Wrapping paper with a difference
Stop the packaging madness! Wrapping paper has such a short lifespan that it's easy to forget its big impact on the environment. In Germany, 8,000 tons of wrapping paper are thrown away every year - and not all paper is recyclable, especially if it is coated or has adhesive tape left on it.
To make it clear how wrapping paper impacts the environment, we now calculate the resource consumption of one roll per adult. This is how we come up 8.7 million kilograms nationwide. To produce one kilo of wrapping paper, 50 liters of water and 5 kilowatt hours of energy are required. Extrapolated, this equates to consumption of 435 million liters of water and 43.5 million kilowatt hours of energy - for a few seconds of joy.
Simply using recycled paper reduces resource consumption by 50%. For example, the “Blue Angel” environmental seal stands for 100% recycled waste paper. But recycling also uses a lot of energy. It's much easier and cheaper if you simply use things you already have at home, such as old newspaper, calendar sheets, shoe boxes, preserving jars or jute bags.
The sustainable tree
The traditional Christmas tree has become an integral part of the festival, as 30 million trees are bought in Germany every year. Nevertheless, the origin or breeding of the trees is usually overlooked. Because these mostly come from Christmas tree cultures, which can only be created with the help of fertilizers and pesticides. These pollute the soil immensely and kill everything natural in the area. In addition, the toxins seep into our groundwater and pollute lakes and rivers.
An ecological option, with which you don't have to go without a Christmas tree, is to look for Bioland, Naturland or FSC seals. You can also prevent a lot of pollution with trees from the surrounding forest. Because they don't have to travel long distances and are usually grown organically. Most of the time you can even cut down the trees yourself on site, which can be a really fun activity.
In addition, most of the Christmas trees in our stores were not created in an ethical manner. The most popular species is the Nordmann fir, which comes from Georgia. There, unskilled workers have to pick the seeds of our Christmas trees from 30-40 meters away from the tops of the fir trees for a low wage. Fatal accidents often occur.
The “Fair Trees” are an alternative for the environment and people. They promote ecological cultivation of their trees and plant another tree for every tree sold. In addition, part of the income goes to the “Fair Tree Fund”, which invests in safety equipment and development in the Georgia region.
Mulled wine
Wine growing accounts for 15% of the pesticides used across Europe. As already mentioned with Christmas trees, pesticides have incredible consequences for the environment. In addition, residues of the poison remain in the wine and are therefore harmful to humans. At the same time, you have to keep in mind that many of the wines do not come from Europe and therefore the transport route is also a major source of CO2. So the most important factor when choosing wine should be regional origin. You can also recognize organic wines by a seal such as the “Demeter” seal.
Banquet
This year you as a family can decide to make the feast completely vegetarian or even vegan. Because even if grandparents or parents usually insist on traditions, they will notice that even without the Christmas goose the celebration is just as beautiful as before. Because it doesn't make a big difference for you, but it does for the environment and animals. According to the Federal Environment Ministry, an average of more than 13 kilograms of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases are produced per kilo of beef. In addition, according to the Federal Statistical Office, more than 634,000 geese were slaughtered in German slaughterhouses last year, which corresponds to around 3,100 tons. It must be noted that only one in seven goose consumed in Germany comes from German farms, as an additional 25,500 tons of goose meat are imported.
But of course Christmas dinner should also taste good, so we have some inspiration for your meatless Christmas here .
Gifts
Of course, Christmas isn't Christmas without presents, but the word is open to interpretation. That means maybe forgoing all the odds and ends this year and only giving gifts that are really wanted. This means you don't end up buying something and then just lying around. Keyword: wish list! Or you can simply give away time. Instead of running around the department store for hours, you can give your loved ones a nice time. For example, concert tickets, skydiving, dinner, a cooking class, or anything the person has always wanted to do. Another option is to give away second-hand items. Simply look for the product you want to give as a gift at a flea market, second-hand store or online.
If it should be a gift, then we have suggestions for sustainable and ecological gifts here!
