Did you know that Christmas is one of the most wasteful times of the year? During Christmas alone, Australians throw out 140-150 tonnes of purchased food, check out 4 easy tips to make this Christmas the most sustainable yet in your household.
1. Christmas Wrapping
Christmas wrapping is the main culprit when it comes to unnecessary waste, each year Australians consume 8,000 tons of gift wrapping. That's a lot! Here are several solutions that can help minimise the waste for a more sustainable Christmas
You can avoid Christmas gluttony and be environmentally friendly with simple changes to your shopping list
- 2nd Hand Wrapping: Rather than purchase new wrapping paper, why not use what you currently have? Try using sheets, scarves or handkerchiefs instead to wrap presents. You are then consuming less wrapping paper for Christmas and saving your wallet an extra fifty dollars...Enough for another present perhaps?
- Decorating: Why purchase a new bow or tinsel this Christmas when you could use what you have in the house or even outside! Try finding leaves, sticks
- Portion your Christmas meals: To avoid throwing any food in the bin, consider portioning your Christmas lunch or dinner and anything extra use as leftovers for the following day. This can also save money in your pocket too
2. Christmas Dinner
Coming up with an eco friendly Christmas may sound difficult to accomplish, however its simpler than it looks. In fact, you can not only save money in your pocket, but you can make a difference to your environmental contribution as well.
You can avoid Christmas gluttony and be environmentally friendly with simple changes to your shopping list
Here are a list of items that can help you have an Eco Friendly Merry Christmas without being a Scrooge:
- Plan Ahead: Shop in your local area, or an area where the meat and vegetables are grown locally. Doing this will provide the indirect benefit of reducing transportation costs in the long-run.
- Buy organic: When shopping consider purchasing free range or organic products such as eggs, vegetables, cheeses and meat from your local butcher or produce shop. Better yet, try buying directly from the farmer.
- Portion your Christmas meals: To avoid throwing any food in the bin, consider portioning your Christmas lunch or dinner and anything extra use as leftovers for the following day. This can also save money in your pocket too
3. DIY Christmas Tree Decorations
Want to prove or test your creative side this holiday season? Need a great family activity that everyone can get involved in and enjoy? Or even looking for something to distract the little ones for a few hours? Well, try these DIY Christmas ideas. If you’re looking for some inspiration check out a couple of the DIY projects below:
Bring the festive spirit to life with eco friendly Christmas decoration ideas
4. LED Christmas Lights
With energy bills on the rise a great way to save some coin this time of year is reducing your consumption, how? Check out solar LED lights, they’re a great way to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. Best of all, they can be recharged in almost all weather conditions and can stay bright for up to 8 hours. In addition to this LED lights use 80% less energy compared to regular Christmas lights!
LED Christmas Lighting in China
What makes LED lighting so efficient, compared to flourescent or incandescent lights is because of the energy to heat ratio. LED lights tend to convert 95% of energy into light and only 5% into heat. Compare this to fluorescent lighting which is converted into 95% heat and 5% light. Add to this, LED lighting provides a much greater lifespan of upto 100,000 times greater than other lighting types.
With Christmas just around the corner our experienced ESD consultants are ready and willing to help you during the pre Christmas period. Take a look at some of the turnaround services being provided:
- JV3 - 5 Business Day Turnaround
- Section J - 3 Business Day Turnaround
- NatHERS - 6 Star Energy Rating Report - 3 Business Day Turnaround
- BASIX - 1 to 5 Dwellings - 5 Business Day Turnaround
- BASIX - 6 to 100 Dwellings - 10 Business Day Turnaround
Reference:
[1] http://sydney.edu.au/environment-institute/blog/considering-christmas-footprint/
[2] https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/interiors/g25329535/eco-friendly-christmas-ideas-green-christmas/
[3] https://emagazine.com/eco-friendly-christmas-dinner/
[4] https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/plan-a-sustainable-christmas-meal/
[5] https://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/christmasgiftguide/eco-friendly-christmas-wrapping-ideas-presents-gift-giving-recycle/178770
[6] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-06/furoshiki-environmentally-friendly-wrapping-paper-replacement/9228456
[7] https://www.sepco-solarlighting.com/blog/bid/145611/the-advantages-of-led-lights-for-the-environment
