Sustainability has become a major global issue this year as well as a popular interior design concept. There have been so many news stories about the deteriorating state of our planet and what we can do to help. With many companies banning single-use plastics, people are being prompted to make positive changes. Christmas is a time of year that is typically bad for the environment. This is mostly due to excess waste, increased electricity use and transportation costs. However, there are lots of easy ways to make your Christmas more sustainable. Here are my top tips.
Lower the impact of Christmas lights
Christmas lights definitely make your home look and feel more festive, however, it is easy to go overboard. A smaller display of lights can still be eye-catching and they have the added benefit of saving electricity.
Another way to cut down the impact of your Christmas lights is to turn them off at night. It’s a waste of energy to leave the holiday lights on at night after everyone’s gone to sleep. It’s also unnecessary as you aren’t getting the benefit of seeing them. To be even more sustainable consider LED (Light Emitting Diode) Christmas lights as they use up to 95% less energy than traditional holiday bulbs.
Choose a real tree
There is a lot of debate about whether real or fake Christmas trees are better for the environment. Although plastic Christmas trees are reusable from year to year, real trees are the more sustainable choice. Plastic trees are made of PVC and use up resources in both the manufacture and shipping. While artificial trees theoretically last forever, research shows that many are discarded every year. Discarded artificial trees then go to landfills, where their plastic content makes them last forever.
Live trees, on the other hand, are a renewable resource grown on tree farms, that are replanted regularly. They contribute to air quality while growing and they can be recycled into mulch. Live trees are usually locally grown and sold, saving both transportation costs and added air pollution. Although live trees can be expensive, the environmental benefits more than makeup for it. Live trees also have a beautiful festive smell!
Use Eco-friendly wrapping paper
Metallic Wrapping Paper is the worst. This kind of ‘paper’ is difficult to recycle due to the heavy metals used in the foil paper. Foil wrapping paper is also harder to reuse since it wrinkles and creases easily when the gift is being unwrapped. You can do a beautifully wrapping job for your gifts by using eco-friendly wrapping paper.
If you have any wrapping paper left from previous years, make sure to use that before buying more rolls.
Look for Locally Made Gifts
This is a point that a lot of people don’t think about. Many gifts from highstreet and online retailers come from halfway around the world. The impact of transportation significantly contributes to greenhouse emissions and global warming. Local craft fairs, Christmas markets and small businesses are a good source for gifts that come without the added costs of transportation. Plus, small businesses will always appreciate more sales around the festive season.
Cut Down on food waste
I don’t know about you, but Christmas dinner is my favourite part of Christmas Day! However, people often cook too much food and have to bin a lot of it. If you end up over-catering, don’t just bin what’s left. Transforming leftovers can be a great way to create new meals, save money and cut waste.
One more tip is to try and choose things that are have packaging that can be recycled, or buy loose items.
I hope you have found these tips helpful. What will you be doing this year to make your Christmas more sustainable? Let me know in the comments ↓
Plus, pin this graphic to save this post for later:
I’ve got one more Christmas post that I’ll be posting very soon. It’s all about last minute budget-friendly Christmas decorations. It was such a fun post to make so I really hope you enjoy it.
Eve x
The post How To Have A More Sustainable Christmas appeared first on Eve Morgan Interiors.
