Sustainable festive planning can be a challenge, particularly because we only have to think about it once a year. Building on everything we learned last Christmas, we’ve updated our guide to reinspire everyone this holiday season!   

Christmas lights
LED Christmas lights have quickly become the go-to which is not only excellent for energy consumption but has the potential to reduce waste in years to come. Not so excellent is the limited life of bargain bin products which burn out quickly and are exceedingly difficult to recycle. Do a bit of research and ideally get lights where you can replace individual LED bulbs as they inevitably go out. For outdoor decorating, keep an eye out for quality solar lights to complete the perfect Home Alone look without the electricity cost.

DIY decorations
We previously covered sustainable Christmas tree selection and the best decorations to buy, but why not try crafting your own festive ornaments. There are plenty of guides to help you create unique decorations from upcycled and sustainable materials, plus every decoration will have story you can tell year after year.

Consolidate shopping trips and deliveries
Shudder at the thought of Christmas shopping trips? Consider carefully planning ahead to do all of your shopping in minimal missions. You will not only save fuel money, time and stress in parking lots but reduces your carbon footprint in the process. The same principle works for postage too! Consider consolidating shipping for personal packages and online orders.

Shop local and buy pre-loved
Explore locally produced gift options in your community to reduce the carbo impact of giving and you’ll be supporting local businesses at the same time. Buying pre-loved gifts is somewhat controversial (and might not be for everyone) but sometimes buying second hand will be the perfect gift for a loved one, and the planet. It all depends on the recipient but ‘classic’ gifts like vintage cameras and retro boardgames rarely disappoint.

Eat your leftovers!
We covered this last year but it’s that important. An estimated one-third of all food produced in the world goes to waste and holiday occasions such as Christmas see significant spikes in waste. Strategise with family to buy only what you need, use the freezer and get creative with all those leftovers.

If you have more tips or suggestions please let us know by emailing info@solarschools.net