How To Make Christmas Sustainable
Why It’s Important to Make Christmas Sustainable – The Best Eco-Friendly Tips And Tricks
Is it possible to make your Christmas sustainable this year?
Christmas is a time of celebration and cheer, it is a time of giving and spending quality time with loved ones. However, the sad reality is, that excessive waste is generated during the Christmas season including food scraps, wrapping paper, unwanted gifts, decorations, Christmas trees and more.
There are many ways to bring back the joy of Christmas and reduce your environmental footprint during the holidays. Be a conscious consumer this Christmas and shop sustainably. Here are some hot tips to help you this holiday season.
Reuse Old Decorations
Christmas trees are one of the quintessential parts of celebrating the holiday season but unfortunately, they don’t come without a cost on the planet.
Plastic trees are typically made from PVC and can’t be recycled, they are destined for landfill along with the decorations and tinsel. Growing real trees to cut down to decorate is not good for the planet either.
Using decorations for as long as possible is one of the best ways to make Christmas sustainable. Using what you already have helps to keep waste out of landfills and if you do need new decorations try making your own out of compostable materials like fruit, paper, wood & pinecones. Think outside the box steer clear of the big department stores and seek unique decorations from ethical shops in your hometown or online. Biome has a variety of ethical ornaments and sustainable Christmas gift ideas.
Opt Out Of Gift Giving
Tell your friends and family you don’t want to exchange gifts this year. A healthy planet is a better gift. Or ask to donate to an ethical charity that supports our environment. We love One Tree Planted.
Buy Eco-Friendly Decorations
If you do feel the need to buy decorations choose decorations made from recycled materials such as glass jars, old books, newspapers, or old clothing. You can also buy decorations made from natural materials like clay or wood instead of plastic or metal.
Choose something you love, that will last & you know you will use it for years and years.
Reduce Your Food Waste
Christmas tends to be a time for indulgence and that includes food! Sharing food with friends and family is an important family tradition but be wary of preparing more food than you will eat. Save leftovers to be used in the coming days and send some extras home with your loved ones too! Reusable glass containers are the perfect solution for storing your leftovers.
Get more tips to reduce food waste here.
Make An Eco-Friendly Tree
Create A Dishwashing Station
Skip the single-use plates & cups this Christmas and use your normal crockery & cutlery. The slight convenience of not washing dishes is not worth the waste.
Create a dishwashing station for everyone to quickly wash and dry their dishes once they have eaten, this is a novelty among children and you will soon see Santa beards made out of foam everywhere!!
Use Glass Instead Of Plastic
The use of plastics has increased dramatically in recent years – from grocery stores to restaurants and even packaging for Christmas presents. Plastic has become a major contributor to greenhouse gases because it takes so long for it to break down in landfills and oceans. The use of plastics also leads to increased waste because they can’t be recycled easily or reused often.
Glass is a more sustainable alternative for all these reasons: it doesn’t produce greenhouse gases, it can be recycled easily, and there are many ways that glass can be reused. Glass also requires less energy than plastic during production, which means that it’s better for the environment over time too!
Give Gifts Sustainably
Gift-giving is an important part of Christmas but also very wasteful. Being mindful and making conscious sustainable choices this Christmas will not only benefit the environment but also your sanity!
Read our sustainable gift guide if you are buying gifts for your loved ones and want to make them gentle on the planet.
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