How to have a sustainable Christmas

Here are 12 tips on how you can do something good for the environment this Christmas and save money at the same time.

Let’s be honest- we all love Christmas to a certain extent. Having a lot of twinkle lights hung up in the living room, the smell of freshly baked cookies from the kitchen, the pine scent from the Christmas tree, the cosy vibes and warmth from the fireplace and not to forget the delicious food- those are just some examples of the things one could cherish about Christmas. However, even though Christmas might be the holiday of love it certainly is not very loving to the environment. Therefore, here are 12 tips on how you can be more mindful this Christmas and take care of the environment.

1. Christmas tree

Do not buy artificial Christmas trees

Who would have thought that artificial Christmas trees are not as sustainable as the idea of it might seem. Since they are made out of plastics, they add to the global problem of plastic waste and produce greenhouse gas emissions through their production. In order to make up for the emitted pollution it would therefore be necessary to use the tree for up to ten years. However, if you still want to get a fake Christmas tree you could consider buying a used one that is, on top of that, cheaper than a new one.

Buy or rent a real Christmas tree that you could recycle or repurpose afterwards

Still, it is actually more sustainable to get a real tree or rent one. After the Christmas season is over you then can replant it in a pot or give it back to the organisation you rent the tree from, chip it and use it otherwise or even donate it to some organisations. For more information you can also check out the Greenpeace’s tips for disposing your Christmas tree.

2. Presents

Only buy necessary and sustainable gifts

Presents are equally another source of environmental harm. Especially, if those are unwanted gifts and only end up being unused or thrown away. Therefore, maybe ask your loved ones what they would wish for and then choose one item of the presented options. When you decide buying presents also make sure that those are ideally environmentally friendly. If you need some inspiration for that, you could also check out our latest blog post with sustainable gift ideas.

Wrap your presents in eco-friendly paper or recycled materials

When wrapping your gifts make sure to keep the wrapping and decorations to a minimum, because we all know that less is more and of course better for the environment. Additionally, since a lot of wrapping paper contains plastic, rather go for the brown parcel paper or recycle some of your old newspapers or calendars. It also gives your presents a vintage look which anyways is currently trending, so it’s a win-win for you.

Celebrate without presents or donate the money to charity

Alternatively, why not celebrate Christmas without presents and rather focus on the original purpose of this holiday- spending some quality time with your family, friends and loved ones. These moments are not only priceless, but also very budget friendly- your wallet will thank you for that. And if you really want to spend some of your few left coins maybe consider donating to non-profit organisations and share your happiness with others and the environment. Here are some environmental organisations you could financially support in their mission.

Send electronic cards

Handwritten cards are of course a wonderful gesture, but cards are also a large source of waste. Only in the UK 1.5 billion Christmas cards end up in the bin every year. Instead, you could save the money and rather write a mindful message, an e-card or maybe create a funny video.

3. Food

Reduce your food waste, use leftovers, or donate them

Yes, food is awesome but let's face it our stomachs only have a limited volume, so make sure to only cook and buy what you and your Christmas comrades would also actually eat. If there are any leftovers then don’t throw them away, but rather activate the hidden Gordon Ramsey inside of you and think of how you could incorporate them into new recipes. Nevertheless, if you still have some ingredients that you did not manage to use up entirely or did not use at all you could also donate them to food charities that use if for homeless people.

Have a vegan or vegetarian Christmas dinner

Why also not experiment a bit and try out new Christmas dishes or turn your traditional Christmas recipes into a vegetarian and vegan version? If you need some inspiration for some possible dishes check out our blog post that introduces various talented plant-based cooks to you that have awesome recipes with which you will definitely be able to impress your Christmas visitors.

Reduce food packaging

This is a difficult one, I admit, but when you go grocery shopping make sure to look for unpackaged products or only buy products that use a minimum amount of packing.

4. Decorations

Keep your decoration as long as possible

Don’t throw away your old Christmas ornaments and decoration. Try to use them as long as possible or use your creative energy to upcycle and transform them to your liking. Alternatively, you could bring them to a second-hand shop where they could find a new owner or sell them at a flea market so you could also make a small profit from it.

Create DIY Christmas decoration out of natural materials

If you decide to upgrade your Christmas decoration, consider making your own handmade art pieces and use natural materials such as sticks, fruits, interesting-looking spices or whatever your creative mind comes up with. Maybe you also have some waste that you could repurpose and give a second life to- the sky is the limit.

Use LED lights

Are you also one of those people that covers their place in tons of twinkle lights and almost transforms it into a second sun? Then please make sure that you use LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs and try to find twinkle lights that are run by solar energy instead of batteries or electricity. Equally, make sure that you reduce the time of them being in use and if they have a timer set it up in a way that it turns off the lights during the day. Your electricity bill definitely be happy about that as well.

Hopefully those tips were insightful to you, and you will try out a few of them this Christmas. If you have further ideas on how to be more sustainable on the most important holiday season of the year feel free to write them in the comment section below, we would love to hear them.

Sources:

Friends of the Earth, “21 eco-friendly Christmas tips”, Friends of the Earth, October 27, 2020, https://friendsoftheearth.uk/about/21-ecofriendly-christmas-tips, accessed 14 December 2021.

BBC, “How to be more eco-friendly at Christmas”, BBC, 2021, https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z2sjkty, accessed 14 December 2021.

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