Home » Blog » Green Christmas – How to Have an Eco-Friendly Festive Season and New Year
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The festive season is about relaxation, enjoyment and celebration. It’s for time off work and loved ones to connect and create memories. But it’s not all presents and pavlovas. For many, it’s a source of stress and financial anxiety. Over-the-top consumerism, busy workloads, high expectations and too much waste can suck all the joy out.
Say hello to a green Christmas.
A green Christmas reduces the chaos and protects your sanity, wallet and the environment.
Each year, Australians waste $400 million worth of Christmas presents. This equates to 10 million unwanted items that end up in landfill, ultimately harming our health and the planet.
So why not simplify things?
Simple gifts, simple decorations, simple events and simple traditions.
Here’s how to have an eco-friendly, green Christmas:
Buy less, choose well, do good. It’s a motto we all should live by to limit waste.
The festive season is notorious for over-indulging. Gifts look pretty under the tree, then pile up in landfills. Food gets thrown away and wrapped presents become a mountain of plastic and polystyrene waste.
Instead, have a food plan to avoid food waste, compost scraps and choose products with reusable or recyclable packaging. Get a gift you don’t want? Donate unwanted items or set aside to re-gift for someone who’ll appreciate it. Have excessive leftovers? Ask guests to leave with takeaways.
LOW-WASTE WRAPPING OPTIONS:
Swap wrapping paper with these low-waste alternatives:
Presents that don’t end up in landfill are much more meaningful. Think sentimental, sustainable and reusable gifts.
PRESENT INSPIRATION:
E-cards are a sustainable way to reduce waste and save trees. If you’re after something tangible, choose charity cards, cards made on recycled paper or make your own.
These hand-foiled Christmas cards are made by Perth designer Works with Quirks. I couldn’t go past them for my clients – simple, sustainable and supporting local businesses.
Green businesses have their hearts in the right place and the actions to prove it.
The more support you give them, the higher encouragement for an eco-friendly impact and environmental and social benefits.
For a business to be green, it must encapsulate the four principles of sustainability; human, social, economic and environmental. Executed with measurable outcomes, actions and results.
As a business owner, I’m forever conscious of strengthening greener values. Sustainable practices are important. Not only for the festive season, but all year round to benefit my clients and take part in reducing the carbon footprint. Every business can do its share.
Eco-friendly actions I practice at the little typewriter:
Whether it’s buying a product or a service, find ways to support businesses who support the planet this Christmas.
Artificial trees may be reused for years but eventually, they end up in landfill. This year think eco-friendly.
In Australia, real Christmas trees are plantation-grown under sustainable forestry systems. Look for seasonal and organic tree farms to buy from.
REAL TREE BENEFITS:
Decorate your tree with sustainable decorations made from recycled wood, glass and fabric. Switch the Christmas lights to LED, which use 75% less energy and last 25 times longer.
Help sustainable brands by shopping locally. When you buy gifts from across the globe, the impact of transportation contributes to global warming and greenhouse emissions.
Instead, check the local markets for green Christmas gift ideas this year.
REDUCE YOUR SHOPPING MILES BY:
Giving generously shouldn’t be expected or stressful.
Although most Christmas traditions involve gift-giving and receiving, many opt out of buying stuff and create alternatives or new traditions instead.
Simplify the process by breaking traditions. Shorten the gift list or switch to a Secret Santa exchange. Over budgeting can take the fun out of giving presents. Set realistic limits and stick to them.
SIMPLE GIFT-GIVING TIPS:
Focus on the simple things to keep stress levels low.
Think back to what made Christmas special when you were young. What traditions do you want to keep or pass onto your family?
Overcommitting doesn’t leave time for what’s important. Before your calendar fills up, determine what’s important to you. What makes Christmas magical and memorable? For me, it’s the simple things. Good people, good food, sunshine, Christmas lights and recoup time. Oh, and don’t forget the Sangria!
Maybe it’s driving around to look at Christmas lights, baking cookies, decorating (and eating) the gingerbread house or watching festive movies. Pinterest-perfect decorations don’t make Christmas magical. But decorating the perfectly imperfect tree and spending time with loved ones does. With or without presents.
Before you can make greener choices, it’s crucial to understand what makes a product sustainable.
MATERIAL
Eco-friendly, premium materials to ensure the quality remains through repeat uses. Sustainable products have no hazardous materials or ingredients and don’t deplete natural resources.
LIFE CYCLE
Minimum to no waste, social and environmental benefits, useful and durable. For example; reusables, stainless steel and bamboo.
PRODUCTION
Low-impact, ethical labour aligned with eco-friendly values.
DISPOSAL
Check the label – can they be repurposed, reused, composted or recycled after use?
A green Christmas spreads genuine happiness. It’s about making different choices, buying things that are kinder to the planet and bringing people closer together through time, not things.
the little typewriter’s hours have changed over Christmas and New Years. Want to get in touch? I’m now taking bookings for late January. Book in a copywriting project below.