Vision

For our Action Project, we decided to host a Sustainable Holiday Market on December 9th! We hosted over twenty local vendors who prioritize sustainable practices in their businesses. The Climate Action Team at Harbour View High School also operated various tables relating to sustainability.

This project took a lot of planning and was entirely student-run! Our Climate Action President took on the lead role for this project by planning the date, researching and contracting vendors, delegating Climate Action run tables, and overseeing all marketing and media posts! She also managed the entire floor plan of the market, and the logistics required to make the event run smoothly.

We also applied an educational lens to this action project, taking issues such as overconsumption, food production, and the importance of shopping local.

To add to the overall eco-friendly atmosphere, we also lowered our energy consumption by turning off the fluorescent lights and lit the market area using low-energy holiday string lights.

Climate Action used the LFS Action Grant funding to purchase sustainable packaging, compostable cups, bowls, utensils, and materials to make sustainable ornaments.

Action

As mentioned, the theme of our holiday market was sustainability. When we were planning the event, we ensured that every vendor we invited prioritized sustainable business practices. What “sustainability” meant to each vendor differed. Some vendors solely practiced small-batch production, others committed to zero-waste by using every single scrap possible.

One of our main expectations was for vendors to ditch the plastic and use sustainable packaging. All packaging needed to be either: compostable, reusable, or recyclable. We also offered marker-goers with the option to get their purchases gift-wrapped using recyclable wrapping paper. This was spearheaded by HVHS Climate Action, and we provided vendors with brown kraft bags if they were unable to supply their own sustainable packaging.

Any food or produce that was featured at our market was locally sourced or organic. HVHS Climate Action sold organic basil grown in our very own hydronic systems!

Another tenant of our market was encouraging shopping second-hand during the holiday seasons. We aimed to make “thrifting” cool, and achieved this through a low-cost pop-up thrift shop, and a “blind date with a book” table. Our focus was to demonstrate that you don’t need to shop brand-new to show somebody you care about them. In actuality, purchasing pre-loved is a really unique way to showcase how much thought goes into selecting the perfect gift.

Along the lines of using second-hand, we also wanted to demonstrate that beautiful holiday décor doesn’t need to come from a big box store. To do this, we created beautiful, dried orange ornaments adorned with bows created from scrap fabric! These ornaments will last upwards to three years and can simply be thrown into the compost when they reach the end of their life.

Reflection & Celebration

Our students were inspired to take on this project because overconsumption during the holiday seasons takes a significant toll on the environment. Community outreach is something we are passionate about, and we wanted a way to connect with our community and educate them on sustainable practices they could take this season.

The market was a chance to show our community that their small actions can make a big difference. The overconsumption that often comes with the holidays doesn’t need to be a continuous cycle. We can learn new habits that will not only bring our community closer by supporting local but also have a positive influence on our environment.

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