Dreaming Of A Green Christmas

Never has our environment been higher up the agenda of global concern, so this year more than ever, perhaps it’s time to ease off the excessive consumerism and have an eco-friendly Christmas?

- Holly Louise Eells

Yes, the festive season is one of the most joyous times of the year, but do you know the impact your ‘merry Christmas’ could be having on the environment? Whether plastic decorations, countless greeting cards or unwanted food and gifts, Christmas generates a huge amount of waste, causing an added strain on landfills and extra CO2 emissions, becoming one of the most taxing times of the year for the environment. But there is still time to make a difference to your Christmas preparations to have a fabulous festive celebration while also cutting down on your environmental impact.

FOOD

Let’s start with ways to cut down your food waste. According to a report by Unilever, ‘each year in the UK the equivalent of 4 million Christmas dinners are wasted. This equates to 2 million turkeys, 74 million mince pies and 5 million Christmas puddings’.

So how can we help to reduce the horrifying statistics on how much food we throw away at Christmas? Annie Dalby, retail and destination marketing manager at Snape Maltings, believes planning is key and local farmers markets are a great opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint, but be organized with your food planning and don’t leave it until the last minute.

‘Know how many people will be joining you for Christmas and work out how much you’ll need from there,’ says Annie. ‘Remember it is quality over quantity – instead of a buffet-style service, reduce the amount you have on offer to guests.’

Produce bought locally means you will be supporting small suppliers and the local community while minimizing your carbon footprint, and Essex has a wide variety of farmers’ markets to choose from.

Naturally, there will still be some food waste however well you plan, but you can do wonders with Christmas food leftovers, which can provide many meals throughout the week and be frozen and kept for a later date.