146: Joyful Holiday Tips to Help Minimize Waste

146: Joyful Holiday Tips to Help Minimize Waste

Author: Dave Gardner November 26, 2025 Duration: 52:51

Shrinking your holiday footprint on the planet can seem daunting – but this episode offers tips to make it a joy. Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future (PASF) is deviating from the norm this month. Instead of the usual live, third Wednesday Zoom event, the November Sustainability in Progress is this pre-recorded studio conversation.

This conversation is about the holidays, discovering local resources to give meaningful and lifelong gifts to reduce waste. Host Mary Barber of PASF is joined by Ally Richardson of Pikes Peak Permaculture and Dave Gardner of GrowthBusters (both are regular co-producers of the Studio 809 Podcasts Peak Environment podcast).

We’re considering making some changes in SIP, and we’re inviting collaboration. Help Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future and the entire sustainability/resiliency community make plans for 2026. Please take this poll: https://forms.gle/aJCcs4Lv9ZAVk6E69

LINKS MENTIONED: 

Pikes Peak Bulletin Winter Holiday Calendar with local-maker markets: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/events/2025-winter-holiday-calendar-events-and-markets-in-the-spirit-of-the-season/

Colorado Springs Mom winter markets calendar: https://cospringsmom.com/parenting-wisdom/winter-markets-in-colorado-springs/

Downtown Shopping Gift Card: https://downtowncs.com/event/shop-local-win-local/

Resource Central Garden in a Box:  https://resourcecentral.org/gardens/

Center for Biological Diversity’s Simplify The Holidays Helpful Tips: https://simplifytheholidays.org/

So Kind Gift Registry: https://sokindregistry.org/

Who Gives a Scrap for the crafty: https://whogivesascrapcolorado.com/

Volunteer with the City of Colorado Springs: https://hr.coloradosprings.gov/VolunteerOpportunities

Find opportunities at Flying Pig Farm, community farm practicing permaculture and building resilience: https://flyingpigmanitou.org/

Divert waste with Galvanize Recycling:  https://www.galvanizerecycling.com/services/

El Paso County Hazardous Waste Facility: https://communityresources.elpasoco.com/household-hazardous-waste/

Compost with Food To Power: https://foodtopowerco.org/

Other holiday-related podcast episodes we mentioned:

Sustainable Holiday - Peak Environment episode #66

Have Yourself A Low Impact Holiday - Peak Environment episode #112

Plastic Bags Update & Moving Toward Zero Waste: Policy Wins, Advice and Resources - Peak Environment episode #115

Rebelling Against Black Friday Consumerism - GrowthBusters podcast episode #61


Thanks to these Peak Environment sponsors:

Pikes Peak Permaculture

Visit https://pikespeakpermaculture.org/.org for opportunities to learn more about sustainable organic living through permaculture – workshops, classes, field trips, and networking.

The mission of Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future is to promote regional sustainability and advance the Pikes Peak region's 2030 Sustainability Plan (PPR2030) https://peakallianceco.org/rsp/ through regional collaboration and outreach. Connect with us at https://peakallianceco.org

The following environment/sustainability organizations in the Pikes Peak region collaborate to produce the Peak Environment podcast about environmental stewardship, sustainable living and enlightened public policy in the Pikes Peak Region.

Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future https://peakallianceco.org/

Pikes Peak Permaculture https://www.pikespeakpermaculture.org/

GrowthBusters https://www.growthbusters.org

Keep up with all the organizations and events making our area a better place to live. Follow on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss an episode.


Hosted by Dave Gardner, Peak Environment digs into the real-world choices and conversations shaping life in the Pikes Peak Region. This isn't a distant global overview, but a local look at how environmental care weaves into the fabric of our community, from the trails we hike to the policies our leaders debate. Each episode explores the intersection of our society and our surroundings, considering how sustainable practices impact both our physical health and our cultural values. You'll hear from neighbors, advocates, and experts discussing practical steps for stewardship, the nuances of building a resilient local economy, and the ongoing work toward balanced public policy. Tune in for a thoughtful, grounded dialogue that connects personal fitness and well-being directly to the health of the place we call home. Find this podcast for a deeper understanding of what it means to live well, right here.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Peak Environment
Podcast Episodes
91 Native Plants Support a Healthy Watershed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:37
Learn about the newly revived Kathleen Marriage Garden at Sondermann Park, and how you can incorporate native plants into your landscape and help support a healthy watershed. Colorado Native Plant Society Executive Direc…
90 Conserving Water at Home [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:48
A dry winter, long-term drought, and record low levels in major Colorado River reservoirs have all of us wondering what we can do to minimize our water consumption. Kate Larson of Resource Central shares how the organiza…
88 City of Colorado Springs Sustainability Efforts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:20
Colorado Springs Sustainability Coordinator Samantha Bailey fills us in on her current efforts, the new SustainableCOS project, and her goals for the future of Colorado Springs. SustainableCOS is a city-wide sustainabili…
86 Pups and Packs: Protecting Wolves in 2022 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:55
Get the state of the science and public policy related to wolves in the U.S. today. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) hosted this virtual conversation in a January 25 webinar. See the video replay…
85 Arts Vision 2030 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:07
An introduction to Arts Vision 2030, the new cultural plan to support arts and culture in the Pikes Peak Region. It was developed by, of, and for the community, under the stewardship of the Cultural Office of the Pikes P…
84 Car-Free Transportation in the Pikes Peak Region [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:19
Learn about opportunities to lower your carbon footprint by getting around town without a car. Electric scooters, all-electric buses and trains are among the topics. SPEAKERS: Jeff Hoover - Veo Brian Vitulli - Planning S…
82 Profiting from the Peak [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:39
How and why has Colorado Springs grown to be the second largest city in Colorado, and what are the environmental implications of this? John Harner, author of the new book, Profiting from the Peak, shares highlights from…