We wish you a merry Christmas – and a zero waste one!
Christmas is here!
Religious or not, for many Europeans this is the most magical time of the year. Our cities lighten up with decorations and resound with festive songs, the air smells like mulled wine, and people get together to celebrate with their loved ones. For those among us who live away from family and friends, the Christmas break is an even more unique opportunity to reconnect and be together. For the very same reasons, though, the Christmas period can also put a lot of pressure on us, and generate quite some stress – as well as a lot of waste.
How can we make the most out of Christmas, keeping the excitement and the joy of reconnection while leaving aside the mental load and the wasteful practices? To answer this question we teamed up with our network, and we put together an advent calendar building up to Christmas 2018 with weekly tips to make it a zero waste one. Today we can relive it all together. Are you ready to get inspired?
4 weeks to Christmas: Zero Waste Austria’s zero waste presents
Presents can be a lovely display of care and affection, but the pressure to find the right gift for everyone in a limited amount of time can result into spending a lot of money and energy to buy something which is not meaningful. Our members at Zero Waste Austria put together a list of sustainable alternatives: from unique local handicrafts that support the local economy to stylish zero waste items to enjoy a more conscious lifestyle, from vintage articles awaiting for a new life to do-it-yourself ideas and recipes, the perfect zero waste gift is at hand!
Christmas is coming! Stay tuned for a weekly advent calendar with useful tips to make it a #ZeroWaste Christmas.? Zero Waste Austria tells us about presents: you don’t need to buy them, make them is funnier and more sustainable. ? @greenpeace #makesmthng https://t.co/6yAOWSB6uP pic.twitter.com/JnMP3cwQL3
— Zero Waste Europe (@zerowasteeurope) December 1, 2018
3 weeks to Christmas: ZERO’s tips for a plastic-free one
Plastic has been the hottest environmental topic this year, as we got increasingly aware of the impact this ubiquitous material has not only on our natural environment, but also on our health. If switching to a responsible use of plastics is challenging in our everyday life, it is even more so around Christmas, but fear not: our Portuguese friends at ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável come to the rescue, with alternative solutions for decorations, gifts and food packaging to help you break free from plastic this Christmas!
3 weeks to #Christmas, and our zero waste #AdventCalendar continues.
Dreaming of a #plasticfree Christmas, but don't know where to start?@ZEROasts has plenty of tips for you! ????https://t.co/gAvxnfYiUF#breakfreefromplastic #rethinkplastic #zerowaste #ZWEnetwork pic.twitter.com/N2USB8Oa3w— Zero Waste Europe (@zerowasteeurope) December 8, 2018
2 weeks to Christmas: Zero Waste North West’s gift of time
One of the best way to show love and appreciation is actually giving your time, because – as our friends at Zero Waste North West remind us – when you do so, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back. Offering your time and full attention to a loved one costs nothing, and at the same time it is so valuable, particularly in the fast paced, chaotic society we live in. As we slow down a bit and have more time for each other, the Christmas break is a perfect opportunity to remind ourselves of the magic of spending time with others, and to value it as much as something you can buy in the shop.
Are you still looking for Christmas gifts ideas? Sometimes things are easier than we think and the best gifts are the simplest ones, like the gift of time! ⏰ Read our latest blog by Zero Waste North West for ideas on #ZeroWaste holidays. ?https://t.co/4e4KNQ6gPC pic.twitter.com/YC6EU7WNTT
— Zero Waste Europe (@zerowasteeurope) December 15, 2018
1 weeks to Christmas: Zero Waste Slovenia’s recipe for zero food waste
For many of us, Christmas is synonymous with loads of delicious, home made food – but it is also a time when a lot of left over food ends up in the bin. How can we enjoy a tasty Christmas while cutting down on food wastage? Letting go of the pressure, planning your meals and reusing or donating leftovers are just some of the ingredients proposed by our members at Ekologi Brez Meja & Zero Waste Slovenia to make your Christmas celebrations food waste free!
#Christmas2018 is only 2 days away!
Are you planning a family dinner tomorrow night, or are you rather gathering for #Christmas lunch – or maybe both?
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Check out @ocistimo's recipe for tasty celebration with no #foodwaste!#ZWEnetworkhttps://t.co/XQ3ShommW1 pic.twitter.com/2xjQ26zrp8— Zero Waste Europe (@zerowasteeurope) December 23, 2018
Best wishes from your ZWE team!
We hope you enjoyed our advent calendar, and that it gave you some inspiration for these Christmas celebrations – of for the next ones. A totally zero waste Christmas may seem impossible to achieve, but this doesn’t really matter because, as we like to say within our ZWE network, “zero waste is a journey, not a destination”. Every action counts, and the more we share it, the more it is amplified. Therefore, our sincerest wish this Christmas is: make it count, talk about it, and remember it is all about love!JTVCc3RhcmJveCU1RA==
