Sustainability is a huge issue around the world right now. There are many amazing companies and individuals who are trying to make a change in the world by being more efficient and sustainable in their lives and work.
Teaching your family about sustainability and the good it can do is something to spread this christmas, and that’s why we are looking at a few ways that you can be greener this festive season and put a positive environmental spin on your festivities. Today we want to take a look at some of the different ways that you can be greener this Christmas and still enjoy an amazing celebration with the ones you love.
Content Compass
Meal prep your side dishes
One of the first things you should consider when you want to instill better habits into the house this Christmas is the energy it will take to make your Christmas feast. Christmas dinner, whether you choose a Turkey or a beef joint, is a special occasion and one that will take up a lot of your time on Christmas Day. But does it have to? A lot of the prep and time taken by your meal is for the side dishes – and most of your side dishes can be prepped ahead of time in batches and frozen to use another time. Not only will this lessen your stress on christmas day, but you’ll use less energy to cook your Christmas dinner and you are much less likely to waste any food.
Buy less
Christmas gifts are the main attraction of the festive season for many, and a lot of us spend the whole month of December looking out for the best deals and stocking fillers for our families. It is however inevitable that some of the things we buy for our family members simply aren’t needed and will never get used. It is all too easy to be pulled into the fun of christmas shopping without considering the consequences to our wallets and the environment, and this is why it is important to be more mindful when purchasing your Christmas gifts. Instead of buying random things that people don’t need, ask people what they want and even allow people to buy things they need, take them and wrap them for the day. Many families decide on this approach and it will greatly reduce your festive waste and it will make life much easier for you.
Buy locally
It is incredibly important if we are to sustain our world and reduce energy usage to buy locally from local suppliers. Local suppliers can be the best thing for us, and if you shop at a small independent store you will be surprised at the things you are able to find. Supporting small independent businesses is always a great thing and it will allow people to make a living for themselves and will also reduce the energy used by manufacturing overseas and shipping it across the world. Plus, at Christmas time you’ll be able to find some unique gifts and treats that will mean more to the people who receive them.
Use solar power
Solar power is one of the best forms of energy we can use, and solar installation is easier than you think. If you love a good festive light display at home but worry about the environmental impact, installing solar panels to your home can greatly help and it will mean you have all the festive cheer without the huge hole in your pocket at the end of the month. If you want to try out some different lights you can also buy solar powered lights and hang them throughout your house for some festive cheer.
Use a real tree
One of the best decisions you can make for the environment this christmas is to use a real tree instead of a plastic one. The energy used to produce a plastic tree as well as the impact plastic has on the environment is huge, which is why growing and using a real tree is much better for the ecosystem. Not only will it mean you have a unique tree in your home for the holidays, but you will also be able to enjoy the fresh pine scent around the house through the month of December.
Make homemade cards
Making Christmas cards at home is easier than you may think, and you can create some fun and festive designs to wow your family and friends using just some paper, glitter, and glue. Creating fun christmas cards is easier than you may think and there are lots of designs you’ll be able to find on Pinterest and other platforms. You’ll be able to utilise some of your festive creativity and it will be a fun activity to do with the kids this
Christmas too!
Upcycle
Upcycling items you have around the house for both decorations and gifts is a great idea for a greener Christmas. Take an old glass coffee jar as an example: there are 2 great things you can do with one this Christmas to either decorate your home or give as a gift to your family. As a decoration, you can use some paint to create a fun festive design on the outside of the jar and then fill the jar with some battery powered LED lights for a cute festive addition. For a gift – you can get some paraffin wax and a wick online and make your own Christmas candle. Use some coloured wax dye and optionally add an essential oil for a scented candle that is a fraction of the cost of one you would buy at the store.
Upcycling is such an important habit to bring into our lives, and by upcycling with items in your home to make gifts and decorations for the festive season you’ll be spreading Christmas cheer while also making some amazing steps to helping the environment.
Rent a tree
Renting a Christmas tree can be a great choice for you this Christmas if you want to minimise the impact you are having on the environment. It is so important for us to maintain our natural world, and renting a tree allows you to have a whole tree in your home, and after Christmas it can be replanted again ready for the next year. This is a low impact way to enjoy the festive season and is a great idea for anyone to do. You can even start growing a tree in your own back garden and simply bring it into the home every Christmas for a few weeks before it goes back out. This is a sustainable way to enjoy your Christmas tree and will be a fun tradition to start in your family.
Stamp your wrapping paper
Most wrapping paper is plastic lined with a design and this of course can have a big impact on the environment, particularly when you have a lot of it in your home. One way however to reduce the impact of your wrapping paper is to get brown packaging paper and stamp it with fun Christmas designs. This way, you can make customised wrapping paper for your family and you won’t be throwing out plastic lined paper at the end of the day.
There are so many wonderful ways for us to reduce our impact on the environment, and Christmas can be a great place to start. Consider making just a few of these changes to your festive celebrations this year and you’ll soon see the difference it makes.