Shop Local

Shopping locally is impactful in environmental sustainability by reducing transportation miles, local animal preservation, food waste reduction, green initiatives, and even more. Through these actions not only are you giving back to your environment, you’re also giving back back to your community!

Here are some ways you can start shopping locally and support sustainable businesses! Next time you're shopping, think to yourself, "could I purchase that item at a local community owned store?” There are many great sustainable stores around not far from Severson Dells. Here are some options!

You can shop local here:

• Rooted
• Promoting sustainability with diverse products. Open Wednesday through Sunday with varying hours.
• Rockford Art Deli
• Sustainably sourced clothing, with apparel made partly of recycled water bottles .
• Bushel and Pecks
• locally sourced grocery store based in Beloit, WI with an added cafe open from 11am to 2pm. Hours range from Tuesday 10am to 6pm, and Saturday to Sunday 9am to 5pm.
• Severson Dells Nature Center Gift Shop
• Wide variety of locally sourced products sold at our amazing nature center gift shop. Open from 8am to 4:30pm Monday through Saturday.

Alternative Gifts

Giving gifts to people we care about can be hard, especially when you’re trying to keep ahold of all the considerations - budget, what the person likes, how much time you have left to get it, and, of course, is the gift sustainable or just another piece of junk that’s going to end up in a landfill at the end of the month. There are lots of options out there for sustainable or eco-friendly gift giving and you’re sure to check off everyone on your list. Alternative gifts are a great way to be sustainable this holiday season. Here are some things to consider:

• If the gift recipient has a specific item on their list or isn’t environmentally minded, consider buying an eco-friendly version or a higher quality that will last longer. 
• Buying treats that people don’t usually get for themselves is a great option, this time of year there are lots of items that have a limited availability. Local sweets and treats or something you made adds a thoughtful or sentimental aspect to the gift as well. I whip out the family recipes that don’t get used very often and give those away and they’re always a hit. 
• As we’ve gotten older, my mom has switched to getting us experiences for gifts; this has included gift certificates for spa days and tickets to theatre shows and concerts. Vouchers to the “fancy” car wash are also great especially for coworkers as our cars get coated in salt during the winter season. 
• For kids, consider buying swim lessons or a membership to a zoo or museum. As teens my sisters got passes for the rides at the state fair every year, they spent the whole week going on every ride with their friends and the passes were a great money saver. Season passes to a local amusement park or pool is also a great choice as they’re usually cheaper during the winter months. 
• If the kids you’re shopping for are more into the joy of unwrapping, another thing to consider is safety equipment, such as life vests or bike helmets, as it’s important to get high quality, but kids also quickly outgrow them.
• DIY’ing your gifts this year may be the way to go. 
• Air dry clay is usually readily available - or can even be made at home - and can be used to make all sorts of things including jewelry trays, ornaments, candle holders, and more. 
• You can also make bookmarks or body scrubs with things you probably already have in the house. 
• If you are more craft inclined consider embroidering tea towels or making lavender sachets (using cotton or linen bags of course). 
• You can even paint a picture of the gift receiver’s pet or favorite flower. 
• Crafts are great regardless of your talent because they can be useful but also hold a deeper sentimental value because you also gave your time to the person receiving the gift.
• If crafting, consider visiting The Scrap Jar in Rockford for thrifted craft supplies.

Sustainable Wrapping

Another way to reduce your environmental footprint this holiday season is by giving your loved ones a digital gift. You don’t even need to leave your house and brave the cold to finish your shopping this year! A virtual present cuts the distance you drive (=less emissions from your car), the cost of shipping, the energy used to transport your present, the packaging the item comes in, and the paper used to wrap said gift - but more on that later.

Here are some options for a digital gift:

• Lots of retailers offer digital gift certificates, including small businesses. Digital gift cards are great for long distance friends and family - ask them what their favorite coffee shop or boutique is (if you don’t already know). Or, pick a new spot for them to check out. 
• Like mentioned earlier, you could gift your loved one an experience! Book tickets for a concert, museum, class, spa treatment, or show of some sort. This type of gift can be really thoughtful for couples or families to spend quality time together - or contrarily, to ensure much-needed personal time for those who may deserve a break. 
• Shopping for a bookworm? Other digital gifts include media like audiobooks, e-books and digital magazines. Bookshop.org and Libro.fm are great resources to support independent bookstores and avoid big retailers. 
• For the nature lover in your life - consider adopting them an animal to track online. These purchases contribute to conservation efforts for that animal, and the interactive component is great for kids. Plus you get a bracelet or stuffed animal too!
• The greatest gift we can give is helping others. Consider giving a different kind of gift this year, and donate to a charity in your loved one’s honor. Ask what cause means the most to them this year. 

Everything That Glimmers Isn't Gold: The Not-So-Shiny Truth about Wrapping Paper

Now that you have found the perfect gifts, it’s finally time to wrap them up before stashing them away. Each year, Americans spend over $12 billion on wrapping paper, and each year, 2.3 million pounds end up added to our landfills. 

Unfortunately, most wrapping paper is not recyclable. This paper is often thin and coated with ink, dyes, and laminates that do not allow it to break down in the same way other recyclable paper products do. Decorative foil, glitter, and other non-paper elements also hinder paper’s recyclability - and they contribute to microplastic pollution. 

Bows, ribbon, and tape are also not recyclable (or anything adhesive for that matter), but they can be saved and reused in the future! Depending on how civil or wild your family’s gift opening habits are, you may be able to save and reuse large pieces of gift wrap that have not been shredded to bits and pieces. 

Look for products made with recycled materials or that specifically state the product is recyclable itself. If you are unsure if your wrapping paper is recyclable - just throw it away in the trash. Otherwise, you may be unknowingly participating in something called wishcycling, or the attempted recycling of non-recyclable materials, which can contaminate the rest of the batch. Better to play it safe than sorry!

Fortunately, there are so many alternatives to traditional single-use gift wrapping: 

• Upcycle paper shopping bags with hand painted designs to cover logos
• Reuse wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, tissue paper, cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, and gift bags 
• Save your cute holiday cards to cut and make into bag tags
• For a chic presentation, wrap your gifts in scrap fabric, scarves, bandanas, tea towels, reusable tote bags, or use a basket (which you can find in abundance second-hand) 
• Learn more about Furoshiki, the ancient Japanese practice of wrapping items in cloth, here 
• Decorate kraft paper, newspaper, old maps, or other scrap paper to make one-of-a-kind gift wrap
• Avoid glitter or other accessories that may make this non-recyclable
• Shop second-hand for bags, cards, and wrapping paper tubes

Any action helps, and your commitment to a sustainable holiday this year makes a difference! Not only can you give an environmentally friendly gift, but the added thought, effort, and intention put into the delivery make it extra special. 

Craft Decor

Help Natural Ecosystems While You Decorate for the Holidays

As you think about how to brighten up your space for the holiday season, consider these ideas for how to decorate using things that are in overabundance or that are waste materials.

Plastic bags are something easily found lying around an apartment or house, buried at the bottom of a bag, or blowing around outside. Plastic bags (like the kind from most grocery stores) can be transformed from difficult to recycle waste to a variety of textile related items. For the holiday season, they can be turned into a twine-like cord to be used in garlands or other projects. Below is a project turning plastic bags into raffia cord, and then, using fabric strips cut from old t-shirts(you could use any unused textile or fabric item that is able to be cut into strips) turned into a colorful and textured holiday garland.

Another type of waste materials is organic, or living waste. This time of year offers a great chance to start addressing some of the invasive honeysuckle that may be found where you live. With the predominant brown, maroon, and yellow tones of our native ecosystems at this time of year, it is easily identified by its densely branching beige colored stems; slightly drooping, symmetrical vibrant green leaves; and bright red berries. Cutting down the honeysuckle is a great first step in slowing its harmful effects on our regional ecosystems. More information can be found here: https://extension.illinois.edu/invasives/invasive-amur-bush-honeysuckle

Once cut down, it's best to burn up the cuttings that fall so that no part of it (especially those bright red berries) spread around the forest. When you cut it, in tandem with burning, honeysuckle’s beautiful and pliable stems and branches can also be used to create holiday decor. One idea is to turn some of the mid-width stems into an adorable holiday house, making essentially simple stacking “logs”. All of this wood was cut and shaped using a handsaw you could find at your local hardware store. Although it may not need it, to make an easy and affordable glue for the pieces that could be burned with the house if it ever becomes unwanted, you can simply combine a little wheat flour and water in a bowl, and put it where the logs nest into each other. 

The wood found at the end of honeysuckle is relatively pliable, especially toward the ends of its smaller branches. These branches can be used to form small wreaths, and decorated with other materials found outside, like dried leaves or berries, or in other creative ways. More wreath ideas can be found here:

https://www.seversondells.org/low-waste-holidays 

The same sort of glue mixture could be helpful here if given enough time to set, and other methods like tying materials to the wreath could be used to put it all together. 

The fun of using recycled or reused materials, whether manmade or organic, for your holiday decor is that you get to create beautiful things to brighten up your indoor spaces in winter, and also care for your local ecosystems. 

So, this year, we challenge you to take a step towards sustainability, no matter how small or big your stride. Sometimes, the most sustainable way forward is just acting with intentionality. Sustainability helps us all have many more holidays on this beautiful planet we call home. We hope you and yours have a peaceful holiday season.