Wrapping paper, bows, Amazon packages and single-use toys — according to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans produce an estimated 25% more waste during the holiday season, translating to roughly 25 million tons of extra garbage generated between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
San Antonio residents looking for ways to be more environmentally sustainable this holiday season can start their search at a new eco-focused market at San Antonio College on Saturday.
Eco Centro, San Antonio’s community center for environmental and community sustainability, will be hosting the first Green Santa Sustainable Holiday Market, offering locals a chance to shop for unique, eco-friendly gifts and decorations while supporting sustainability in the community. The market will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the William R. Sinkin Eco Centro, located on the San Antonio College campus.
The family-friendly event is free to attend and designed to bring together local vendors, educational organizations and residents interested in more sustainable holiday choices, said Rose Flores, director of Eco Centro.
“This type of event is necessary because, with Christmas being so commercialized these days, people want to buy stuff off the internet. But there’s this great resource for people to buy eco-friendly items from local vendors and support their local economy along with their environment,” Flores told the San Antonio Report.
Attendees will be able to explore a variety of booths featuring minimal waste products, handmade gifts and green holiday decorations. Vendors will include a sourdough maker, a woodworker, a hot glass jewelry maker and local clubs from SAC selling reusable grocery bags made out of recycled T-shirts.
In addition to shopping, there will be interactive workshops, where visitors can make their own eco-conscious crafts and food trucks offering a range of tasty treats. Workshops will include how to upcycle gifts, a winter pruning session for local gardeners and a reading by local author Rohn Bayes.
“We want this event to be for everybody, not just for people from one part of town or another,” Flores said. “We all live on this planet, we all breathe the same air and live in this same space.”
