Christmas and New Year are just around the corner and product advertising is rampant. Among the many voices competing for our attention is an emerging call for a greener Christmas. For obvious reasons: while Christmas is a time for generosity it is also a time for great excess. The amount of waste that goes to landfill in Australia over the festive season is higher than any other time of the year. So is the amount of energy consumed in households.
BUT: We can have a good time at Christmas and New Year AND do something good for the planet. Here are three of my favorites and a list of hyperlinked resources for further exploration:
1. Go nowhere. Transport is the 2nd largest contributor to climate change. In addition to saving greenhouse gas emissions you also gain time to relax, and spend less time packing bags, on the road and setting up at the destination. If you absolutely have to go somewhere to join family and friends, take the bike, train or bus.
2. Consume less. Don’t buy a present for the sake of having a present. It is now a well known fact that if all the world would consume the way we do we would need several planets. We can limit the amount we spent per person, try and buy as ethically as possible and give a gift to our planet – and the many people living in poverty – at the same time.
3. Don’t buy plastic gift cards. If you give somebody a gift card, buy biodegradable gift cards, and yes, they do exist! Apparently, more than 10 billion plastic cards are in circulation worldwide which means that over 34 million kilograms of PVC material end up in landfill every year releasing potentially damaging chemicals.
For many more ideas click one of the great sources below and have a Happy Green Christmas!!!
A Sustainable City of Sydney Christmas
Probono’s ethical guide to Christmas
Green Christmas and NY’s guide by Planet Ark
12 tips to a sustainable Christmas by Packaging Council of New Zealand
And for the few must have gifts, why not buy ethical and or green Christmas gifts?
i ran the wrong way – – one of the shops in my neighbourhood and close to my heart! you’ll just have to love the presentation as well as the goodies, all can be bought online
