Christmas in harmony with nature: this is how you protect the environment!

Christmas in harmony with nature: this is how you protect the environment!

Greenpeace Austria has proposed a controversial alternative to the traditional Christmas tree to mark the upcoming holidays. The organization emphasizes that the mass production of Christmas trees causes long-term damage to forests because it is based on vast monocultures that require fertilizers and pesticides. Not only do these practices strengthen the long-overdue fight against the climate crisis, but the subsequent burning of Christmas trees also releases the stored CO2. Instead of a traditional tree, Greenpeace suggests using Christmas houseplants and using sustainable wall decorations. Environmental protection is therefore not just a matter of course, but is increasingly being brought into the social debate vol.at reported.

Christmas time and environmental awareness

In addition, the organization called on people to give gifts not only in the form of materials, but above all in the form of time, and points to a survey by “Yougov” that shows that over half of 18 to 44 year olds are dissatisfied with traditional gifts. Greenpeace argues that giving up consumer goods not only reduces the ecological footprint, but also benefits the environment, as the production and use of consumer goods causes a significant proportion of climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions from households. In addition, attention is drawn to the massive waste of resources during the holidays, especially through packaging waste and returns of online orders, which cause high CO2 emissions, as is also the case in this context Wikipedia.de is discussed.

In this context, it is also recommended to use creative alternatives for gifts, for example by favoring second-hand products and avoiding paper waste. Greenpeace made it clear that a ton of paper requires as much energy to produce as a ton of steel, further illustrating the environmental impact of gift packaging. To protect the environment, it is advisable to wrap gifts with reusable materials and textiles and travel in an environmentally conscious manner to avoid traffic congestion. The message is clear: everyone can actively contribute to reducing their ecological footprint, especially at a time when environmental issues are coming into focus.