Submitted by Grainne Kennedy on Fri, 2016-11-25 13:09
The festive season is upon us and here at Environment and Energy we have been thinking about how we can make our Christmas’ as green as possible and we’d like to share some of our tips with you.
‘Driving home for Christmas’ – a great song, but not always the best travel option
Wherever your journey takes you this Christmas, there are lots of ways you can reduce the impact of your trip. Why not register your journey on the University’s Liftshare account? Or if you are travelling to the airport consider travelling with a cab company that will match your journey with other customers to save money and carbon emissions.
We can sometimes forget the impact our journeys have but with 13% of the average Britons' carbon footprint arising from travel, a little thought could make a big impact. The information below provides a comparison of carbon emissions by travel mode.
| Ferry - Foot passenger | Coach | Train - UK journeys | Short Haul Flight | Car - Single Occupancy | Internal flight in the UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.031 | 0.046 | 0.079 | 0.266 | 0.285 | 0.488 |
Source: www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-f...
Standby – the silent energy guzzler!
Be sure to switch all appliances off at the plug before you go. Items left on standby over the holidays can use as much as 20% of the energy the appliance would use if it was switched on!
Food, glorious food!
We tend to go overboard with food purchasing at Christmas and a lot of food can go to waste. Why not avoid waste this year by getting more creative with the ingredients you have remaining? A fun way to do this is to run a series of ‘Ready, Steady, Cook!’ challenges to see who can create the tastiest meal. For some inspiration, check out these recipes.
You can also consider sustainability when you purchase food. Just like the University Catering Service, you can choose foods that have a reduced environmental impact, such as; opting for non-ruminant meats, picking Fairtrade-certified foods, or preferring locally-sourced ones.
Giving unwanted items a new life
Tidying up after Christmas can be a bit of a hassle but it can also be an opportunity to declutter. If you do decide to get rid of some items why not give them a scond life through one of the many city centre charity shops; a number of which you'll find on Burleigh Street.
Christmas presents or presence?
There is a lot of ‘stuff’ that we can buy for the ones we love but as schmaltzy as it sounds, experiences rather than gifts may be appreciated more and won't cost the earth; both in a figurative and literal sense!
We are all aware of how the energy we use contributes to our carbon footprint but we may not consider the impact of the items that we buy. It’s easy to feel disconnected from the production process but the production of goods is one of the major sources of carbon emissions today. So try something new this year; dedicate to spending time with someone doing what they love or donate to their favourite charity on their behalf. The list of things you can do is endless, have fun!
If you have any ideas as to how we can make the festive season more sustainable please tweet us or contact us via Facebook.