Celebrate a green or eco-friendly Christmas by recycling decor, opting for energy-efficient lights and heeding these 10 quick tips to help minimize humanity’s holiday carbon footprint.
Buy local products and support homemade crafts. It takes more resources for imported goods to reach our homes and offices. Support native handicrafts, particularly if the raw materials are sustainably-sourced, like twigs, leaves and pine cones.
Bring eco-bags when shopping for gifts. An estimated one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year and most end up in landfills. Don’t add to the waste.
Use LED Christmas lights with timers. Energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) Christmas lights are up to 90 percent more efficient than regular tungsten bulbs.
Make your own personalized Christmas cards. About two billion Christmas cards are wasted every December. Craft your own from recycled books, magazines or packaging.
Use recycled décor. With some tinkering and a touch of creativity, your old jars, gifts and gizmos can be converted into nifty Christmas decorations.
Buy only what you’ll use. Hosting this year’s Christmas party? Politely ask your guests to minimize leftovers and get only the food they can consume. Every year, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted.
Set that thermostat a bit higher. The ideal temperature range for homes and offices ranges from 24 to 26 degrees Celsius.
Recycle last year’s wrapping paper for this year’s gifts. Printed paper wrappers comprise one of the largest Christmas wastes.
Reuse old props for this year’s parties. Bring out old decor and leftover trimmings for this season’s celebrations.
Observe proper cleanup after partying. Ensure there are enough bins and trash bags that are clearly marked with the right labels for proper disposal.
Visit www.wwf.org.ph/take-action/live-green/when-you-shop. Join the #WWFChristmasPanda contest at the WWF-Philippines official Facebook page.