Have a Green Merry Christmas

Going green is more than just limiting our impact on global warming, recycling and saving water. It’s about realising that we all share the space of our Planet, and that we have a responsibility to take care of it for ourselves and others - for now and for the future.

At Christmas time, there is a great deal of love and caring for family, friends and strangers. We give to charity and to those less fortunate. We express our care through giving. Our planet also needs to be shown care and we can give back here too by taking steps in the green direction.
 
Grace Green of Greenworks.co.za has some suggestions to help make this Christmas a green one, taking the environment as well as cost into consideration.

By following the principles of “Reduce, Reuse & Recycle” as well as “Rethink, Respect and Responsibility” you can make a difference to the environment and society,  as well as save money, thus greening our Christmas and holiday season.

While it's not always convenient to make the adjustments we need to to decrease environmental degradation and limit global warming, the state of our World depends on our actions and it's time for us to start acting responsibility and respectfully. It means consciously changing habits. 

Green recommends the following basic principles so you can make a difference:
- Reduce your consumption wherever possible.
- Reuse and repurpose items you have within your home.
- Recycle your food and gift packaging by dropping them off at your nearest recycle depot.

Many families end up with leftover food, bottles of consumed champagne and wine, food packaging and gift wrapping , the majority of which end up in landfills.  Being aware of our waste and making conscious decisions about what we use and how we dispose of it, is part of making the holidays green.

Here are further ideas for a merry green Christmas:

Trees & Decorations
- Use an indigenous tree that you can plant after Christmas, or decorate an outdoor tree.
- Create your own home and tree decorations made from recycled, scrap and organic materials.
- Reuse items you have at home or use flowers and leaves from your garden.
- Use solar lights to light up your tree.

Packaging
- Be conscious of the amount of packaging that food and gifts come in.
- Limit the amount of wrapping paper you use for gifts.
- Reuse wrapping paper or gift bags from past gifts you’ve received. Keep wrapping you receive for future use.
- Use fabric, old scarves and bandannas for gift wrapping.
- Use brown paper or newspaper with ribbons or raffia instead of wrapping paper.

Food
- Make your own meals instead of purchasing prepacked meals to decrease your packaging waste.
- Be conscious of the amount of food you prepare – don’t over cater.
- Use organic foods for your Christmas meals.
- Use home grown vegetables and herbs if you’re fortunate enough to have planted some earlier in the year.

Recycle
Separate your glass, cans, plastic and paper and recycle.
- Recycle whatever you can - including packaging, food and beverage containers, paper and gifts.
- Drop off all your recyclables at a recycling collection depot after Christmas.

Gifts
- Create your own Christmas cards or send e-cards.
- Give gifts of food or make a donation in someone’s name to an environmental or animal welfare organisation.
- Plant a tree in someone’s name and give them a certificate. This is a gift that can last a lifetime. Visit www.greenworks.co.za/plantatreepage.html
- If you receive gifts that you have no use for, then pass the gift on to someone who will benefit from it, or give it to a welfare organisation to use or sell.

Shopping
- Remember to take your reusable shopping bags when you are doing your Christmas shopping.
- Try and do your shopping in as few journeys as possible to avoid additional transport emissions.

For more ideas and suggestions visit www.greenworks.co.za/christmaspage.html

About greenworks.co.za
www.greenworks.co.za is an environmental awareness website, providing tips on how we can take steps in the green direction.  Greenworks promotes making conscious choices to reduce our consumption, reuse our resources, recycle and respect our Earth. It demonstrates that going green works as you can save resources and money.

Register on www.greenworks.co.za to receive a weekly Green Tip to assist you in taking steps in the green direction. Greenworks promotes green products and solutions, facilitates a tree planting programme, offers Office Greening and Recycling Guides, home recycling guidance, and workshops/presentations to educate on the importance and benefits of going green.