Have a Very Merry, Very Green Holiday Season

We love helping you turn your home into a festive oasis where you can feel all the feels of the season. In addition to celebrating you and your wellness, we’re sending some love to our one and only planet earth this holiday. Why? Because we believe that holistic wellness includes how you care for yourself and how you care for the environment.

We know your yuletide to-do list is long, but there are small, impactful choices you can make to show Mother Earth you care. The good news—they will probably make your life a little easier and your season a little brighter at the same time. Read on for our tips for building sustainable holiday traditions:

This holiday, do the planet a solid by skipping extra wrapping paper - check out our Best Of Saje Wellness Essentials gift set for Holiday inspiration.

Skip the wrapping

Go easy on yourself and the planet this year by rethinking the way you wrap. The numbers don’t lie—between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Americans will throw out about 25% more waste than any other time of the year and Canadians will throw out about 540,000 tons of wrapping paper over the course of the year.

You can skip the rolls of paper, tape, bows and bags and still wrap up picture-perfect parcels using recycled materials like fabric, newspaper or reusable totes. We took the guesswork out of environmentally-friendly gift wrapping this year with our ready and wrapped gift sets. Simply remove the product information sleeves (on the outside of our beautifully designed, 100% recyclable gift boxes) and pop them under the tree! Read this post for inspiration and information on our planet-friendly holiday packaging.

Batteries=bah humbug

In holidays of yore, it was common on Christmas morning to tear into plastic packaging to reveal battery-powered toys. We now know that billions of batteries are disposed of each year, all of which contain toxic materials. This year, do your part in preventing the continuation of this cycle by making memories and wrapping up gifts that don’t require batteries. If you want to gift an electronic, try going the rechargeable route or go for one of our energy-efficient plug-in ultrasonic diffusers.

The limited edition Aroma Zen white diffuser (available in the Uplifted Days gift set) will light up your holidays without the need for batteries.

Start Shopping Early

Online shopping is a beautiful thing. You can cross everyone off your list with the click of a button and make more time for creating holiday memories with the ones you love. As convenient as it all sounds, online shopping can lead to procrastination. You can wait until the eleventh hour and still have all your gifts ready and wrapped under the tree with the option of express shipping.

The reality is, opting to shop last-minute is costly for you and the environment. When you choose expedited shipping, it is more likely your package will travel via plane (and produce more carbon emissions as a result). Getting your shopping done early not only feels good and saves money, it gives you the opportunity to choose greener shipping methods. That’s a win-win-win in our books.

Spread good cheer, not emissions

Yes, shopping online is amazingly efficient, but we also love to see your smiling faces in stores. Whether you’re driving to one of our stores or running from one errand to the next, idling in rush hour traffic produces harmful air pollution. You can still get through your checklist and use greener transportation methods like transit or walking. Carpools are also an easy way to cut back on fuel consumption and spend time with friends or co-workers (bonus points if you stage a festive lip sync battle during your ride).

When you get your shopping done early, you reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make more time to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Give moments, not things

For us, the holidays are a time for sharing wellness and creating memories with those we hold near and dear. It’s not the gifts they’ll remember, but the lazy mornings in PJs drinking spiked coffees, dance parties in the kitchen and snuggling by the fire in the evening. A simple way to have a greener holiday season is to focus on creating these festive memories, rather than fretting about getting them a pile of gifts. You’ll reduce waste, ease your worries and create an unforgettable holiday season.

Power down

There’s something about decorating our homes with twinkly lights that always puts us in a festive mood. As warm and fuzzy as they make us feel, they also use huge amounts of energy. To decrease your impact, set a timer on your lights so they are only lit at night. Also, if you haven’t yet, switch to LED lights that consume up to 70% less energy. Or, consider adding some sparkle and shine to your home with our energy-efficient, limited edition Aroma Breeze Champagne ultrasonic diffuser.

Energy efficient & festive for a truly Happy Holiday.

With just a few shifts in behaviour and mindful awareness of our impact on the environment, you can contribute to a brighter future for the environment while still feeling all the warm fuzzy feels of the holidays. Wishing you a season filled with peace, joy and love—for your family, friends, and Mother Earth herself.