Make it a 'green' Christmas this year

Ever wondered what it means to celebrate Christmas in an eco-friendly manner? Devoid of all the plastic baubles, gift wrappers and incandescent lights, Christmas is nevertheless bound to feel the same. A colourful wrapping paper may look innocuous, but, most people are unaware that after every Christmas, tonnes of such paper end up in landfills, harming the environment. "During any festive season, the amount of waste, whether food, recyclable or municipal, increases," Galia Rizk, PR and communication manager at environmental solutions provider Averda, told Gulf News yesterday. Averda International operates in the Middle East and North Africa, and specialises in integrated waste and resource management. Highlights Highlighting several simple steps to go green this Christmas, Galia insists every community must do its share to lower the waste it generates this festive season.     Avoid gift wrapping with paper. Silk scarves can, instead, be a beautiful substitute.     If you insist on using paper, then choose biodegradable or recycled gift wrap instead.     Buying locally made gifts not only helps the local community, but also helps minimise the carbon footprint involved in shipping the goods.     Choose gifts made from recycled materials.     Why not gift a card, which involves significantly less paper wastage than involved in wrapping a gift?     Swap your incandescent Christmas tree lights for LED (light emitting diode) ones.     They last up to 100,000 hours on your Christmas tree and use less energy than small tree lights and traditional bulbs. That is money and electricity saved.     Turn off your tree lights when you are not around at home. Apart from saving energy, it is also possible to prevent a fire risk.     Try to dress up the tree using only recycled, upcycled, organic or compostable products.     Use products at home to decorate the tree. They can be made from papier mache (made from old newspaper/paper products), salt dough (bio-degradable), or even slices of dried fruit (such as oranges) or popcorn strung together. These products are organic and easily composted after Christmas.