These days more and more people are trying to reduce their CO2 emission. However, during Christmas these good intentions suddenly seem to be forgotten. Instead of consuming less, we go on this insane shopping spree, eat as if there will never be another meal and chop up trees to put in our homes. Some people nullify all the effort they put in trying to be climate friendly all year in one single holiday. Isn't that a shame? Christmas can be just as magical while still making eco-friendly choices. Wondering how to do this? Here are four ways to make your Christmas a little greener this year.
Picking the right presents
For some people, Christmas isn't really Christmas if there are no presents. That's okay, but we seem to have forgotten what Christmas actually is about. So this year maybe try to focus on the important things; being together with loved ones, being happy and healthy, singing songs and carolling, and of course for some attending a magical Christmas service in church. In the end, it's the experience that you and your children will remember, not what they were given. But if you have your heart set on unpacking some gifts under the Christmas tree, try to choose eco-friendly gifts. Or even better, make your own gifts. If your creative skills are a little underdeveloped and you're choosing to buy rather than make something yourself, then at least shop for some green and eco-friendly presents. Look for labels such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Energy Star and Palm Oil Free and pick one or two good gifts instead of lots of plastic stuff that will get lost in the pile. Give second hand toys a second life; kids don't care if something was pre-owned if it works, looks good and is fun to play with.
An eco-friendly Christmas dinner
Making a Christmas diner can be challenging to say the least. Especially when you have lots of family and friends coming over. The pressure is on to make some extravagant meal that everybody will love. As a result we tend to exaggerate a little bit, which usually leads to lots and lots of leftovers. So when it comes to cooking Christmas diner, it is good to remind yourself less is more. What's for diner during Christmas is dependent on where in the world you sit down at the table, but on most perfectly set tables the main course will be some sort of meat. Whether it's a turkey, a honey glaced ham, deer or rabbit; if you want your Christmas diner to be green, you have to skip the meat. Nowadays you can easily make a special an festive diner using vegan or vegetarian substitutes. Or if that's not your taste you can choose fish or shellfish instead of meat. Made with love and some creativity we are confident that every meatless Christmas dinner will be a great and above all tasty success. Enjoy biological and seasonal products from your local farmer or produce shop to decrease transport costs and CO2 emission. By cutting down on the portions every one will be satisfied instead of full, and there will be no extra pounds you will have to work off after the holidays. Still have some food left after the Christmas party? Make a nice ratatouille or hot soup the next day so nothing goes to waste.
An alternative Christmas tree and green decorations
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la laaa. To create that authentic Christmas ambiance, one needs to decorate. Of course some decorating is necessary to create a cosy and warm Christmas feeling with some ornament, festive wreaths, candles and Christmas lights or even some stockings. But to keep your ecological footprint as small as possible during Christmas, you have to make sure to keep the decorating to a minimum or choose green decorating options. Those twinkling light sure look beautiful but they burn a lot of energy. There are Christmas LED-lights available to make the twinkling a little greener, or you can even get lights that work on solar energy. And instead of cutting down a Christmas tree or buying a fake plastic tree, you can go for the more eco-friendly and modern options, like a wooden Christmas tree (houten kerstboom) or a metal tree. Wrapping Christmas presents will be that more enjoyable if you know you're using recycled paper. And if the paper is still in one piece after the presents are unwrapped you can easily use it again for another present.
Send out a gift to mother nature
Sending out Christmas cards maybe a bit old fashioned, but still, it's always nice to get some real mail, especially when it's those lovely heartfelt Christmas wishes. But all those cards that get posted every year amount to a lot of trees being cut down. If you have your heart set on sending out your Christmas greetings, but in a green way, you have some options. When buying your cards you can look for cards that are produced sustainably and ethically. These cards will have some sort of marking on them, like the FSC mark. If you want your Christmas card to contribute to a thriving and flowering world you can send out cards that can be planted in the yard or in a pot. These cards are lovely looking and are embedded with seeds. Try to avoid cards that have the current year on it, so you can reuse them if you have some left.
