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Tips for Celebrating an Eco-Friendly Christmas

Tips for Celebrating an Eco-Friendly Christmas

The Christmas season is a time for self-analysis as well as for spending time with family and friends and celebrating. Especially over the holidays, a lot of people are searching for waste removal methods to reduce our environmental footprint as the climate crisis continues to dominate global discussions. We have listed some eco-friendly Christmas ideas this year to celebrate your green Christmas.

Tips for Celebrating an Eco-Friendly Christmas

Use Reusable Shopping Bags

Use Reusable Shopping Bags

Instead of bringing home dozens of paper or plastic bags for Christmas shopping, take several reusable bags into the store with you. If you don’t have any, now is as good a time as any to start a collection. They are easy to find and not expensive. Prefer cotton bags to polyester. They last longer. Prefer any cloth bags to seemingly reusable plastic bags. The environmental cost of producing cotton bags is higher than that of other reusable options. However, it evens out if you use them frequently enough.

Create Home-Made Cards

This Christmas, because kids are spending more time at home, why not start a card-making activity to occupy their time? Reusing old cards or making cards out of scrap paper is a great idea for cards that parents, relatives, and grandparents really like receiving. The plantable Christmas card is a zero-waste option if you can’t convince the kids to be creative. Seeds embedded in biodegradable paper grow and sprout when placed in a soil-filled pot. Furthermore, don’t worry about the card itself; it will progressively deteriorate.

Gift an experience

Gift an experience

Giving an experience to a loved one reduces the demand for tangible resources. Bring people together by giving your time or a previously purchased experience. There are numerous ways available to reduce your Christmas footprint. You might buy tickets to shows, concerts, or other events. Make a coupon book and give it as a gift. Make a reservation at a restaurant or present a gift card.

Remove Packaging

To further reduce waste, purchase Christmas gifts that come with minimal or no packaging. Sometimes, purchasing locally may help with this, particularly if you have a nearby store. If packaging is essential, make sure the materials are recyclable or recycled. When possible, steer clear of plastic, and remember to bring your reusable shopping bags home with you!

Minimize Food Waste

Minimize Food Waste

The main cause of deforestation in tropical regions is food production. Plan ahead, estimate your Christmas food needs realistically, and make use of leftovers to help reduce food waste. Additionally, eating more plant-based meals on Christmas days is beneficial to both you and the environment. The agriculture industry is liable for 14.5% of total man-made greenhouse gas emissions. It requires a lot of area, water, and food. You could use a meat alternate instead.

Table Manners

Many Christmas crackers are not recyclable, and the toys contained inside are made of single-use plastic. So it generates lots of plastic waste. Look for FSC-certified crackers instead. Another amazing solution is to make your own reusable crackers. Fill them with sustainable options (such as chocolates) and bespoke holiday favours.

Make Your Own Decorations

Make Your Own Decorations

Upcycling old decorations might help you save money. Make your own out of scrap materials from things around the house, such as turning old paper into paper chains. If you buy a plastic Christmas tree, make sure you plan to reuse it for at least ten years. Otherwise, purchasing a living tree from a sustainable forest would be preferable.

Restore a Connection with Nature

Spending time with friends and family is essential to the Christmas season. Make a trip around your local park or nature reserve one of your holiday activities. Winter is an excellent time to see a variety of overwintering birds. Find and download the mobile app to identify and learn more about local species. It also aids scientists in their efforts to track world biodiversity!

Conclusion

It’s easy to become overwhelmed when thinking about having a more eco-friendly Christmas, but following small, sustainable steps creates big changes. Talk to your friends and family about what they are doing to be more eco-friendly this year to get more ideas, or simply spread the word about keeping sustainable.