friendly campaign providing some great gift and wrapping ideas that people may not have thought of. It also reduces the amount of waste generated during the holiday season.”
Here are some other memory making ideas to get you started:
· Organize a family skate
· Treat someone to a live performance, sporting event, theatre tickets
· Offer your dog walking or cat sitting services
· Sign someone up for a cooking class, or art class
· Host an amazing dinner for all your friends, using locally grown food
Often some of the fondest memories of the holidays involve time spent with family and friends. Maybe it was making gingerbread houses or other baking together, open houses or cookie exchanges. Thoughtful gift giving can dramatically reduce the amount of packaging and wrapping that accumulates and can encourage opportunities for us to create new holiday traditions. Some of these waste reduction ideas might be practical throughout the coming year!
Watch for the Create Memories campaign on social media, online, print and TV. It’s all in an effort to encourage not making waste in the first place and reducing what comes into and leaves our homes.
For information on how you can ‘Create Memories, Not Garbage’ this holiday season email recycle@rdco.com or call the Regional Waste Reduction Office at 250-469-6250.