How We Celebrate and Play

How we celebrate, relax and spend our leisure time shapes both our environmental impact and our happiness.

From holiday travel to everyday entertainment, our choices contribute to emissions, waste and energy use. They also offer meaningful openings for joy, connection and change. This challenge helps you rethink your celebratory traditions and free time to better align with your sustainability goals. 

Action ideas

Starting points:

• Give experiences, handmade gifts or meaningful re-gifts instead of buying new.
• Borrow sports gear, hobby equipment or games from a library, friend or neighbour.
• Swap books, toys, decorations or party outfits with friends or community groups.
• Reuse decorations or choose natural elements like flowers, leaves or pinecones.
• Make costumes from second-hand items or craft them at home for Halloween or themed parties.
• Attend local concerts, performances, festivals or community events instead of big commercial shows.
• Volunteer for activities like shoreline cleanups, food banks or community gardens to mark special occasions.
• Host zero-waste potlucks, game nights or backyard gatherings.
• Mark milestones by planting a tree, taking a nature walk or organizing outdoor picnics.
• Support businesses, artists and influencers that promote joyful, low-impact celebrations.
• Plan a weekend adventure using only active or shared transportation like walking, cycling or transit.
• Send digital invitations or greetings instead of printed cards.
• Post your celebration ideas online or share them with friends and family to inspire others.
• Explore books, movies or games that connect fun with climate, nature and creativity.

Bigger moves:

• Plan a local or regional vacation instead of flying and explore attractions close to home.
• Stay longer in one place when travelling instead of visiting many destinations.
• Create new family traditions rooted in nature, culture or community.
• Start a sharing circle for gear, decorations, costumes and celebration supplies.
• Design a reusable celebration kit with dishes, napkins, decorations and lights for family or neighbourhood events.
• Host seasonal or cultural gatherings using locally grown or homemade food.
• Organize low-carbon celebrations like walking parades, storytelling circles or candlelit evenings.
• Start creative traditions like co-writing songs, making group art projects or performing short plays.
• Host unplugged events focused on being present with board games, outdoor play or shared meals.
• Launch friendly challenges with your social group, like buy-nothing months or swapping local experiences.