2019 is almost over with fairly positive records; many people in Italy drew their attention to woods and forests’ ecosystems. Moreover, WWF developed a list of tips in order to decrease pollution and (plastic) waste during the Christmas festivities.
It’s already December and the Christmastime has officially begun. The “season-to-be-jolly” is usually a time of excess and over-consumption. 2019 has been a crucial year concerning plastic waste awareness, marine pollution, climate change and environmental catastrophes. Then, why not making sustainable choices during this “most wonderful time”?
For Christmas 2019, FSC – Forest Stewardship Council, the international certification system – reminds us that the festivities can be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate through small gestures, one’s commitment to protect the very basic environmental heritage: woods and forests. Here are FSC’s certified suggestions of good actions to be true friends of the forests during the Christmastime.
- Tek brushes and combs are made of sustainable ash wood, which is 100% FSC certified;
- Plant a tree; WOWNature is a project promoted by Etifor - a spin-off of Padua University - which allows you to buy and plant your own tree by choosing between different green areas, in Italy and worldwide;
- Ikea brings again in Italy the initiative that allows customers to return their fir wood Christmas tree contributing to support one (or more) project(s) in forest areas. For each fir tree returned, Ikea will contribute with two euros to build a redevelopment project within a FSC certified forest area.
Moreover, WWF wrote a list of tips to dress up the Christmas tree and deck the halls sustainably, still having beautiful lights and ornaments:
Lights and decorations
- Design your own wreath using native greenery or edible herbs;
- Buy ethical and Fairtrade decorations;
- Use solar-powered Christmas lights or switch to LED lighting.
Gifts
- Symbolically adopt an animal for a loved one;
- Shop for ethical, recycled and sustainable presents;
- Avoid buying plastic toys and choose eco-friendly toys instead.
Cards and wrapping
- Send an e-card instead of a paper one;
- Look for greeting cards with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label;
- Re-use old wrapping paper, recycled paper, newspapers, magazines and fabrics;
- Use brown paper tape instead of plastic wrap.
WWF take-home message is “stop wasting”. The World Wide Fund for Nature asks to avoid disposable plastic dishes – otherwise, use bioplastic, paper or bamboo ones. This is the chance to change habits on the road to lessening our own environmental footprints before the end of the 21st century's second decade.
