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Christmas time is upon us and we are excited at the thought of family, gifts, delicious food and plenty of time to relax. However Christmas can be a wasteful and environmentally damaging time of year for various reasons. If you care about living a natural and organic life then consider adding some eco-friendly practises to this year’s Christmas festivities.

Here are 6 ways that you can preserve the environment this Christmas and holiday season.

Buy local

Many of the gifts we buy at Christmas time are imported which means they have travelled thousands of miles have a large carbon footprint and contributed to global warming. Buying all your Christmas gifts from local markets, fairs and small businesses is a wonderful way to save the environment, save money and support the local economy. There are also many people who make wonderful gifts using recycled materials and natural and organic ingredients which benefits environmental and human health.

Save electricity

Christmas lights make this time of year much more festive. Families love throwing them over the tree and decorating the inside and outside of their houses to get in the holiday spirit. Save electricity by using LED lights as they use about 90% less energy than regular Christmas lights and they last for much longer. Make sure you turn off your lights at bedtime as this is an unnecessary waste of energy.

Use real trees

Plastic trees may be re-usable but they are not bio-degradable and most of them end up in landfills. They are also made of petroleum products. The most eco-friendly choice when it comes to a Christmas tree is buying a real one as they are renewable when replanted frequently. Real trees improve the quality of the air and can be easily recycled for mulch, wood chips, etc. You can also buy potted Christmas trees and use them for years to come.

Try eco-friendly cards

The amount of holiday cards bought over this period requires hundreds of thousands of trees to be cut down and the cards are often tossed away in a matter of days or weeks, ending up in landfills where toxic inks and dyes contaminate the environment. Do your best to make hand-made cards for friends and family and get the kids involved for a fun project. You can also buy eco-conscious cards made from recycled paper, natural dyes and sustainable materials like hemp. Sending personal e-cards to friends and family overseas is a wonderful eco-friendly way to send holiday wishes.

Be conscious when wrapping

You can re-use last year’s wrapping paper and gift bags but if you don’t have any then try to buy wrapping paper made from recycled paper, or sustainable materials like hemp. Avoid wrapping paper that is shiny as this contains metals and is not easy to recycle. Reduce waste and keep wrapping paper, bubble wrap, bows and ribbons and store them in a box to use for next year’s gifts. 

Recycle

The festive season is the time of year when it is important to get your recycling in order because there is usually an abundance of paper, plastic, bottles and other waste that accumulates in the house. Don’t let this waste end up in landfills!


Sources
https://www.australianethical.com.au/news/10-tips-more-environmentally-friendly-christmas/
http://eartheasy.com/give_sustainchristmas.htm