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Global Warning - Oct 17, 2004 - Printable Version
- Don't Blame the Grinch
by Robin Buckallew
I’d like to take time out from the political season and the upcoming election to wish you a Merry Christmas. That’s right, you heard me, Christmas. After all, it’s nearly Halloween. The stores are already full of Santa Claus paraphernalia and other trappings of the upcoming holiday. The retailers are gearing up. It’s time to decide what will be the biggest toy of the year. The new Christmas movies will be out soon, and the Christmas lights will begin to glow. At the risk of being called a grinch (go ahead, it doesn’t hurt, I’ve heard it before), I would like to take a closer look at just what this season means. Many of us believe that the season is supposed to celebrate the birth of Jesus, a humble man, a simple carpenter. The son of God, he came to save the world from its sins. For whatever reason, the birth of this simple, humble man has come to be celebrated by a great excess of greed, gluttony and consumption. Did you know that the holiday season accounts for nearly half of the domestic consumption of the entire year? We spread cheer with rolls of wrapping paper, boxes, bags, bows and cards, most of which end up in the trash by the very next day. For instance, 2.65 billion cards are sold in the United States alone during the holiday season. This is enough to fill a football field 10 stories high, or to circle the planet 10 times. For everyone who sends cards to send just one card fewer would result in a saving of 50,000 square tons of paper. Folks, that’s a lot of trees.
During the Christmas season, there are 5 million extra tons of garbage generated. This is 25% more garbage than the rest of the entire year. Four million tons of this comes from gift wrapping and shopping bags. In addition, Americans throw away 28 billion pounds of food per year. A great deal of this is during the holidays. Most of us (especially those of us with families) fix enormous quantities of food during the holidays. Our intentions are good. We are going to eat the leftovers – turkey sandwiches, turkey stew, turkey hash....but sooner or later, we get sick of turkey. And all the trimmings. To heck with it. I’m just going to throw it away, and go out for a steak. We all heard it as children – the starving children in Africa. Of course, that is real, but it isn’t just the starving children in Africa that suffer when we discard that kind of food. It creates tremendous burden on the environment to produce the amount of food we consume in a year, and the waste we generate from uneaten food is a waste of the world we depend on.
More waste is generated during Christmas. How many of you have given a gift to a loved one, thinking you have finally found the perfect gift, only to be over at their house three months later and find it hasn’t yet been taken out of the package? And how many toys have you bought for the little ones that barely lasted until New Year? Let’s look at the price of consumption. The average American spends around $800 on Christmas gifts. The credit card debt generated around the holidays is not paid off until the following July, and 25% of American consumers report that it takes them until October to finally pay off the Christmas debt. This is a load of debt, and a load of interest. And, of course, by October the retailers have begun stocking up for Christmas, and starting the cycle again. And what are the other costs of all this consumption? In America, there are 21.5 square feet of shopping centers per capita. That is a lot of paved surfaces that were once thriving ecosystems. That is a lot of wetlands drained, a lot of forests leveled, a lot of wildflowers paved over. For what? Another “Just for Feet”? Another big box superstore? It is time for us to ask ourselves if the tradeoff is worth it.
Of course, during the season, you will hear a great deal about the economy. We all wait with bated breath for that report of the day after Thanksgiving. How was it this year? Did we have adequate growth to fuel our economy so that we can all look forward to a prosperous year? In spite of all the press about the holiday season fueling our economy, Americans see very little reward. We do the purchasing, we get the debt, but the biggest benefactor of our holiday season (except for Wal-Mart) is China. Each year, the US Christmas season gains China $450 million for artificial trees and decorations and $2.2 billion in dolls and stuffed toys. But every year, it’s the same story. There was growth in the business from this period last year. But the growth wasn’t as much as was expected or hoped for. Predictions abound for the upcoming collapse of the economy. And I am perplexed. Is our economic system so fragile, so unstable, that a single month can make or break it? If excess Christmas spending is required to keep our economy sound, then perhaps it is time to rethink our economic structure entirely.
There are other costs to the environment of the Christmas season. We all love the sight of the holiday lights blinking on trees and houses throughout the town. But most of us are unaware of the hidden cost of all that lighting. Each year, holiday lighting generates 885,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 4,800 tons of sulfur dioxide and 2,800 tons of smog. How much is enough? And a couple more little facts. If everyone in this country wrapped just three gifts in reused paper, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. If every household would reuse just two feet of ribbon per year, it would save 38,000 miles of ribbon. This is enough ribbon to tie a bow around the earth.
Folks, I know the holidays are special. I also know they are stressful. There is a rush to buy a gift to show someone you love them. There is a crush in the shopping mall, filled with all the folks who waited until the last minute. There is the strain of the expense, of the hassle, of the increased work required by the holiday. And if you are like most of us, you are busy giving and getting gifts that are not as appreciated as we would like. They are not the right size, or the right color, or just plain not...right. When is the last time you bought your Dad something he could really use? When is the last time your Mom wore that sweater you gave her? How many times does your daughter pout, “But this isn’t what I wanted!”? Slow down. Relax. Give them a gift they can truly enjoy. Give them yourself. Give them your time. Take a walk with them. Sit and talk for a few hours. Just spend some time with the people you hardly ever see. It is not illegal, immoral or fattening. It will not bankrupt you. And it will not be hard on the environment. And, in spite of what the commercials and the news stories will attempt to tell you, it will not cause our economy to go totally belly up. Our economy will adjust.
Another statistic (I know, you hate statistics. Everyone hates statistics. But they are a necessary evil). Approximately 80% of Americans have reported feeling happier when they voluntarily cut back their consumption. As for myself, I have made my Christmas quite simple. A small, tasty meal. Fewer gifts. No lights. And my Christmas is more enjoyable than ever. I don’t waste a single minute of the season in the mall. I spend the entire time with my loved ones, talking to my husband, walking the dog, petting the cat. Believe me, they appreciate my gift of time (a truly rare commodity) more than they would anything else I could ever give them. And our celebration is a true celebration of the life of the humble carpenter, whose star shines brightly over our house every Christmas morning.
Before you sign off, I would like you to do one small thing for me. I would like you to make a pledge toward a simpler holiday season. It doesn’t have to be much. Start small. One fewer gift. A smaller turkey. Reused or recycled wrapping paper. Whatever you think you can spare. Email us at info@faulkingtruth.com , and leave your pledge. We'll post them as a link to this article as they come in. We can support each other in our determination to simplify our Christmas, and live it in a way that will be truly humble. And in a way that will leave something of the world behind for our children and grandchildren to inherit. After Christmas, come back and tell us how you did. We will all share our stories. If you succeeded and kept your pledge, tell us how it felt. If you failed, and broke your pledge, tell us anyway. This is the season of forgiveness. And one other thing – be sure to look for the star.
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