5 Steps to an Eco Black Friday

Black Friday: A day where millions of shoppers, still weary and full from the previous night’s Thanksgiving feast, flock to retail stores across the country at pre-dawn hours to fill their carts and bags with deals aplenty as the holiday shopping season officially kicks off.

Phew. Are you tired from that description? We are too, but as wearisome as that might have been, it’s nothing compared to the drain that can be Black Friday. While deals abound, crowds, traffic, early hours and the like can make the day after Thanksgiving a drain on your energy and the environment.

Last year, shoppers spent more than $530 million on Black Friday. Photo: Flickr/J. McPherson

But don’t fret. Follow our easy guide to a greener Black Friday, and we promise you’ll not only reduce your environmental impact, but perhaps your stress level as well.

1. Plan Ahead

It may go without saying, but creating a plan of action when you wake at 3 a.m. for door-buster sales doesn’t always go so well. Getting organized a day or two early is the best way to not only maximize your time but also minimize your carbon footprint. Use our handy list to make sure you haven’t missed a step:

1. Determine what you want to buy and for whom (check out the rest of this article before you finalize that list!).
2. Check ahead to find out where the best prices – at the nearest stores – can be found. Many sites like BlackFriday.info can help you plan the best bang for your buck in advance.
3. Decide the most efficient route between stores – what way means the least amount of driving? Can you go to one store to find more than one gift?
4. Load up your car with reusable bags.

2. Gather Your Troops

As you’re gearing up to save some money on holiday gifts, your friends and family may be planning to do likewise. Is there anyone who has a similar shopping agenda to yours? Carpooling is an excellent option to reduce carbon emissions and just have some fun fighting crowds with a companion.

If the stores you’re planning to stop at aren’t far, utilize your local public transit system. Light rails, buses, subways and the like are easy ways to avoid crowded parking lots and reduce your impact. In fact, a 10 percent increase in transit ridership nationwide would save 135 million gallons of gasoline a year. We even heard that some stores in Cambridge, Mass. are rewarding shoppers who walk or ride with hot cider, freebies and discounts!

3. Try Subbing Eco-Gifts

Shopping for sustainable products is an easy way to green your Black Friday. If you aren’t sure how to identify “green” products, learn more about eco-labels before you hit the stores. Gifts made from recycled materials, Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood and electronics with the ENERGY STAR seal are usually great choices.

But buying sustainably doesn’t necessarily mean looking for “green” products in big-box stores. Products made locally or found in vintage and antique shops provide another avenue to reduce your carbon footprint by supporting your local economy or purchasing used goods. You may be able to find one-of-a-kind or unique gifts that have special meaning to their recipients, like the antique game of Labyrinth a friend of ours might be getting this holiday season…

4. Strum Your Heartstrings

You don't have to give a goat, but you can support them and other animals through the gift of a charitable donation. Photo: Flickr/mogrify

Shopping for presents doesn’t need to entail purchasing physical gifts. Supporting a favorite charity or cause is a truly thoughtful alternative to trinkets and trifles. If you’re new to giving, groups such as Charity Navigator or the American Institute of Philanthropy can help you make informed decisions.

Worried you may not be able to find a good fit for the people on your list? There’s a charity out there for everyone:

• Animal lovers – Farm Sanctuary or the World Wildlife Fund are great choices.
• Outdoor enthusiasts – Support conservation with the Rainforest Alliance or the Sierra Club Foundation.
• Foodies – Bread for the World supports hunger relief around the globe.
• Sports nuts – The National Alliance for Youth Sports supports safe sports and activities for kids.

This option also saves you the time and hassle of being out on the road during the wee hours of the morning or the bumper-to-bumper traffic of the afternoon.

5. Don’t Forget Cyber Monday

Touted as the largest online shopping day of the year, “Cyber Monday” falls on the Monday immediately following the Thanksgiving holidays. Last year, an estimated 85 million people shopped online on this day, spending almost $846 million. And while some debate which day of the year is actually the largest online shopping day, the message remains clear that many people substitute buying in stores for searching for deals on the Web.

While the eco-battle between online versus in-store shopping still surges, there are definitely ways to green your online shopping. For example, order multiple items that can be shipped together in one purchase, thereby decreasing packaging material and transportation costs associated with numerous shipping orders. In fact, to have 10 pounds of packages shipped by overnight air uses 40 percent less fuel than driving yourself round-trip to the mall, according to the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions.