Tis the season to be merry, enjoy good food, friends and family, and often overindulge in many ways that can be harmful to the planet. The good news is that with a bit of extra thought and planning, you can make this year (and all future years) Christmas celebrations eco-friendly and sustainable.
Check out these 7 simple tips for a more sustainable Christmas.
DIY Decorations
One of our customers Gail decided to make some decorations from the paper wrapping from our Bamboo toilet paper.
Most Christmas decorations are made from materials that are not good for the environment. Whether it be the plastic tinsel or the glitter on those Christmas baubles, they’re not very eco-friendly. One way to combat this is to make your own Christmas decorations, whether it be handmade ornaments for the tree or paper decorations to hang around the house. Use your creative juices (or check out Pinterest) to DIY your Christmas decorations.
Give experiences or donations
We can all help combat the amount of unwanted or unused Christmas gifts that end up in landfills after the holidays. Why not choose to give the gift of an experience or donate on their behalf to their favourite charity. Find other ways to show your care without buying more stuff people may not want or need.
DIY gifts
Minimise the stuff bought and often discarded this holiday season by making your own gifts. This doesn’t need to be anything fancy why not buy some empty jars and put the ingredients of your favourite recipe in them, ready to mix. Add the instructions as a sticker or tag on the outside of the jar to help them finish. Voila! You’ve got a tasty, unique and personalised gift ready to give.
Watch your food waste
Another big waste issue over the holidays is food waste. Every year Australians waste about 5 million tonnes of food waste at Christmas. It can be hard to say no to all the delicious food on offer over the festive season but make sure you only cater to cover what you’ll consume.
You could also ask people to bring a plate, that way, you’re less likely to over cater as you can work out who brings what and it’s limited to the number of guests. You could also request guests bring containers to take home some leftovers so that you’re not left with more food than you’ll eat and therefore will have to throw away.
Light things up with LED
We all love the look of Christmas lights, and making the switch to LED lights for all your festive fairy lights will mean you get to keep the look and help the environment. Making this one switch will help lower your carbon footprint and lower your electricity bill.
LED lights are more sustainable because they use about 75% less energy than standard lights and can last up to 25 times longer, which means you’re not throwing your lights out every year to buy more. This will save you money on your electricity and yearly Christmas bills.
Rethink your tree
You could go all green and get a real Christmas tree, but then you’re still generating waste once the season is over with a dead tree. Another option is to buy a potted Christmas tree that way, you can reuse it every year, and you can watch it grow.
If that doesn’t take your fancy, why not look for Christmas tree alternatives that are more sustainable like using an old wooden ladder wrapped in fairy lights (LED, of course). Or make a tree out of household objects like books or even toilet paper! You could also use a potted plant you already own as a unique tree; just add some decorations and go.
Give the gift of sustainability
If you really want to give a gift that will help the planet, why not gift someone with a sustainability starter pack! Something like a pack containing many products to replace the plastic in the bathroom or kitchen. A new mini home compost for them to start their own compost or get them started with some eco-friendly toilet paper. Whatever you choose, giving the gift of sustainability is the perfect way to help others help the planet.
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