Did you know that the UK uses an estimated 227,000 miles worth of wrapping paper a year? Or that during the festive season, roughly 42 million plates of food are thrown away in the UK each year? 

With the holiday season fast approaching, it is important to be reminded of how we can be more sustainable over the festive period. Here are a few things you can do both at home and at work to make your holiday season more environmentally friendly.

1. Switch-off!

Though LED Christmas lights have been proven to be more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, we all have a part to play in remembering to switch off to conserve energy. Remembering to switch off lights and non-essential appliances when not in use is good practice all throughout the year. With more electricity being used up during the festive period, however, it is a good time to start embedding those sustainable habits and hopefully carry them over into the new year!

2. Gifting Sustainably

Buying second hand, gifting an experience and prioritizing quality over quantity are guaranteed ways to ensure you are sustainably gifting.

3. Upcycling Decorations

Instead of purchasing new decorations this holiday season, why not try your hand at upcycling something? Upcycling is a fantastic way to use up materials that might otherwise be discarded. Last year, staff and students at The University of Manchester participated in a mindful Christmas crafting workshop and made decorations from of out of use University merchandise and other scrap fabric. Tutorials for crafts such as these can be found all over the internet and are not only a great way to minimize waste but also provide an interactive festive activity. 

The festive season is famously waste-heavy, and with so much buying, wrapping and consuming happening in such a short space of time, it’s a powerful reminder that sustainability is for life – not just for the holidays.