Lunar New Year traditions center on renewal – cleaning homes, letting go of the old, and preparing for the year ahead. These traditions remind us that small, thoughtful actions set the tone for what’s to come. As the Year of the Horse begins, let’s carry that forward-moving energy into how we care for our homes and communities.
Here are three easy, mindful ways to celebrate while cutting down on waste:
Feast With Care Big celebrations often result in a lot of leftovers. Plan ahead with a Guestimator tool to avoid buying too much food. Serve smaller portions and let guests go back for seconds. Keep reusable containers handy for leftovers and don’t be shy about asking guests to bring their own containers if you don’t have enough to spare.
Give Citrus a Second Life Mandarin oranges and tangerines, often used as decorations or gifts, are symbols of luck, prosperity, and respect for the new year. Give them a second life to keep the good vibes flowing once the party is over.
Dry and candy them for a sweet treat.
Save the peels (called chenpi) for tea or cooking.
If the fruits go bad, curb your food scraps. Put them in your green bin instead of your trash bin to be made into compost or clean energy.
Reuse Lucky Red Envelopes Red envelopes bring good fortune. Why not keep that going for special moments throughout the year?
Simple designs can be reused for birthdays and weddings.
100% paper envelopes can be recycled.
Foil or glossy envelopes can’t be recycled, but they can be used to make new lanterns, origami, or other creative decorations instead of throwing them away.
Small Changes, Big Impact
When we celebrate with care and intention, small actions can lead to big impact. These habits start at home but ripple out into our communities to make the New Year brigher for everyone.
Lunar New Year traditions center on renewal – cleaning homes, letting go of the old, and preparing for the year ahead. These traditions remind us that small, thoughtful actions set the tone for what’s to come. As the Year of the Horse begins, let’s carry that forward-moving energy into how we care for our homes and communities.
Here are three easy, mindful ways to celebrate while cutting down on waste:
Feast With Care
Big celebrations often result in a lot of leftovers. Plan ahead with a Guestimator tool to avoid buying too much food. Serve smaller portions and let guests go back for seconds. Keep reusable containers handy for leftovers and don’t be shy about asking guests to bring their own containers if you don’t have enough to spare.
Give Citrus a Second Life
Mandarin oranges and tangerines, often used as decorations or gifts, are symbols of luck, prosperity, and respect for the new year. Give them a second life to keep the good vibes flowing once the party is over.
Reuse Lucky Red Envelopes
Red envelopes bring good fortune. Why not keep that going for special moments throughout the year?
Small Changes, Big Impact
When we celebrate with care and intention, small actions can lead to big impact. These habits start at home but ripple out into our communities to make the New Year brigher for everyone.