What Is Giving Tuesday: Need-to-Know Facts to Give Back This Holiday Season

Giving Tuesday I Love A Clean San Diego

What Is Giving Tuesday:

Need-to-Know Facts to Give Back This Holiday Season

Donate to I Love A Clean San Diego to support our service to the residents and environment of San Diego County and join over 30 million people coming together in the 24 hours of Giving Tuesday. 

Need-to-Know Facts for Giving Tuesday Donors. Click here to see our Giving Tuesday donation page. Live now through December 1.

Not sure what Giving Tuesday is or how you can participate as a donor? We’ve got you covered.

When you think about Thanksgiving weekend traditions, it’s hard not to immediately land on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The shopping (and hopefully saving) is part of the long-standing transition into the year-end holiday season. While many people are already spending more to check off all of the names on their shopping lists, Giving Tuesday rounds out the long weekend as a critical day to give back to charitable causes.

Picture this: Holiday sales during November and December are forecasted to exceed $843 billion in 2021. Now imagine how many people or places in need could see relief from ongoing challenges if just one billion of those dollars were donated.

#GivingTuesday is only becoming more popular and impactful each year as social media spreads the word. If it’s your first time participating, you’re in good hands. We’re walking you through the easiest way to find causes, show your support, and complete donations this year.

When Is Giving Tuesday?

Tuesday, November 30, 2021 – All Day! Mark your calendar! Giving Tuesday is always the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the day directly after Cyber Monday.

What Is Giving Tuesday?

GivingTuesday started as a day for anyone, anywhere to give, and it’s grown into the biggest giving movement in the world.

Giving Tuesday sets new donation records each year to help nonprofits such as environmental organizations like I Love A Clean San Diego, food banks, healthcare organizations, natural disaster relief, and many more gather the support they need to make a true impact on the communities they serve before the year is over.

Giving Tuesday is more significant than ever in its ninth year and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, it’s now the second-largest giving day of the year for nonprofit organizations to fundraise, only surpassed by December 31.

If organizations see enough momentum on Giving Tuesday, they may be able to turn that success into a year-end campaign as well. The beauty of this day for nonprofits is that people are excited and passionate to help ignite change, allowing nonprofits of all sizes and sectors to drive their missions forward with bolstered support.

What Is the History of Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 to counteract the spending of Black Friday and Cyber Monday with philanthropic giving to charities in need of support. It started in the U.S. and has quickly made its way across more than 70 countries. You’ll likely see the day branded as “#GivingTuesday” to emphasize the collaborative power of social media to spread the word.

As we move forward into a new year that will continue to reflect the impact of COVID-19, 84% of donors intend to give the same amount or more than they did in 2020.

How to Become a Giving Tuesday Donor

Feeling inspired? Let’s dive into how you can make a difference on Giving Tuesday.

Organizations of various cause sectors, sizes, locations, and goals come together on Giving Tuesday, giving you endless ways to show support.

Here are a few ways you can plan to show support for I Love A Clean San Diego

  • Advocate for a cause by sharing our Giving Tuesday campaign on your social media channels or by setting up your own fundraising page on our behalf.
  • Give a recurring gift that automatically deducts a small amount of your choice from your bank account on a regular cadence, adding up to a larger impact over time for I Love A Clean San Diego.
  • Upgrade your recurring gift if you already give on a monthly or quarterly basis. By adding just few dollars more makes a big difference.
  • Give on behalf of a loved one and use the donation confirmation as a thoughtful holiday gift they’ll never forget. Our donation page makes this simple.

What Is Giving Tuesday Bringing to the Holiday Season? 

The end of the year is a time for reflection and getting ready for fresh starts. If you’ve ever thought about giving back around this time but weren’t sure where to begin, we hope you now know why Giving Tuesday is an excellent opportunity to do so.

If this is your first time participating in Giving Tuesday, you may be on your way to an entirely new tradition to share with your friends and family ahead of the holidays. Regardless of how you choose to support nonprofits, you’ll be joining a global movement for good.

Share this post with anyone asking “what is Giving Tuesday” and get your inner circles involved in a day to remember for the best kick-off to the holiday season.

We also encourage you to share how you’re getting involved on Giving Tuesday on your social media channels.

Content contributed Classy.org, I Love A Clean San Diego’s online giving solution.

Reduce Holiday Food Waste and Prepare for Organic Waste Recycling in 2022

Reduce Food Waste Holidays

Reduce Holiday Food Waste and Prepare for Organic Waste Recycling in 2022

Residents of San Diego County will soon be able to recycle food scraps and other organic waste curbside. Holiday meal planning is an excellent time think about reducing food waste while enjoying deliciousness of the season.

Did you know food is the single largest material disposed in U.S. landfills today, costing the average family of four approximately $1,500 per year? Discarded food also wastes the money, time, labor, transportation, water and land used to grow the food. When organic materials like food scraps decompose in landfills, methane is released, a driver of global climate change that’s up to 86 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.

In California, there is a solution on the horizon to curb methane generated by discarded food waste in landfills. A state law (SB 1383) will require the recycling organic waste, including food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard trimmings and non-hazardous wood waste (ie. lumber, pallets, etc) beginning in 2022. Contact your local municipality and/or waste and recycling hauler for additional information about organic waste recycling in your area.

The organic waste recycling process will greatly reduce greenhouse gas generation and yield beneficial compost, fertilizer and/or renewable energy depending on the process used.  However, the ability to recycle our food scraps and other organic waste should not be a reason to stop reducing food waste, considering 40 percent of all food produced in the U.S. is discarded and around 1 in 8 people in the US are food insecure.

“While recycling organic waste into beneficial products like compost, fertilizers and renewable natural gas is a positive step forward, we still want to emphasize the tremendous benefits of reducing food waste in the first place,” said Ian Monahan, director of communications at I Love A Clean San Diego.

Resources like the Natural Resource Defense Council’s Save The Food campaign as well as some simple tips from the County of San Diego and I Love A Clean San Diego, can help save money and positively impact the environment all while enjoying delicious holidays meals.

  1. Tune in to the Celebrate Sustainably: Food & Festivities Webinar on November 17

I Love A Clean San Diego is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, November 17 from 5 p.m. – 6p.m., titled Celebrate Sustainably: Food & Festivities Webinar. Please register online to attend.

We will focus on ways to reduce the amount of waste produced in our kitchens around big holiday meals. Come hungry for strategies to begin practicing in the kitchen right away, and leave feeling satisfied that you can live a low-waste lifestyle at all times of the year.

  1. Cook and serve with a plan

The easiest way to reduce food waste during the holidays is to buy and prepare the right amount of food. The Save the Food Guest-mator helps create a menu based on how many guests are attending your holiday feast. Try it out here.

Once you know how much food is needed, create a detailed shopping list and stick to it. This will prevent excessive purchases that may not be needed.

When shopping for ingredients, opt for items in recyclable packaging to further minimize unnecessary waste. Learn how to Recycle Right on this County of San Diego website.

  1. Shop at local farmers’ markets

Visit one of the 36 certified farmers’ markets in San Diego County (farmers’ markets) and buy local, unpackaged produce directly from regional farmers. Doing so cuts down on packaging, transportation and benefits the farmer directly while providing you with the freshest ingredients.

  1. Embrace all foods

When shopping, most people search for the perfect looking produce, meaning the “ugly” fruits and vegetables are often left on the shelves. If these items are not sold in time, they may end up as wasted food.  This “ugly” produce has the same vitamins and nutrients as their “prettier” counterparts. Give all produce a chance when at the grocery store or farmers’ markets, especially if the chosen produce will be cut up and used as part of a larger dish (the “ugly” part won’t be noticeable).

  1. Go for plant-based meals

Did you know most vegetables use nearly eight times less water per calorie than meat?  Incorporating more plant-based foods into holiday celebrations, such as green bean casserole, lentil shepherd’s pie, and stuffed peppers, can cut the environmental footprint of meals significantly. Find more plant-based holiday recipes here.

  1. Shrink serving sizes

Reducing portion size by using smaller dishes and smaller serving spoons, can significantly reduce food waste– seriously, it works!  Your guests can always come back for seconds.

  1. Anticipate yummy leftovers

Having a plan for leftovers is another way to ensure food is eaten. After all, half the goodness of holiday food is in the delicious leftovers.  Ask guests to bring containers or provide them to take remaining food home, freeze leftovers for a later date, or use in creative ways. Some recipe ideas can be found here.

  1. Check out WasteFreeSD.org

Visit WasteFreeSD.org for more tips on how to reduce food waste, learn more about organics recycling and find recycling options for just about anything.