12/12/2018
6 ideas for a more sustainable Christmas with Ursula Wanderer Studio and Es Florencia
Christmas, although it is a religious celebration, has become a tradition that is celebrated all over the world, bringing together family and friends around food, music and festivities. December is expected to be a time full of joy and solidarity; However, for many people, it ends up being a season of excess, debt and anxiety.
In the 19th century, the tradition of exchanging gifts became popular ... and we all like to receive gifts! The problem is that this was transformed into a consumer race and now, thanks to marketing campaigns, advertising and social networks, we seem to be convinced that there is no other way to celebrate Christmas apart from buying, buying and buying...
This has turned December into a month of excess. It is the time most expected by the merchants, more exploited by advertisers and more feared by the planet. There are many alternatives that do not require you to be indebted to the neck or spend hours in a mall.
That's why today I bring you six ideas for a more sustainable Christmas:
1. Experiences instead of objects. Experiences are much more valuable than objects, and they leave learning and memories that do not end up in the trash. Remember that affection is demonstrated not only with material things. Airbnb is one of the many platforms that offer experiences instead of gifts, such as a pottery class or personal image consultancy.
2. Watch what happens in the kitchen. The waste of food is a huge social, economic and environmental problem, and in these times it intensifies. Check the quantities well so you do not cook more than what you are going to eat, and store and take advantage of the excess items, so that they do not end up in the trash.
3. Do not flood your celebration with disposable decorations. Plastic decorations with a Christmas themes generate tons of garbage. One idea is to decorate your table and your spaces with live seasonal plants. The final effect is very elegant and chic.
4. Reduce your environmental footprint by packing gifts. You can deliver them with packages that have a useful life after the gift (boxes of wood, tin or cardboard that can be used to store things, beautiful baskets that turn into fruit baskets or that serve to store yarn or wool or work materials). The gift paper has a very short life and a very large environmental impact.
5. Check the origin of the gifts you want to give.
Choose things that have had responsible and sustainable production. Online shopping platforms such as ASOS and Zalando have a filter to select only ethical and sustainable garments.
6. Cards made by you: business cards create a lot of garbage and are very impersonal. In contrast, homemade cards have a lot of potential and value. You can create cards with photos, create collages or paint them yourself. PersonallyI like to paint my cards (for any occasion) with watercolor. The final effect is very delicate and, besides, they can then be framed as small paintings
Cómo convertir la Navidad de pesadilla de gastos a una experiencia sostenible y elegante.