Tips for an eco-friendly Christmas and New Year

December is here and the holiday and Christmas atmosphere is in full swing: celebrations with coworkers, end-of-year celebrations at schools and universities, and family reunions.

Where we will celebrate, who will be invited, what we will dress like and what menu we will choose for food and drinks are some of the main questions. However, most of the time we forget that when planning our events it is ESSENTIAL to think about how to reduce the impact we have on the environment. 

According to Acción Ecológica, during the Christmas celebrations, the garbage we produce daily doubles and 80% of this garbage is not organic.

Now, from BallenitaSi Online we give you some simple ideas to make our celebrations more friendly to the planet.

-Don't buy cards to make the invitations: Although you can make them with recycled paper, nowadays a very good option is to spread the word about events by email or social networks like Facebook or Twitter. Not only will we save paper, but everyone will find out about your party quickly and easily. You can also reuse cards and wrapping paper.

-Outdoor activities program: These activities are very interesting because we will enjoy nature, planning our events outdoors we can save energy by taking advantage of sunlight.

-Let's decorate with materials we already have at home: It is possible to make decorations without having to buy anything. Garlands with newspapers or magazines, recycled paper cards, centerpieces with ReciclArte works, are some examples.

-The menu can be made with seasonal and locally produced foods: This represents a shorter journey, less transportation and less emission of polluting gases into the atmosphere.

-Reduce waste: Your party can generate a lot of waste, so you need to reduce it by shopping with a reusable bag, not consuming unnecessary products and separating waste once the event is over.

–Prepare your own memories: Use your imagination, search on the internet and create crafts. Your creations can be wrapped in newspaper, magazines or fabrics that you have at home.

-Christmas lighting: Don't waste energy by using excessive lights, the party can be just as beautiful without so many lamps. Prefer LED lighting, which consumes much less than other types of lights.