DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS [PART 4]
TOP TIPS FOR A LOW CARBON CHRISTMAS [PART 4].
By CHANTAL COOKE.
December is here!
Will your Christmas festivities be low carbon this year? There’s still time… so here are a few top tips to make your Christmas a planet friendly one…
1) After all the festivities are over see how much of the Christmas wrapping paper and Christmas cards can be recycled. If you can reuse wrapping paper for next year – even better! If not put it all in the recycling bin. It takes much less energy and water to produce new paper from recycled pulp than from virgin pulp. You can also shred your waste paper and use it for packing or for bedding for your pets.
2) If your eyes were bigger than your belly and you can’t eat all your Christmas lunch – don’t throw it away. If you have a bird table put out your scraps and left-overs. Birds need all the food they can get at this time of year and they quite enjoy the odd roast potato and Yorkshire pudding.
3) We generate huge quantities of waste over the Christmas period – including cardboard packaging, wrapping paper, plastic bags, glass bottles and jars, and empty food tins and drinks cans. All of these are recyclable – so if you local council won’t collect them, load them up and take them to the civic amenity and recycling centre. Despite the carbon from the car journey it’s still better to recycle these materials than throw them in the dustbin. You could be extra eco-friendly and offer to take your neighbours as well – that way you’ll be reducing the amount of car journeys you both make.
4) If you are lucky enough to get a new mobile phone for Christmas remember to recycle your old one. Many charities collect old mobile phones. Any unwanted gifts or items you no longer want can be donated to your local charity shop to help raise money.
5) As the year draws to a close take a moment to think about how you will live your life in 2012. Consider your impact on the planet and if you can choose a couple of things that you could easily do differently in 2012 that would make a difference. It doesn’t need to be anything major – start small and grow your contribution. Every step we take to reduce our carbon emissions is a step in the right direction, so don’t be put off by the size of the problem – remember the old saying; “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Now is a great time to take that first bite.
Cutting your carbon at Christmas doesn’t have to mean cutting your fun, but it can mean cutting your costs!
Have a very merry green Christmas this year!
About the Author: Chantal Cooke is a professional journalist, co-founder of PASSION for the PLANET and a London Leader in Sustainability.