Ecological Christmas? It's difficult, because traditional holidays are a lot of cleaning and big shopping, but possible. Check what you can do to make your Christmas Eve and Christmas greener.
Ecological Christmaswill cost you some effort. Traditional holidays are very non-ecological - they start with a big cleaning, during which we use a lot of chemical cleaning agents. Then big shopping - gifts and a lot of food that there is no one to eat afterwards. All this on the run, in a nervous atmosphere in which it is easy to argue and tense.
And it doesn't have to be that way. It is worth focusing on what the holidays mean to us, not on what to buy. Let food and gifts be just an addition to the time spent with loved ones. And by the way, let it be more ecological.
Ecological Christmas: Smart gifts
In order to save yourself the nervous running around shops and buying anything, you should complete gifts from "Santa" … all year round. Well thought-out gifts that suit the recipient's tastes are much more fun than even expensive, but completely misplaced.
DIY gifts are a good idea, i.e. DIY gifts, e.g. preserves, cookies. If you don't have talent, buy eco-cosmetics gifts, clothes, books on ecology. Check where, how and what the gift you want to buy was made of. Make sure it is not over-wrapped.
You can also give a gift that is not a thing: fitness pass, spa pass, theater tickets. This is also eco style. Remember that the best (and priceless) gift for your loved ones is the time spent with them.
We are going for gift and grocery shopping with a reusable canvas eco-bag.
Ecological holidays: artificial or real Christmas tree?
The answer to this question is difficult. It is known that the production of a real Christmas tree leaves a smaller ecological footprint (i.e. the area of the Earth needed to meet our needs) than an artificial one. The production of a natural Christmas tree is 3.1 kg of greenhouse gases per year, and an artificial one - 8.1 kg.
Natural Christmas trees, "used up" or unsold, do not pose a threat to the environment, because when thrown away they quickly decompose. They can also be used as fuel or as food for zoo animals. Suitablealso for recycling - can also be converted into fertilizer.
And artificial polychloride Christmas trees take about 400 years to decompose. However, the matter is not so clear-cut if we take into account the duration of use of the tree. Research shows that if we use an artificial tree for more than 20 years, it will be more ecological than natural.
The research took into account various factors, e.g. the environmental impact of obtaining raw materials for the production of artificial trees and the ecological cost of transporting a natural tree every year.
A good solution is a Christmas tree in a pot - it is only worth finding its destination in advance. When buying it, you need to check that the root system is not damaged.
Ecological holidays: the carp issue
Every year there is more and more talk about the inhumane tradition of buying live carp. Although there is a law that does not allow you to sell live animals in a plastic bag or paper, only in a properly sized vessel with water, it does not change anything, because the law is not enforced. Even if it were, it doesn't fix the problem.
Carps suffer even before buying. After being caught, they are transported in a crush, then in a store they are packed in a tight container with a small amount of water, they suffocate, tear each other fins and gills. If the carp is still alive after being brought home, the torment will continue. People are not able to properly stun a carp, it often wakes up during, for example, removing scales.
So the best solution is not to buy live carp, and then the stores will not order them. There is no rational reason to buy these fish alive and kill them yourself, especially since dead or stressed fish are simply unpalatable.
On the festive table, carp enthusiasts say that it is a Polish tradition and that there is no holiday without carp. However, this is a fairly new tradition. Although carp have been bred in Poland for a long time (it was brought to Poland in the 13th century), various types of fish were traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve - salmon, sturgeon, catfish, crucian carp, eels and pike. It was only in the People's Republic of Poland that carp was introduced as a Christmas Eve dish. The production of these fish was filling the gaps in trade.