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Christmas-Carbon-Footprint Reducing During This Festive Season
Diminish your christmas-carbon-footprint with environmentally friendly green-christmas-strategies.
Reducing your carbon footprint at Christmas time happens by making environmentally
friendly alternative decisions during the holiday season that reflect
your efforts towards green living.
For the green enthusiasts who live according to the greenest lifestyle possible,
planning the holidays applies the same kind of logic and ideals practiced on a daily basis. There
are many things you can do to reduce your christmas-carbon-footprint rather easily
by doing a few things a little differently, and applying some green-christmas-strategies.
Maybe come up with a few new eco-friendly christmas traditions as well?
The Christmas season is such a busy time of the year for all of us.
As quickly as Thanksgiving
celebrations come to an end, thoughts shift literally overnight, and holiday season planning
begins almost immediately. It can be a very stressful time of year for
so many. Keeping a regular work-week certainly cuts into the time it takes
to prepare, but most of us need our paycheques. Not going to work is certainly not
an option! Even so, the pressure is there to get everything accomplished associated
with celebrating Christmas well before the day gets here.
Being a bit frugal and money conscious especially during the holidays goes a long
way towards reducing the christmas-carbon-footprint we make.
It is also the time of year for parties, whether it be in your own home, going out to a
house party, or taking part in office celebrations.
Cut down on your carbon footprint
and come up with some excellent gifts for the hostess, the christmas office party
gift exchange, or eco-friendly christmas presents for your own family members.
Advertise your own "what-I-would-like-for-christmas" green gift list as well.
Organic fair-trade products offer many choices for the eco-conscious, and
are not all that expensive. It might be helpful to know, that if you are considering
a specific gift for someone dedicated to green living, you are tremendously
helping Artisans world-wide to provide a better living for themselves and their families.
I almost always see Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations out on the shelves in the
stores at the same time in most places. There's a very short time period between
Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating, but changing over isn't too difficult.
Maybe it's a good thing afterall that things are out all at once. It gives that little
extra nudge to deal with everything there is to consider for christmas planning, and not feel
so rushed at the last minute.
Many consumers started their christmas shopping list last year on Boxing Day, and others are
patiently waiting for just after the American Thanksgiving for those special Friday and
Monday savings days in the malls and online.
You can read much more on those special days and generally keeping your "holiday debts"
down to reasonable standards on this site.
(Some people get harder and harder to shop for every year, and
yet, it's the stocking stuffers I still find the hardest to do.)
My husband expected to come home after his yearly hunting trip recently
to find "christmas up and running" in our house. Didn't happen this time. But,
I did it last year. Ran like crazy, and my tree was up in the first week of
November.
My family teases me about this, but my theory is, there is just so
much to do all for a rather short time period. You know what I'm talking about, I'm sure. And, if I am going to
do so much to make Christmas happen around here, I want to enjoy it for a longer period of
time. Never have been one to put the tree up one week before Christmas, just
to have to dismantle it all so quickly.
Your choice of Christmas tree presents a number of options and there are mixed opinions on
the subject of where your tree should come from in regard to how this affects our christmas-carbon-footprint.
Of course some sort of eco-friendly christmas tree is the wisest choice,
but opinions vary somewhat on which is the best way to choose.
Some people opt for renting their tree, and it is an idea that appeals greatly to going green committed people.
Who doesn't love to look at Christmas lights inside and out for a decent period of time?
My house always seems so
"dull and blah" after Christmas, which is again the reason I like to get things done earlier, so I can enjoy it longer.
It really is an adjustment period for me after everything
christmas-y has disappeared for yet another year.
Solar or other cost-efficient christmas lights are good alternatives to explore for reducing your christmas-carbon-footprint.
Christmas recycling isn't that difficult though thank goodness.
During the holidays there are ways to cut down on what will be going to the landfill
after the holiday season is all over and done.
Recycling Tips For Reducing Your Christmas Carbon Footprint
Christmas morning, set up boxes before everyone starts opening their gifts.
This sure saves on the clean-up later. Train your family to gently remove
their bows and ribbons if you can. Difficult for children to not "rip and tear"
but eventually they can learn.
Have everyone try to "recycle" what they can from their opened gift by placing
in the appropriate box.
Shred newspaper funnies for using like tissue paper in gift bags.
Hold onto gift wrap, ribbons, bows, tissue paper, decorative christmas items attached
to presents, tags, and holiday cards to re-use when wrapping your own gifts. This is a great way to reduce your christmas-carbon-footprint.
Get More Life Out Of Your Used Christmas Cards
Use small gift boxes in your dressers or junk drawers as organizers.
Keep some small boxes, bits of styrofoam, bubble wrap and packaging for either your
own mailing out purposes over the year, or for crafts like nativity scenes or
gingerbread houses that don't go stale by the way or have to be thrown out because they are
"food items."
Remember to NOT recycle the electronics boxes that your christmas gift came in, until
the warranties on these gifts expire. If something goes wrong, the original packing
must be provided usually if you want to return something.
Faithfully "recycle" by composting as much of your holiday food items as possible.
Frugal Christmas Ideas For Reducing Your Christmas-Carbon-Footprint
Using popcorn, candy canes, gingerbread and sugar cookies, cranberries, make your own
ornaments and decorations from some of these edible materials.
String Your Own Garlands To Reduce Your Christmas-Carbon-Footprint or any holiday footprint.
Making crafts to give away as gifts is a wonderful way to reduce your carbon footprint. Crafts for all Seasons has some unique
Christmas crafts
to give you some creative homemade gift ideas.
Do a baking exchange with friends or family. You will end
up with much more of a variety of treats, less cooking time involved, and save significantly on ingredients and time.
Alot less different bowls and utensils to wash too, when you only have to make one item. Try this at work, or with friends or family members. It's great to suddenly have lots of variety,
and you didn't have to do it all yourself.
Make your Christmas dinner as organic and vegetarian as much as possible. Be sure to buy locally. Ask guests to bring a contribution to the holiday dinner.
Burn beeswax candles which are made of natural substances.
Clean your home with natural household items such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemons
to name a few.
And remember that the holiday season is for "you" too. Free up a little time for yourself as far as the kids go, and take advantage of the shortcuts.
Your christmas-carbon-footprint can be lowered quite a bit when you put some common-sense ideas into practice. It's all about using what you have on hand, and simplifying things to within reasonable means.
