I am no sustainability expert, and everything I share is something I have learned for myself, which means learning how we can be more sustainable is within reach of any of us.

Christmas is one of the times of year we love in this house, so we also try to make the festivities a little more sustainable. Even so, we tend to put certain daily habits aside at this time of year, because it lends itself to being distracted, or because we want “less work”… but the truth is that being more sustainable over Christmas is very simple.

So here are a few tips

  1. Cook sensibly:
    Do not prepare too much food for your Christmas dinner. To avoid waste, make a shopping list, avoid packaged things, and remember there is always pudding, so you need to leave room for it. And before I forget… give priority to Portuguese and regional produce!
  2. Sorting the rubbish:
    It costs nothing, and with the family helping it costs even less. It becomes a fun moment for everyone. On days like these there is always plastic, glass and cardboard packaging… and the truth is it is very easy to separate, there is no getting around it. And reuse whatever you can, such as wrapping paper and boxes.
    Another tip: cooking oil can be recycled, you just need to find the nearest appropriate collection point.
  3. Reused wrapping:
    I have been collecting boxes since October 😅, all the ones I think might be useful for wrapping something (the rest I put out for recycling). The bags in this house are fabric, because I am lucky enough to have a mum who makes them… and because of that my family is starting to accumulate cloth bags, which end up having all sorts of uses.
    If that is not the solution for you, I bet you have plenty of bags from your shopping that you could use.