Going Green for the Holidays!

We can hardly believe it, but the holidays are here! This is a great time of year to support Salt Lake City’s efforts to build a more sustainable and resilient community.

Climate action is on all our minds following COP26, which brought world leaders together to create a pathway towards climate action. While the work internationally must be done, everyone has a part to play and small, locally driven climate action can add up to make change. So as you gear up for the holidays, we have some helpful reminders for ways you can be more sustainable!

Sustainable Menu Planning

A traditional thanksgiving meal can pack a big punch when it comes to carbon emissions. The biggest contributors are turkey and meat-based dishes. Food waste can also contribute a large portion of your meal’s carbon footprint. Help your family shrink their impact by bringing some plant-based alternatives to the table!

Even if you’re not ready to go completely vegan, avoiding food waste can help reduce your impact on the planet. Wasatch Resource Recovery’s residential drop off location can turn any uneaten food into natural gas and fertilizer. Materials like fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, or tea, can also go in your curbside compost bin (along with whatever Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns are left standing!).

As you start your meal planning, consider stopping by the Winter Farmers Market at the Gateway to check out what’s fresh including locally grown and produced produce, eggs, cheese, chocolate, baked goods, and more.

Healthy, locally produced food is not accessible to everyone in our community. Emergency food resources can be found using the FeedUT tool or contacting United Way 2-1-1. More resources and ways to support food access in Salt Lake City are available on our website.

Sustainable Gift Giving

Some of the best holiday gifts aren’t what’s new and flashy. Opting for thrifted and vintage gifts can be a fun way to avoid buying new. By giving new life to old objects, we can avoid the carbon emissions, pollution, and waste associated with creating, packaging, and transporting new items.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many supply chain issues, adding pressure to small businesses and causing delays in shipping. The best way to make sure to support your favorite local businesses and ease the pressure of holiday shopping is to shop early. Shopping for locally made items is even better because it cuts out the carbon emissions-packed step of packaging and transporting items from further away.

Give Thanks for Compost & Recycling!

From cardboard to aluminum, the supply chain has been in trouble during the pandemic. As you package and unpackage, cook, decorate, and clean, be sure to get your recyclables into the right container. By recycling and composting, you can help keep valuable resources out of the landfill!

Remember, Salt Lake City’s Waste & Recycling collection are provided year-round except on three holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Collection will be delayed by one day following the holidays, unless that holiday falls on a weekend. For those residents who get glass recycling through Momentum, if you typically receive glass collection on the fourth Thursday, please have your bins out two days early (Tuesday, November 23).

SLCgreen is grateful for everyone’s dedication to living greener and supporting climate action! Taking actions on a local scale can help make big changes. SLCgreen wishes you a safe and happy holiday!