6 Tips For An Eco-Friendly Christmas
Christmas fever and the Joy that comes with the celebration is priceless. Along with the celebrations comes with its buying, gifts, wrappings, eating and fireworks. We are all aware of global climate change and how important it is to make a conscious effort to be more sustainable. During festive seasons like this, there is the potential for mass shopping, overconsumption, and wastage. With a bit of effort at green sustainability, we can do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and this begins at home. It is not surprising that people are now conscious of the environment and are always willing to reduce the environmental impact even in this festive season. Christmas is a time for celebration and family reunions but it doesn’t need to be a burden on the planet. We can enjoy Christmas to the fullest and care for the planet at the same time.
So, how can we have a more sustainable Christmas?
1. Consider using live trees
To promote environmental sustainability, live trees can be used in place of plastic ones. Although plastic trees can be used again year after year, they are not environmentally friendly. When artificial trees are used over and over again, they are eventually discarded. Their plastic content makes them last forever in the landfill, unable to decay. Real trees on the other hand are recyclable as they can be replanted and reused the following year or turned into mulch without causing harm to the environment. Aside from being eco-friendly, they contribute to the air quality and are generally good for decorative purposes, and smell like Christmas.
2. Use environmentally friendly wraps
As a season of gifts and sharing, gift wrappers will also be in high demand. During this season, piles of wrappers and plastics will end up in trash bins. Most of them contain non-recyclable elements like plastic, foil, and glitter. As consumers, we need to be more careful and opt for the wraps using recycled content. Foil and metallic paper use heavy metals making it difficult to recycle and they cannot be reused since it wrinkles after their initial use. Ruse gift wraps where possible rather than buying new ones. After a fancy wrap with ribbons, you can keep them in storage for reuse next year. Using tape to secure wraps should be used in moderation so that more of the wrapping can be reclaimed for use later. Alternatively, you can make your own wraps from fabric, strips of paper, old posters, and others.
3. Don’t waste food
Christmas celebrations are filled with dancing, eating, and drinking. A lot of baking and cooking happens at home for the family and visitors. The abundance of food means there is a potential for wasting food. One option is to connect with people in need in your area and share what you have to spread the Christmas joy and love. You also have the option to buy less.
4. Consider Led lights
When it comes to Christmas decorations, you cannot do away with twinkling lights. We use them indoors, outdoors, wrapped around Christmas trees, and used as decoration on walls. Saving electricity is also a way of protecting the environment because electricity drains natural resources. Replacing strings of traditional incandescent lights with LED lights uses up to 80% less energy. For more conservation options, solar powered LED light for outdoor use is a great option to be considered. Not only will you contribute to saving our environment, but your electricity bill will also reduce.
5. Turn off tree lights at night
We sometimes admire our decorations so much that we want to leave them throughout the day, especially lights. Having Christmas lights on is visually appealing and the temptation to leave them on when sleeping is high. It is a waste of energy to leave lights on when everyone has gone to sleep, especially indoor lights. Turn off tree lights and outdoor decorative lighting at bedtime to save energy and utility costs.
6. Consider homemade gifts
Homemade gifts and cards may not be as elegant as store-bought gifts but they surely have one thing that store-bought gifts don’t, they are more personal. The time, effort, and thoughtfulness used in putting together gifts and cards for loved ones makes it so special and appreciated. It is also a fun activity for the family as they all come together to make gifts. Making homemade presents helps the environment in many ways as old calendars, magazines, and other materials are reused in designing cards, envelopes, and wrappers. This helps us to save natural resources such as trees which are used in making gift cards.
Christmas festivities are all about spending time with loved ones, making merry, and reflecting on the year passed and the year to come. In thinking about the future, a sustainable environment should be on top of the list. We will all suffer if the environment suffers and so we all have a duty to protect it in our own small ways on every occasion.
Have An Eco-Friendly Christmas And A Sustainable New Year
