Green Christmas: Is it possible?

In many ways Christmas does not sit well with certain environmental principals. Mass consumption, in terms of food (especially meat), energy (Christmas lights, batteries, Turkey cooking ovens) and just general stuff (toys, wrapping paper, gadgets, disposable plates, napkins etc) is rampant. While the excuse the 'It's only once a year' might be enough to settle some consciences, in reality who are we kidding? Christmas these days runs from the end of November into the first couple of weeks of January and the hang over can have a bigger than expected impact. Extra waste in your bins and recycling boxes, extra stuff in your house, extra heat on to accommodate parties and guests. And that's just a start, and it all adds up.

So how do you go about having a Green Christmas? Cut down on festivities? Very ba humbug. Opt for the greener alternatives? A start I suppose, but still buying in to the over indulgence of the period. I guess the best advice is to just do what you can, catch yourself on when you're being ridiculous (what do you mean the tree doesn't need more than 300 lights?) and learn from your mistakes to help improve your habits next year.

For example, last Christmas was my first family Christmas as host. I made way too much food and as a result spent far too much time in the kitchen. By the end there was a hotels worth of washing up and I was so knackered by the whole experience that I was grouchy for the remainder of the day. This year I'm planning a much simpler affair, and trying to incorporate as many Green touches as possible, most of which I'll be blogging about here.

And to start off, a link to Top College Blogs 10 Ways to Go Green During the Holidays.

Enjoy!


Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net