Sorry for the cliche, but even if Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year”, the grim reality is that the holidays are also one of the most wasteful times around. Its all about excess this time of year – decorating inside and outside your home, in stores, in schools, in offices, (ok, practically everywhere you look!) shopping until you literally drop, partying (also until you drop), eating more and more ( steadily from Thanksgiving all the way until the New Year)……
And it goes without saying that the amount of energy used for all this merry-making is not what any greenie would consider good…
According to Newsweek:
“…This year, Americans will send nearly 2 billion holiday cards, use more than 38,000 miles of ribbon and leave millions of Christmas trees on the curb…”
PR Newswire also adds:
“….During winter alone, the average UK household will switch their lights on for an extra five hours a day…”
But its not all doom and gloom. In 2008, there are much more people all over the world who are more environmentally aware, and hopefully as each year approaches, even more will join the eco-bandwagon, so to speak. Just in my neighborhood, I noticed that nearly all the shops offer eco-friendly bags. And not just the big gun supermarkets and department stores, but even smaller stores and boutiques. Also, in the area I live in, the annual Xmas home decoration contest is now an “Eco-decorating” contest!
So perhaps a green Christmas is becoming more of a reality and less of a dream… and it certainly can be if we all do our bit, small at it may be.
Stay tuned for more eco-Christmas tips!