Stay safe with environmentally friendly holiday

This year’s holiday celebrations have looked and felt different, and they brought a lot of firsts.

For many of us, it was the first time staying home and cooking for ourselves. For others, it was a break from the long lines of traffic and stresses of traveling. We found ourselves crowded around video chats rather than around the dinner table.

While the pandemic continues to reshape what would normally be a busy holiday season, we at the Delaware Nature Society invite you to consider some ways to find joy while we stay at home this year – and to join us in keeping our natural world protected for future generations.

Reduce the use of household hazardous chemicals - The holidays can be messy, but what goes down the kitchen or bathroom drain can end up in the water we drink or play in. Chemical cleaners, medications, paint, and lawn chemicals are common pollutants that can pass through water treatment plants and end up in our waterways. Pledge to become a clean stream champion at cleanstreamchampion.org.

Cease the grease - Cooking your first holiday meal this year? Be careful with your grease; don’t pour it down the drain. It builds up in pipes and creates expensive clogs in both your home plumbing and your local sewer system. Clogged pipes can cause sewer overflows that introduce harmful bacteria into area waterways. And FYI, running hot water doesn’t help wash down cooking grease. Instead, let the grease cool in a reused container and throw it away in the garbage.

Choose locally sourced and sustainably grown food for your holiday meals. Agriculture and conservation go hand in hand when food is grown and raised in cooperation with the natural environment. Sustainable agriculture protects waterways and soil health, and supports native wildlife. The society’s Coverdale Farms uses the very latest in regenerative agricultural practices.

Did you know that traditional, mass-produced wrapping paper can’t be recycled? Create your own wrapping paper or give presents in reusable bags.

Go outside! Whether you’re visiting one of Delaware’s renowned beaches or Delaware Nature Society sites, or just strolling to your neighborhood park, getting outdoors is great for your mental and physical health. Don’t forget your masks, remain socially distant from those outside your home, and layer up for cooler temperatures.

Go for locally made, eco-friendly gifts such as plastic-free toys this season. Now more than ever, we need to ensure that we’re supporting our local businesses, and this comes with the added benefit of reducing shipping. Consider providing experience-based gifts like camps or outdoor activities, and give the gift of lasting memories to your loved ones.

Take action. This pandemic has taken precedence over most aspects of our lives, but that doesn’t mean the threat of a warming earth and rising seas has at all diminished. Check out Delaware Nature Society's Clean Water Campaign for ways you can advocate for clean water with just the click of a button.

The Delaware Nature Society wishes you and yours a safe and happy holiday season.

Delaware Nature Society’s mission is to connect people with the natural world to improve our environment through education, advocacy, and conservation. Founded in 1964, it is a state affiliate for the  National Wildlife Federation. We provide the tools for communities to take action and promote the health of the environment through land preservation, wildlife protection, and watershed stewardship.  We manage over 2,000 acres of land and operate four educational sites:  Ashland Nature Center,  Abbott’s Mill Nature Center,  DuPont Environmental Education Center, and Coverdale Farm Preserve.