Christmas is finally here and we are all about to head out of the office to start our festivities! Before you do make sure you read our all-important tips for having a greener Christmas:
1. Leaving the office
Before heading out of the office for your Christmas break today don’t forget to do a final sweep of your office and switch off all electronic equipment. Turning computers and monitors off at night can save a whopping £35 a year per desk! So make sure you have systems in place to ensure no energy is wasted over the holiday period, like a last-one-out checklist, or signs to remind everyone to switch off.
2. Energy at home
You’ll be using a lot more energy at this time of year, with Christmas lights, music and TVs on for more hours than usual. So when you’re not using your electronic appliances make a conscious effort to switch everything off! You’ll be saving the planet and saving money on your energy bills. You could also switch to LED lights to save yourself up to 90% or more on power costs.
3. Waste less!
It’s especially important at Christmas time to try and minimise waste, with most of us wasting more at Christmas than we do the rest of the year. There will be a lot more unusual items to look out for and remember to dispose of properly – like your Christmas tree! If you’ve got an artificial tree – well done, you can sip smugly on your mulled wine and when it’s all over store it away safely for next year and reuse it again. If you have bought a real tree, make sure to check if it can be recycled in your local area along with garden waste – if not make sure to take it to your local household waste and recycling centre.
4. Transport
Heading home for Christmas? Try and combine your journey with someone heading the same way or use a sustainable form of public transport when you can, such as a train over a plane when the distance isn’t too far. Shopping trips are also journeys that can be combined. So to reduce cars on the road, why not check with your family or friends to see if you can tackle the dreaded last minute Christmas dash around the shops together.
5. Gifts
Positive purchasing is something we can all think about when buying gifts. Check the products you are buying to see if they are sustainably sourced, Fairtrade or carbon neutral so you can minimise your impact on the environment. Most importantly – buy gifts that last and don’t buy into our break, replace, fast-fashion culture! All that’s left to say from us is have a merry, sustainable Christmas and we’ll be back in the New Year with some much-needed wellbeing tips! The Jump Team
