Without turning into Scrooge, it is possible to enjoy a sustainable Christmas and waste less, one that Mother Nature and your bank account would thank you for.
- How much would you estimate your household spends on Christmas gifts each year? $963
- How much would you estimate the value of unwanted gifts you and your family receive at Christmas? $630
Through mindful consumption and a little planning, this Christmas could be the start of a sustainable future.
50 top tips for a Sustainable Christmas
- Buy only what you need, anymore is just a waste
- Rethink current Christmas behaviour’s, drop the guilt, perfectionism and excess, you know when good is good enough
- Ethically declutter your cupboards before buying new platters and bowls, you may be surprised by what you have, saving you money and reducing your carbon footprint. Need help check out blog & books
- Responsibly dispose of clutter, check out these Useful Links
- Repurpose what you have before buying more, example: Use and decorate indoor plants as a Christmas tree instead of buying a plastic tree or a real tree
- Check the environmental credentials of “eco-friendly” products if they don’t stack up, refuse them
- Consider giving zero waste products, example: reusable bag, bottle, produce bag, straw (if required)
- Discover your local Repair café, and repair Christmas treasures before sending to landfill or buying more.
- Reduce food waste; write a shopping list, plan your meals and portions & stick to it
- Recycle right, check your local council and check out the Eco Organiser® Useful Links
- Buy pre-loved, second hand items and support charities and reduce your carbon footprint.Calculate your impact on using a carbon footprint calculator
- Buy products made with recycled content
- Donate quality items to a charity that supports people in need such as Fashion Trade & GIVIT
- Think and act local, buy seasonal from local growers
- When buying new products ask where to recycle the products at end of life
- Where possible use public transport, car pool, turn off lights and eat less meat
- Choose sustainable fashion example: Hemp, Linen, Wool, organically processed fabrics
- Stop buying crap!
- Refuse the “buy one get one free” it’s costing the earth! Did you know it takes 7000-8000 litres of water to produce 1 pair of jeans?
- Know that every little bit helps
- Spread positive messages to help others reduce waste and enjoy a sustainable Christmas
- Trying growing your own food
- Save water from washing fruit and vegetables, use to water plants, we can’t rely on it to fall out of the sky!
- Picture this, you have reduced your waste so much your bin is only a 1/4 full GREAT! Why not get to know your neighbours and ask if they will share a bin. Imagine the garbage truck stopping for 1 bin rather than 20-50 times in your street, all helping to reduce noise, less wear and tear on the truck from the stop start of the truck
- Compost if you can, don’t stress if you can’t, just reducing your food waste all helps
- Check out Share Waste App to recycle your food scraps within your community and Recyclopedia how to recycle over 180 items in over 550 Councils across Australia.
- Be radical and stop gift wrapping or use reusable products such as tea towels, bee wax wraps, recycled paper- picture books, maps, dress patterns to wrap Christmas gifts
- Make your own cards and decorations from recycled paper, fabric, toys, glass, string, flowers, tins, metal and plastic waste
- Refuse glitter, tinsel, balloons, glitter glue
- In NSW check out Earn and Return to recycle PET bottles, cans and cartons, QLD, ACT, WA check out Returnit to get cash on your containers
- Check your local council to recycle E Waste TV, Office Equipment, Mobile Phones, Computers
- Updating your e waste? Regift old mobile phones, computers, TV
- If you are inclined, make you own Christmas gifts
- Get real with your time, none of us are perfect and cannot do everything, drop the super hero eco image
- Ditch the throw away attitude and practice mindful consumption
- Get to know your digital footprint. Much of the energy needed for streaming services is consumed by data centres, which deliver data to your computer or device. Increasingly housed in vast factory-sized buildings, these servers store, process and distribute internet traffic. All our Netflix binge-watching is costing the environment
- Join a local sustainable group to learn and share sustainable ideas
- Can’t afford new clothes, organise a clothes swap with friends
- Give experiences over physical gifts, example: fishing trip, theatre tickets
- Refuse degradable or bio degradable plastics, they break down into tiny bits of plastic and end up in our oceans, rivers and lakes
- Eat leftovers and see how to eat your fridge to reduce food waste
- Look after your Christmas treasures and they will reward you for years- repair, clean, maintain
- Buy a subscription to a tool a library for someone that loves to tinker instead of buying them more tools
- Holiday at home
- Give yourself a sustainable gift- compost bin, solar panels, insulate your home, buy a bike and ride it
- Spend time in nature not on stuff
- Spend time with the people you love not wasting time buying more stuff
- Invest in ME time
- Donate your time to a local conservation group and help protect our environment
- Say STUFF OFF! to stuff that does not add value to your life
Australian clutter-free, sustainable lifestyle teacher Tanya Lewis aka The Eco Organiser® and author ofSTUFF OFF! & Ethically Declutter Your Home in 30 Days educates communities on the benefits of ethically decluttering, offering peace of mind and helps find good homes for unwanted stuff.
Tanya has helped over 8000 people ethically declutter and, in the process, has diverted an estimated 43 000+kg of unwanted stuff from landfill. Tanya love’s being invited into communities, corporations, universities and businesses to share her passion and simple actions to reduce waste and move towards a sustainable lifestyle.
For further information:
E: tanya@ecoorganiser.com.au
T: Australia +61 448 877 902
www.ecoorganiser.com.au
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