The Earth-Lovers Guide To Hosting- Festive Season Edition


It’s the most wonderful time of the year, except when it comes to the planet. While Christmas is filled with joy for many of us - family and friends coming together, cooking up feasts, gifting those we love - it can also be a not-so-great time for the environment. We ran through ways that Christmas gifting can impact our globe a couple of weeks ago - now it’s time to think about the event itself. The good news? It’s absolutely possible to celebrate Christmas waste-free, if you’re clever about it!


Forage for decorations

Tinsel, fairy lights and baubles might be synonymous with Christmas, but they are also on a one-way ticket to landfill. Think about how often you bin broken lights, ratty wreaths and decorations that have passed their prime? Instead, think about using natural items for decor - better yet, look to your own backyard. Native Australian plants can look wonderful as table runners, or fill small jars with different flowers from your garden. Making a Christmas wreath from greenery such as rosemary, gum leaves or other hardy leaves you can find isn’t as hard as you think - a quick Google brings up a multitude of DIY options, from elaborate to damn easy. If you want to go the traditional tree decorating route, consider decorations that last, like ones made of wood, glass and other durable, natural materials.


Forage for decorations

Tinsel, fairy lights and baubles might be synonymous with Christmas, but they are also on a one-way ticket to landfill. Think about how often you bin broken lights, ratty wreaths and decorations that have passed their prime? Instead, think about using natural items for decor - better yet, look to your own backyard. Native Australian plants can look wonderful as table runners, or fill small jars with different flowers from your garden. Making a Christmas wreath from greenery such as rosemary, gum leaves or other hardy leaves you can find isn’t as hard as you think - a quick Google brings up a multitude of DIY options, from elaborate to damn easy. If you want to go the traditional tree decorating route, consider decorations that last, like ones made of wood, glass and other durable, natural materials.



Make your own crackers

One of the worst culprits for waste is Christmas crackers. It’s difficult to find ones with genuinely useful gifts inside, and when you do, they’re usually pretty expensive. The great news is, they’re super easy to make yourself. All you need is some old toilet rolls, wrapping paper (go for uncoated so it can be recycled!) and twine. Oh, and whatever you’d like to put inside. You can find cracker snaps online, or just… don’t have them crack! It’s not totally necessary. Some ideas for inside? Lollies, vintage badges, positive affirmation notes, cookie cutters - the list is as endless as your imagination. You can also find tiny cracker toys online - the beauty is, you get to pick which ones.

 

Know your disposables

You might think paper plates are recyclable, but in actual fact many are coated and therefore have to go to landfill. If you’re hosting a big, rambling Christmas lunch and need to use cutlery, plates and cups that you can bin, aim to purchase eco-friendly. These palm leaf plates for example might be on the more expensive side, but they’re also durable and can be reused, depending on how dirty they get. These cups are made of sugarcane, meaning they’re biodegradable. You’ll find plenty of other ingenious options on the internet - just have a read about whether the disposables you’re buying are
recyclable or biodegradable.



Know your disposables

You might think paper plates are recyclable, but in actual fact many are coated and therefore have to go to landfill. If you’re hosting a big, rambling Christmas lunch and need to use cutlery, plates and cups that you can bin, aim to purchase eco-friendly. These palm leaf plates for example might be on the more expensive side, but they’re also durable and can be reused, depending on how dirty they get. These cups are made of sugarcane, meaning they’re biodegradable. You’ll find plenty of other ingenious options on the internet - just have a read about whether the disposables you’re buying are recyclable or biodegradable.


Pick plant-based

For many families, Christmas isn’t the same without a ham or a turkey. But given meat counts for 60 per cent of greenhouse gases from food production, removing or limiting it from the big Chrissy lunch is one of the best things you can do for eco-friendliness. Even if you can’t go meat-free for your big celebration, there are ways to be more plant-based. For example, pick just one meat and make plenty of veggie side dishes. Opt out dairy where possible for alternatives like oil, coconut-based products and vegan options. If you’re committing, this nut roast is delicious, has the same table-centrepiece feel of a meat dish and will be a hit even with meat-lovers.

 

Pick plant-based

For many families, Christmas isn’t the same without a ham or a turkey. But given meat counts for 60 per cent of greenhouse gases from food production, removing or limiting it from the big Chrissy lunch is one of the best things you can do for eco-friendliness. Even if you can’t go meat-free for your big celebration, there are ways to be more plant-based. For example, pick just one meat and make plenty of veggie side dishes. Opt out dairy where possible for alternatives like oil, coconut-based products and vegan options. If you’re committing, this nut roast is delicious, has the same table-centrepiece feel of a meat dish and will be a hit even with meat-lovers.

 

Plan your shopping
 
When it comes to Christmas meals, it’s hard to limit yourself. There will almost always be leftovers, and that’s okay - there are plenty of clever recipes online that can repurpose these into new meals. However, one area where we often accidentally create waste is the food prep shop. Going in without exact measurements you need leads to over-buying, and that leads to expired products, excess plastic and glass to throw out - not to mention a waste of money! The trick? Write out all your ingredients and the exact amount you need. Add same-ingredients together (eg: if you need 200g of butter for pudding and 125g for the turkey, you need 325g all up) and then check on what you already have - so often we forget to do this step and wind up buying way more than we needed to! Shop early to avoid crowds (and panic) so you stick to the list and don’t get swayed by what everyone else is grabbing. And, of course, don’t forget your reusable bags!
 

Plan your shopping
 
When it comes to Christmas meals, it’s hard to limit yourself. There will almost always be leftovers, and that’s okay - there are plenty of clever recipes online that can repurpose these into new meals. However, one area where we often accidentally create waste is the food prep shop. Going in without exact measurements you need leads to over-buying, and that leads to expired products, excess plastic and glass to throw out - not to mention a waste of money! The trick? Write out all your ingredients and the exact amount you need. Add same-ingredients together (eg: if you need 200g of butter for pudding and 125g for the turkey, you need 325g all up) and then check on what you already have - so often we forget to do this step and wind up buying way more than we needed to! Shop early to avoid crowds (and panic) so you stick to the list and don’t get swayed by what everyone else is grabbing. And, of course, don’t forget your reusable bags!