Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!
Hooray, holiday season is almost upon us. I don’t know about you but my aim at this time of year is to spend as much time relaxing with friends and family as possible and to eat way, way too much. Gym membership will start in January, I promise.
This year, I am adding another goal: to make my holiday season season one where I can continue to do my bit for our planet. Here’s what I’m trying:
1. A sustainable seafood Christmas
Everyone loves their seafood at Xmas, but it is sustainable? While we love our salmon and our prawns – and indeed tucking into them occasionally is probably okay – there are many other sustainable options to enjoy. Try adding these locally harvested species to your Christmas feast:
- WA caught fresh sardines – try recipes listed on Yummly here.
- Australian caught southern calamari – try recipes from Jamie Oliver here.
- Local mud or spanner crab – try recipes from Taste.com.au here:
For other ideas from around the world, check out the Greenpeace’s latest publications: Fishers’ Favourites, The Best Seafood Recipes by Low-Impact Fishers Around the World.
2. Play “bust the climate myths” this festive season.
With 2014 shaping up to be one of the hottest on record, you can expect the weather to be a hot(!) topic around the festive seas BBQ. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by: check out the “climate change myths busted” put together by our friends at the Climate Council and do you bit for getting more people on board for real climate action in 2015.
3. Choose Green Presents
Check out the 3 Things guide to a green Christmas: green presents, green wrapping, green decoration and advice on handling the consumerism of the season.
If you are thinking of buying some electronics, check out your greenest options with Greenpeace’s Green Electronic Guide. Greenpeace also has a handy guide for picking which clothing labels are the least toxic to ourselves and the environment
Lastly, have you considered NOT purchasing a gift this year? At least for the adults. Comedian and author Dom Knight writes a compelling piece on why this is a pretty good option.
4. Don’t Waste Food
Australian households and businesses are throwing away an estimated 4 million tonnes of food every year. Christmas is one of the worst times for this as put on large spreads for friends and family, only to find on Boxing Day that we have over catered. Bad for your pocket and bad for the environment, try and avoid it by planning out what you’ll actually need and how many people you’ll be feeding. Create a food plan and consider how you can use left overs for meals the next day. Here are some great ideas for using Christmas leftovers from Taste.com.au.
5. Donate unwanted gifts – don’t throw them
Unfortunately, a huge proportion of the gifts given this Christmas will end up in the back of the wardrobe never to see the light of day again. This year make a special effort to see that any unwanted presents go to good use.
Unwanted toys can be donated through organisations such as http://www.secondchancetoys.com.au/ who redistribute them to children in need.
Donate your old or unwanted clothes to your local charity shop – the majority of their revenue comes from goods donated so donations are vital. Check out http://www.givenow.com.au to find social enterprises and organisations looking for pretty much everything from books to bikes to electricals . This way you can make sure your unwanted items go to good use and don’t end up in landfill.
6. Remember to power down
Make sure your Christmas lights aren’t hogging the electricity all night: use a timer and energy-efficient choices like LED bulbs instead of incandescent. Ausgrid have put together a useful list of ways to cut down on energy this Christmas.
