Green Christmas Is No Longer A Dream For Us
Let’s accept it, under the hood of holidays and festivities, are we not creating waste? Be it unrecyclable plastic wrapping paper or plastic tress or food wastage. A lot of studies and research have come up highlighting the issue of growing waste as much as 30% during the holiday season. So doesn’t this justify for us to be mindful and moving a step closer towards celebrating green Christmas?
I think, there is probably a very thin line between extravagance and meaningful celebrations when it comes to festivals. We need to be considerate about mindful consumerism, especially if we have little kids. They learn a lot and our actions will have huge implications on their future.
So let’s quickly dive into a few points to make our Christmas a green, sustainable and eco-friendly one.
Decide Between Procuring an Artificial or Natural Christmas tree
Zero-in upon all the factors,
- Plastic Christmas trees have a greater carbon footprint than a Natural Christmas Tree
- If you want to opt for a potted tree with several years of life
- There is a waste management facility for the disposal of Christmas trees.
- Thrifting or buying a tree second hand is an easier option for you
- Getting a tree on rent
Hence, evaluate the most sustainable option as per your region and go for a green Christmas.
Be Mindful About Food Wastage
Plan your guests and meals in an effective way. Do not go overboard with recipes or food decorations. Contemplate what matters most, time and experience with your loved ones. Festivals or gatherings should not be an excuse to waste precious food. Especially when Covid has exposed the situation of food insecurity all over the world.
- Plan your food. Do not order or cook excess.
- Schedule any nearby food pickup for leftover meals.
- Distribute it among homeless people.
- Hand it over to guests if they can help in passing it over.
So let’s not be a part of the humungous food waste issue we already are facing.
Unnecessary Decoration and Gift Packaging
What’s in the box? Curious about it? Then why do you add additional layers? Let’s be frank and practical about gifting. No one cares about the outer packaging and making it fancier makes it more worst for the environment.
What you can do:-
- Give a shot to recycled paper
- Use jute strings
- For extra touches choose biodegradable
- Glitter is a big no-no. It’s just microplastic.
- Confetti, that’s another environmental catastrophe. Avoid it.
Reduce Electricity Consumption for Green Christmas
It’s not very late to understand that electricity is generated using fossil fuels, which are limited. Having cognizance of the very fact, will not let you waste electricity. So, if you have decked up your Christmas tree with a whole lot of lights, make sure to switch it off during the day. Try to use rechargeable batteries instead of single-use batteries.
Green Christmas can genuinely help in absolving numerous environmental problems staring at our faces. So, let’s try our very best to celebrate with mindful consumerism and celebrate the very essence of Christmas, which is important above and beyond materialism.
