8 Ways to Be More Sustainable This Holiday Season

Outstanding in the Field, a traveling pop-up dining experience that brings coursed meals outdoors — on farms, on beaches, on piers — asks diners to bring their own plates to dinner. Why not do the same for holiday meals? No more paper plates needed. Plus, the cleanup will be so much easier on whoever’s hosting!

Feeding a large group can be a daunting task, but before you get caught up in the stress of it all, go easy on yourself by buying things in bulk. Think: a family sized bag of chips instead of a box full of single serving bags. When it comes to drinks, go for the growler before you buy the 24-pack; and opt for the liter of seltzer before you fall for the cans of LaCroix. And this might be controversial, but, go for the box of wine instead of being left with 16 empty wine bottles.

We always think (or aspire) to bring a reusable tote bag every time we go grocery shopping. But why stop at groceries? Tell the cashier you won't be needing a bag today and bring a foldable tote to the mall while you’re grabbing gifts.

Sure, you could get your entire friend group the cutest mugs at Target. But let's be honest, most people don’t need yet another mug, or another non-sentimental stocking stuffer trinket that’s only cute for, like, three days. The best budget-friendly gifts for large groups are edible ones. Think small jars of honey, personal bottles of champagne, a batch of peppermint bark brownies. They won't collect dust, and they'll keep all your favorite people happy.

Reusable silicone Stasher Bags are great ways to wrap smaller gifts; they come in a variety of sizes and super cute colors. Not to mention, Stasher bags are gifts in and of themselves! As an alternative to wrapping paper, go for bandanas, mason jars, reusable fabric bags or even totes that can be used way past the holidays. Or, just don’t wrap your gifts. It's not the worst thing in the world. Some retail boxes are even pretty enough as-is, but if you must wrap them, a roll of ribbon is less wasteful than a whole roll of paper.

No, we're not expecting you to give each of your co-workers a single cookie in a Stasher bag, but it’s totally worth investing in reusable serving containers and platters, as opposed to single-use tin trays or a paper plate covered in plastic wrap. If you’re not yet at that stage of life where buying a cupcake carrier makes sense, grab even a cheap metal cookie tin (to keep or to give) from your local craft store.

While you're out gift shopping, why don't you grab yourself enough storage containers to safely keep the wave of food that's going to be coming through your home? No one ever complained about having too many food storage containers.