CELEBRATING THE PLANET TOO

The environmental toll that the holidays take can be reduced. Here are some tips for more mindful giving.

- BY CALEIGH WELLS

YUKI IWAMURA Associated Press

A PERSON takes a picture of the window displays outside Macy's flagship store in New York with Christmas two weeks away.

We're in the thick of the holiday shopping season, and U.S. residents are expected to shatter the spending record again this year.

The National Retail Federation forecasts that 2025 will be the first time we collectively spend more than $1 trillion on year-end gifts.

A lot of materials, energy, packaging and gasoline go into making and moving those gifts.

All of those processes release planet-warming gases into the atmosphere.

But a lot of that environmental impact is avoidable. Making, baking, thrifting and avoiding traditional wrapping paper are all more planet-friendly ways to give.

We've got tips on how to do them all:

Homemade can be a win

Sure, if you've got the skill to turn a wooden bowl or needlepoint a Christmas stocking, those gifts are guaranteed to be unique and meaningful. But not all of us have the knowledge or time.

Sandra Goldmark, associate dean of Columbia Climate School's Office of Engagement & Impact, said one of her favorite options is an act of service for a loved one. One year, for example, her husband organized all of her passwords for her.

"It was not something easy to wrap and put under the tree, but believe me, it was meaningful and really helped me more than any additional object cluttering up my home could have," she said.