Home And Family

In many Countries and homes Christmas is a time of avarice, greed, overspending, overeating and just pure over indulgence. Not only do we eat too much food, but we munch our way through the planets resource at a rate greater than any other time of the year.

Think about it, wrapping paper, Christmas cards and gift boxes alone this year will be responsible for the untimely demise of even more of the earths precious trees. And that is even before you get started on the actual trees themselves that get chopped down and end up in landfills come January.

The power that we use at Christmas to brighten up our houses and gardens could run some of the poorer countries national grid systems.

But there are some things you can do that will not take from your need to over indulge that might be kinder to the planet you want to live for a little longer.

Stop it with the Christmas card tradition. Come on, send an email, send an e card, call around and say happy Christmas or just use one of the social networks that you or your children are on and send out your greetings without slaying another tree.

Do not gift wrap your presents. If you have to, get recycled and recyclable paper, preferably from a charity shop and while you are there, consider buying some gifts too.

Now, one of the easiest ways to help the planet is to take advantage of one of it’s freely available, under utilized, yet most wonderful and powerful resources. In case you have not figured it out yet, I am talking about solar power.

One of the most common misconceptions about solar power is that you have to be in a warm country, or in a hot summer season to harness the power of the sun. Maybe it’s not a misconception but rather an excuse.

Well solar power means power from the sun. It does not mean ‘power from the sun only in hot climates’ or the endless variations that people come up with. Where there is sun, as in daylight, there can be solar power.

So it is probably a bit late to be designing your entire Christmas around building your own solar power station in your garden. But if you are that way inclined please do not be put off by this author. However, for the lesser mortals amongst us who are looking to offset some of their carbon emissions and assuage their environmental consciences then try a little solar.

Solar lighting can be used both indoors and outdoors. In fact there is something lovely about enjoying your outdoor Christmas lights, with the superior feeling that comes from knowing you can tell your children, family and friends that your outdoor light display is carbon neutral.