Make the most of the 2018 – 2019 holidays while reducing your environmental impact with Planet Ark’s Holiday Hacks for Living Large with a Small Footprint.
Australians were estimated to have spent over $11 billion last year around Christmas[1], which makes for a lot of food waste, packaging and carbon emissions.
Despite this massive amount of spending Planet Ark is hearing from an increasing number of Australians who want to have a less wasteful holiday season. In fact, RecyclingNearYou gets more traffic during the holidays than at any other time of year!
That’s why we've put together a list of hacks that offer practical ways to cut the waste from a variety of holiday activities. They fall under six categories:
- Create – Find out how to make your own gifts and decorations
- Give – Discover gift ideas that are generous without being wasteful
- Celebrate – Get tips on how to eat, drink and be merry while avoiding excess
- Declutter – Make your New Years’ clean a green one with a range of recyclers for most household items
- Revive – Refresh your home, give life to old goods and renew your perspective over the holidays
- Travel – Learn how to make tracks without making excess emissions
The most important thing to remember is that having a good time and being environmentally responsible aren’t mutually exclusive.
“You can have a really rewarding holiday while aiming to make as little waste as possible; it’s not about choosing between fun or your eco credentials”, says Anita Vandyke, Planet Ark ambassador, rocket scientist and the author of A Zero Waste Life.
Find out about each of the holiday hacks here.
[1] “Aussies splurge $11b on Christmas Shopping”, Commonwealth Bank, 4 December 2017, https://www.commbank.com.au/guidance/newsroom/aussies-splurge-11b-on-christmas-shopping-201712.html.