Did you know we produce around 25% more trash during the holidays than any other time of year? An aspiration of our team at HFL to infuse every endeavor, coaching or training with the concept of creating sustainable shifts, changes in behavior that allow each client to reach their goals over the long haul. Inherently, many aspects of coaching reinforce sustainability – most effective coaching engagements occur over a 6 to 12 month period – which allows the coachee and coach to create, try out and experiment – all leading each client to create their own personal sustainability toolkit. Just as our team at HFL seeks to infuse the concept of sustainability into our client engagements, so too, in our personal lives and in the workplace, environmental sustainability can be injected into our daily lives. As noted in the November 27, 2019, 4ocean.org newsletter, by incorporating sustainable practices during the holidays we can help to reduce the almost 25 million tons of waste generated by our gift-giving and celebrations. Specifically, we can make a difference by incorporating these four easily implementable actions: Give simple, Give green, give clean, and give again.
4 ways to make sustainability a new holiday tradition TIP #1 Give simpler Give one or two quality gifts rather than 10. TIP #2 Give cleaner Gift an experience that you can do together like a massage, event tickets, or a painting, cooking, or dance class. If you’re giving a physical gift, wrap it in fabric or reusable materials. TIP #3 Give green Give gifts from sustainable brands whose values align with yours. Or gift a gift card made from recycled paper or one that can be sent online. TIP #4 Give again Gift vintage, restored, or gently-loved items. Antique shops, thrift stores, and yard sales are all treasure troves for unique, unusual, and nostalgic gifts. If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, we’d save 38,000 miles of ribbon — enough to wrap a bow around the entire planetary other time of year?
Contact us at support@habitatforleadership.com to explore how HFL can help you a more sustainable living.
Written by Clare Merlo, MBA, PCC Chief People Improvement Officer Executive Coach and Facilitator VP, Outreach Programs / Past President, ICF South Florida