Follow these easy A-Z tips & enjoy the festive season without costing the earth.
– A is for artificial trees These are not necessarily greener – but they last for longer & can be reused every year.
– B is for batteries Use rechargeable batteries to power all your new Christmas goodies. By opening the cap and plugging into a USB connector, you can recharge them pretty much anywhere.
– C is for …
Candles Paraffin candles are made from petroleum residue and are no good for your health or for the environment. Candles made from soy, beeswax or natural vegetable-based wax are more eco-friendly because they biodegrade and are smoke-free.
Cards Try sending e-cards this year to cut down on paper waste or buy recycled or charity cards.
Compost Compost all your food peelings or get a wormery to help break down the vegetable food waste into rich soil nutrition.
Clothes Over 80,000 tonnes of old clothes will be thrown away this Christmas. So if you do get a new wardrobe, make sure you donate your old clothes to a local charity shop.
– D is for …
Decorations Use recycled decorations or decorate your tree with products that are fairly traded and ethically sourced.
Defrost your freezer before Christmas It will work more efficiently and create more space to store leftover food, so that it doesn’t go to waste.
– E is for eco-bags Don’t forget your green bags when you hit the shops & say no to nasty plastic ones.
– F is for food shopping Buy local or buy less. Produce bought locally means you will be supporting small suppliers and the local community, while minimising your carbon footprint.
– K is for keeping the air con switched off. Open all your doors & windows to allow for breezes to flow through your house, rather than shutting up shop & using the air con.
– L is for lights Christmas tree lights left on for 10 hours a day over the 12 days of Christmas produce enough CO2 to inflate 12 balloons, so turn them off when they are not needed.
If you haven’t already – make it a new year’s resolution to switch to energy-efficient light bulbs next year.
– P is for …
Plastic-free More than 17 billion plastic bags are handed out by supermarkets a year – that’s 300 for every man, woman and child – causing nearly 60,000 tonnes of plastic to go to landfill sites.
Presents Buy local or buy less. Presents bought locally means you will be supporting small suppliers and the local community, while minimising your carbon footprint. And do you have to buy gifts? Could you buy an “experience” instead? Try cinema tickets, club memberships or gift vouchers.
– R is for recycle If you’re not doing it already, it’s getting harder to have an excuse not to recycle. Make the extra effort this Christmas to put your rubbish in the right bins.
– T is for turning off your appliances Turning your appliances off at the mains, rather than leaving them on standby, saves huge amounts of carbon.
– U is for using the right-sized pan Use the right-sized pan for the vegetables you cook, and only boil the kettle with the amount of water you need.
– W is for wrapping. This constitutes one of the biggest Christmas wastes. Try wrapping your presents in brown or recycled paper, recycled foil or newspaper, & using string or raffia (made from bark which regenerates) to tie it up.
SOURCE: www.guardian.co.uk