An eco-friendly Christmas

Here in Fandis we pay much attention to energy saving and respect for the environment, but … it seems impossible to speak about holidays without thinking about consumption and waste. An eco-friendly Christmas is possible? With these little tips, you will make a gift to the planet too!

• Tree: better real! Yes, a real tree, complete with its roots, can be replanted, in a garden or in a wood. Some greenhouses are also willing to take it back after the holidays! Choose those grown from a local producer, to further reduce the environmental impact. A synthetic tree, however, is made from non-recyclable plastic and metal, and for production and transportation, to get it in your houses, it enters into the environment no less than 23 kg of CO2! If you just cannot handle it, make sure that it will stays with you at least 10 years!
• Decorations: as for the tree, avoid the plastic that cannot be recycled and turn on natural materials: pine cones, wood, nut shells, dried fruit. It could also become a nice tradition to create every year your personal ecological and homemade decorations!
• Lights for indoor use: well, we produce a series of low-power LED lamps for switchboards, so it’s very easy to advise you to abandon old lights! According to Greenpeace, the energy dissipated from Christmas lighting could cover the electricity consumption of a city of 1 million inhabitants in the rush hour. LED lamps, however, allow you to save up to 80% energy. Moreover, in recent years, manufacturers offer them in different shades, from the cool to the warm light, up to colored ones. In short, you have no more excuses!
• Lights for outdoor use: for the outside, however, besides recommendations above, it would be the top to purchase a set of solar lights equipped with a small photovoltaic panel. Without any electrical outlet, they just activate when it gets dark and stay on up to 8-10 hours. Alternatively, you will find on the market small timers to stick directly to the socket, so as to set automatic turning on, but above all the turning off.
• Gifts: choose a gift and remain sustainable can be easier than you think! Many of purchasing groups agree with to local or biological producers and put together the ingredients to build up mouth-watering Christmas baskets. Or, we find wonderful the idea of Treedom: through the site, you can give away or planting a tree at a distance and follow him online. From its foundation, they support the planting of more than 280,000 trees around the world by local farmers, helping to produce environmental, social and economic benefits.
• On the table: you know how much of the holidays you spend eating! Try to find local or organic producer, seasonal, they will be able to satisfy even the most discerning taste! Also, try to optimize the cooking of foods, using the oven only once, or by exploiting the steam bunk cooking.

And you, what tricks do you have for your zero waste holidays?
Best wishes from Fandis!