Everything good and eco-friendly you can do in this period

Christmas is just around the corner and the anticipation is, as usual, feverish, warm, spasmodic. A suspense that, with a little extra care, can also manifest itself as an eco-friendly and sustainable form of time. Here is a collection of small gestures that, if shared, can make a big difference.
“Time is relative; its only value is given by what we do while it is passing.” (Albert Einstein)
We are all well aware of the consequences of the coming holidays in terms of consumption. From the table and gifts to decorations. Christmas is the final act of the year which very often also marks the last acceleration and surge in consumption and waste. It’s a bit like the last straight of a track, where almost everyone likes to press the accelerator to make a good impression.
In this article, we will see how you can also make a good impression with original and alternative ideas in the name of the environment. Let’s start with the presents. Don’t tell us we are late, we challenge anyone who has already completed the process.
If you are still missing out on the last few gifts, please take note of these tips: do you want to give an item of clothing as a present? Choose sustainable producers, small businesses and long-lasting craft products. There are also interesting solidarity purchasing groups around us.
Many companies and cooperatives generate yarn from regenerated textile materials and fibres, and flea markets offer affordable solutions.
Useful options for packaging too: the cardboard box is the light bulb that can be switched on in each of us. Unleashing our creativity can be a wonderful gesture, certainly an object and a source of appreciation and recognition in the receiver. Christmas decorations and designs can be used to tailor the packaging to the person for whom it is destined. Cardboard that can also be reinvented into a card on which to write and dedicate a few words of affection and closeness.
Even paper bags can become a real self-made wrapping paper.

Old textiles such as unused shirts can provide originality and a vintage style to the package. And again, white tissue paper for cut-outs and made-to-measure bags to hold our thoughts elegantly.
This and much more is covered in the valuable Vademecum by Legambiente (created as part of the “ECCO: Circular Economies of the Community for Environmental, Social and Cultural Regeneration” project) and Comieco, the Consortium for the Recycling and Recovery of Cellulose-based Packaging. Initiatives that advise and engage us on various aspects.
The fake Christmas tree is only an environmentally friendly alternative if it is used for many years. It takes 23 kilos of carbon dioxide to produce one, not to mention the associated disposal difficulties. An alternative? Choose to rent it or buy a real one if we have the will and the possibility to replant it. Ensuring circularity is the basis of sustainability.
We decorate with natural materials such as wood, raffia, string or pasta. LED or low-energy lights do not require much investment. Balls damaged by impact with the ground can be replaced with decorations made of recycled paper and cardboard.
Centrepieces, place cards and garlands can decorate our interiors with zero impact if we choose wood and twine. A fragrant garland, for example, made from orange peels can be put together in three simple steps: cut little stars out of the peels and leave them to dry. Weave in a woollen thread and put our decoration together.
The last reflections focus on behaviour that goes far beyond the limited festive period. Good waste separation and the reduction of food waste are moral duties that none of us can avoid any longer.
Happy Green Holidays to all!