Top 5 Tips For An Eco-Friendly Christmas

Christmas, I think we can all agree, is a time of joy and excess, but at a time where we are all trying to reduce our impact on the environment we want to show you how you can have your Christmas cake and eat it – reducing our impact on the planet.

1). GO COLD TURKEY

Turn your focus away from the turkey and ham this year and look to our veggie friends for inspiration. Low carbon vegetables include potatoes, leeks, cauliflowers and turnips, all completely delicious (Find out more about low carbon veg). By reducing the amount of meat on the table you will help to reduce your land, water and carbon impact. You could try Roasted Cauliflower as your table centrepiece instead of the traditional dishes.

2). TURN THE HEATING DOWN 2 DEGREES AND KEEP THAT UGLY CHRISTMAS JUMPER ON

Just after a cold sunrise, look on your roof, if the ice has melted, your home probably isn't very well insulated. You could make it your New Year’s resolution to better insulate your home? It will save you money and have a positive impact on your environmental footprint.

3). REDUCE YOUR WASTE

Only buy what you need, use any leftover food for sandwiches or blend leftover vegetables into a soup. According to Greenpeace, on Christmas day we get through 10 million turkeys in the UK, so make use of any leftovers you have. During the festive period we produce 30% more waste than we usually do in the UK. Each year 227,000 miles of wrapping paper is thrown away (a), an easy solution to resolve this is using recyclable paper, that has no plastic or foil linings. Keep tags and ribbons for next year - it’ll make your presents look more eclectic too!

4). DECK THE HALLS WITH BELLS AND HOLLY

Rather than buying and throwing away plastic tinsel and hanging decorations every year, try to buy decorations that will last year-upon-year and breakdown much easier than plastic, such as wooden ornaments and fabric bunting. Use branches from the garden such as holly, yew and other pretty evergreen plants.

5). GET THE MONOPOLY OUT

Switch off the internet and tune in to family time, performing 2 Google searches from a desktop "can generate about the same carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle" (so we don't recommend cheating on the family quiz either).

FINALLY, SWITCH TO A SUSTAINABLE DOG FOOD

Help your dog do their bit for the environment too, the pet industry is responsible for over 64 million tons of carbon dioxide each year and now is the perfect time of year to get in Santa’s good books! Switching to Yora will reduce your dog’s water and land consumption as well as carbon emissions by more than (70%).

Remember, Christmas is meant to be fun so get creative and enjoy thinking of new traditions. Merry (eco) Christmas and have a sustainable New Year from all of us at Yora Pet Foods.