Ever hear of “Green Monday”?
Evidently, it’s the biggest shopping day in December and the second biggest online holiday shopping day of the year, right after Cyber Monday post-Thanksgiving.
In fact, Green Monday so big, it’s also known as Cyber Monday 2.
Green Monday got its name in 2007, when eBay reported that its busiest day was the second Monday in December.
At the time, when most items were shipped by mail instead of overnight, the second Monday in December was the last time you could purchase something and be guaranteed it would get delivered by Christmas.
People panicked and bought stuff like crazy!
That second Monday was so profitable for retailers and manufacturers that they dubbed it “green” because of all the money they made. In 2016 alone, Green Monday online retail sales amounted to $1.621 BILLION, Statista.com reports.*
These days, retailers promote “Green Monday” as another way to maximize sales. But when I first heard about this year’s December 11 being “Green,” I foolishly thought, “Oh! They’re promoting eco-friendly products on this day. Isn’t that great!”
Of course, that turned out not to be the case at all. Which is why I’m writing this post.
“I think Green Monday SHOULD be about actually being GREEN.”
That means, it SHOULD be about buying less, which is the greenest way to celebrate the holidays.
And, it SHOULD be about buying the greenest version of whatever product or service or present you want to give this holiday season.
Need help figuring out what’s actually eco-friendly?
Use our Green Shopping Guide Principles.
That’s why I’m going to do my best to take over Green Monday on December 11 and actually make it GREEN.
Help Me Take Over GREEN Monday!
Here’s how:
♣ I’m going to start with suggestions on how to enjoy Christmas without buying anything at all.
That’s the best way to reduce the environmental impact of producing, manufacturing, and shipping stuff, a lot of which people don’t need anyway.
♣ The product recommendations I do make will focus on the greenest, cleanest options available.
If you’re going to be buying things anyway, I want to make it easy for you to buy the most planet- and people-friendly versions available.
I’m also going to try to spread the word.
Could you help me do that? I’d really appreciate it.
Start by sharing this post so more people join in the effort to put the green back in Green Monday.
Then, do your part. If you’re shopping on Green Monday, choose the greenest products and services available.
And please let me know what you’re doing to make GREEN Monday actually green.
NOTES
- Data on Green Monday sales came from Statista.com.
