10 sustainable habits for winter / *staying zero waste during overconsumption season*
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
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My family has a unique Xmas tree tradition that is relatively sustainable by default: the Christmas Ficus. We have a potted ficus that lives in a pot indoors; during the Christmas season it gets decorated, and then it goes back to being a normal house plant for the rest of the year!
That’s so fun!
My family buys real Christmas trees every year but we keep them for fires. I think there are like 4 or 5 dead trees to cut up and burn in the garden
Our fam does the same only its a Norfolk island pine :)
We have bought living potted trees that we have then planned in the spring. Of course it’s only an option if you have access to land where you can plant trees, and it requires giving the tree alive until you can plant it. But if you do have that possibility then it’s an option worth considering.
A couple of years ago I was gifted dry cookie mix ingredients layered in a recycled glass milk bottle with the printed recipe stuck on it, I loved the idea so much that I kept the bottle, because I plan to do the same for someone else, with a new recipe!
We did that one year but with soup mix
Not raking leaves is one of my favorite sustainable habits.
Same! It will attract invertebrates allowing them to hibernate
Two ideas!
Number one is regarding leaves: while it is always better to leave them to rot, they get very slick in that process, and in some areas the slickness creates a walking hazard. So if your yard has that problem and no solid walkways, most lawnmowers have a mulching setting which breaks the leaves down just enough to settle lower in the grass, and rot closer to the soil, which helps make it safer to walk on without raking. And you can borrow mowers from people on your local buy nothing group if you don't have one!
The other thing is for wrapping paper: I have saved the packing paper from inside every package we received over the year, folded up in a box, and decorated it with secondhand rubber stamps and an ink pad. That way I'll know for sure that our wrapping paper is recyclable (not every roll sold is), and it'll get more use before being recycled.
A nice alternative of a christmas tree is to not buy a new plastic one every decade. I have my christmas tree since I was 8 and I am 33 now. It still looks brand new :)
We have our plastic tree 20+ years and it is so easy to handle.
same. Ours was very expensive at the time (it's a big tree with "natural looking" branches) but it was worth every cent because it looks amazing and almost new (we are careful when we store it) even after 20 years
my mom bought it precisely because in my country we could only find mediterrranean pines and even these were getting too expensive to buy and throw out after a month (we live in a city so no backyard)
We didn't really decorate the tree for some years, so we gifted it to the neighbours that have 3 kids and we started decorating a dead indoors tree we inherited from another neighbour. It's totally manageable if you just put some thought into how you consume.
Sometimes I try to dress up like Scrooge with pjs, a hoodie, a robe, socks, beanie, and a mug of something hot
Another alternative to turning up the thermostat is purchasing an electric blanket. I know there is a stigma against them for causing fires (the new ones have automatic shut off timers in them to keep you safe), and they are often not made of great fabric materials, but my family has used them for a few years now and they’re amazing at keeping the heating bill down. If you have a solar power set up, they also can be run off of solar energy!
I‘ve got one too and love it. I found it second-hand for only 5 euros, most of their fabric covers are washable anyway.
Could you do an episode on the impact of perfume? I have searched on your channel but could not really find anything about it. Maybe you know a bit more about if there are brands that are more sustainable than others or certain ingredients, stuff like that.
My family needs to use an artificial tree because my brother is allergic to conifers. And my husband I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and usually visit people over Christmas so my Dad made us a wooden tree that is 2 flat pieces that slot together so we can store it flat. I thought that was really thoughtful of him.
I LOVE supporting my local tree farm! They also make wreaths from the sawed-off branches and sell homemade goodies like sweets and breads. Its a while fun experience for my family and I love supporting local! I'm in Michigan so there are no shortage of tree farms! ❤🎄
I live in an apartment complex. Recently, IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM, I snapped a photo of the grounds keeper outside with the leaf blower tryna tidy up the leaves..I will never complain about how pointless my job feels again 😅😅
I hear you on this. I'm in a condo development and the leaf blowers are here constantly, for hours, every week in the fall and winter. The noise alone is enough to make me go crazy. Why can't Ohio ban leaf blowers like California has?!
I've just realized that my monstera plant is so large now that i can probably decorate *that* for Christmas this year....🤔
We have had the same tree for 20 years, no.plan on changing. We also use the same decorations every year, a lot are passed down from our family.
The leaf blowers! Men use them for hours blowing two leaves around!
If you are crafty and like gift wrapping, I have found that many magazines have very aesthetically pleasing food sections where they have really thought about the colors etc, those pages make nice wrapping paper if you don’t want to use just plain newspaper pages
When it's cold at home I love to use a hot silicone water bottle. I just boil the same water over and over again. It's very affordable and it keeps you warm for hours!
We have a neighborhood that planted their Christmas trees and decorate them with lights, ribbons, and food for birds.
getting a second hand christmas tree tomorrow morning. quite happy with my choice :)
In 2020, when we were all having a bad time, I'd wanted to buy my bestie the BTS advent calendar to help her through the holiday, but I just couldn't afford it, lol. So I made her a custom one using an over-the-door shoe hanger in teal (one of her favorite colors) and filled it with a mix of BTS merch, nail polish/tools, candies, and a few other random things. It probably ended up costing me almost as much, but it was quality stuff that she still has, including the shoe organizer!
Leaves: my garden is pretty tiny so no lawn just a brick path between beds. I sweep the path and leave the leaf mulch on the beds. It not only encourages insect, and therefore bird, life but it protects roots and bulbs from sudden cold snaps
To get the most out of our christmas trees I have it inside for about twoo weeks, then I take the decorations down, put the tree outside in front of a door we never use in the winter (and put some lights in it) where it will be for about a month or two, and once it's done there, I either compost it or rent a wood chipper machine and use the chips as garden pathways!
Plus, I live in Sweden and get my trees for free from my in-laws' forrest, so i'm guessing it's a pretty sustainable way!
I help out at my friends tree farm for Christmas and it's super fun, supports a whole family, (three generations work it and the grandparents are retired and bring us goodies while we work). It's less than 5km from my house, very low impact on the soil (the way they do it) and once I'm done there is a habitat restoration group that collects the trees to sink in the wetlands they build to help establish frog habitat. It's and amazing thing I love to do it.
I once gifted an advent calendar from a lego set. I just selected a few steps every day and searched for the right pieces according to the step. You can tell the person what they are building or you let them guess every day what it's going to be. Much better than buying lego Advent calendars with lots of little useless things in them
I’m on my third year of a Where’s Wally advent calendar. Each window originally had chocolate but also ‘quest’ item to find in the main picture. Last year I left it empty and just had fun finding the items, this year I think I’ll add some chocolates to it again.
Every time I see a plant in the trash I take it put in the soil. Then I give pots away for free on a group I'm on.😊
I got all my Xmas decorations from either family hand me downs and I’ve only bought a wreath from a charity shop. Even the fake tree itself was a hand me down we’ve used the decorations and everything for over 4 years now and every year it looks different as we got given so much stuff! It saved us so much money and so much waste.
I cant believe people still buy one off advent calendars. I have a cardboard one (from Ikea 🤔) thats been going strong for 11 years now. My four kids get so excited to see it coming down from the attic.
It's an wider avaible option here to get a christmas tree in a pot. We have one on the balcony now, decorated with christmas lights. It's looking very nice and we don't have to buy a new any time soon
Great idea :) Do you live somewhere that doesn't get too cold? I'm in Ottawa, and a tree's roots would freeze & die here I think.
@@JasmineBrownOttawa in winter it get's cold (like -10°C), but it should survive that
re: recycling christmas trees - the city I grew up in asked residents to donate theirs at the end of the season to the conservation authority so they could be used to make barriers against invasive fish species and protect native wildlife and habitats.
I also put fireplaces on my TV. Love the ambiance of it crackling. I also use one with waves or rain because I live in the dry hot desert of Arizona. It's nice to listen to and watch. I'm not big into decorating for the holidays either. What I do put around the house is typically handmade and natural. I do use led fairy lights. I love soft lighting.
I use a small light up ceramic tree that has been in my family since the 70's. This year, I have added some winter decor that I found at the thrift store. My family and I don't do gifts but I give homemade jam and seasonal baked goods.
We've had our fake Christmas tree for over 25 years and it's still going strong. I have a recipe for a nice mincemeat - no fat or sugar, so good for anyone
Hot water bottles: it's like having a warm cat on your lap, one that won't ditch you when they get bored
I buy a wreath from a local farmer for the fresh greenery and scent. I put up garlands and hang a string of lights and a few ornaments on cabinet knobs or wherever I can find a spot. I like reusing the same decorations, and only decorating a few areas - it’s a way to reduce the labor of holidays.
Home made Christmas cards are a lovely thing to send in place of presents . The fact that they're home made shows you still love and value the recipient but it not only saves on money and waste but removes any social obligation for them to reciprocate with anything more than extensive than a card or a message either
I don't mind layering up in my flat and I don't turn on the heating every day in the Winter. But I'm wfh 8 hrs a day and it is nice to have a warm flat, at times I'd be sitting at my desk with a blanket and hot water bottle. My flat has many outside walls with only 2 flats around and it does get cold in here. And as soon as my cat's ears are cold I know that it's time to turn on the heating at least a little. I do have LED candles here as well and haven't bought real candles for years. Just today I got a soy wax candle which will burn like 50hrs and it's nice to see the flame dancing around the wick. I saw my friend the other day and gave her an early Christmas gift.. which was a former Sauerkraut jar containing gluten, because she wanted to make Seitan for quite a while and I happen to have 5kg of Gluten at home 😂 so I gave her something as well and she was over the moon. No wrapping paper, no nothing... Just a jar.
So glad to see you included leaf blowers! I see the council blow leaves around every year in my city and it's so fustrating because there's no need! Especially on the grass! I think leaves on the ground look much nicer left naturally where they fall and can be left to breakdown into the soil.🍂
Christmas can be definitely a wasteful time of year. The way I have gone around it with Christmas tree. My mom let me use one of her old Christmas trees that we had and since since I was seven years old and all the ornaments on the tree were given to me throughout the years by my parents. So I think Christmas can be very wasteful, but if you reuse certain things over and over again, then it’s better for the environment.
I put leaves in my garden and compost bin and use as free mulch.
I'm so proud of our Christmas tree! Growing up I always had a real tree but when I moved into my own apartment it had a wood stove and that was a no go, so I found a pre lit, perfect height, one at the thrift store and it's been working perfectly! Also I hated stringing lights so pre lit is a huge bonus!!
I don't think I have ever cleared the leaves from my garden. All I do is sweep them off the path,as I need to use the path to get to the compost bin.
I don't decorate for Christmas, send cards or have an advent calendar.
I do wrap gifts, because it is one of the few Christmas things that I enjoy, however I reuse gift wrap and the ribbon.
My family stopped raking and bagging leaves because we're lazy. 😅
I think leaves on thr ground look beautiful
Maple leaves are good to rake into piles, so hedgehogs can make hibernatng nests. Also maple leaves don' t decompose easily and you have to rake your garden in spring, or there will not be lawn. However, trees with smaller leaves can be left. That is just my experience.
I agree, we have a large maple and we tried leaving the leaves in the past and they suffocated all plants under. Instead we use them as mulch to cover our raised garden beds for winter as well as keep some for our vermiculture compost bin.
My partner runs warm and I run cold, it's easier to keep one person warm rather than constantly try to cool one off. So I recommend a heat pack (rice in cotton sock that lost its mate) and putting it under your shirt or blanket, the key to soaking up all that heat pack warmth is to trap it under something that's also keeping your body heat in.
You can look up Kotatsu table to see how the Japanese use this method with multiple people. This requires less heat because it reduces the area the warm spreads to.
My husband has three thermoses he rotates through, all used ones family no longer needed. One was my great grandpa's and older than us 🥰
10 sustainable zero waste habits for winter:
0:00 Intro
1:10 #1 Leave the leaves in the garden
2:57 #2 Avoid using snow/leafblowers
3:32 #3 Consider sustainability when purchasing Christmas trees
5:03 #4 Homemade gifts
6:26 #5 Use Thermos
7:34 36 Prioritize clothing layers before turning on heating
8:39 #7 Experience gifts
9:38 #8 Sustainable seasonal decor
10:39 #9 Sustainable advent calendars
11:43 #10 Reducing candles
13:17 Outro
I hate the constant noise of leafblowers - year round here in georgia, I would love for everyone to stop using them and leave the leaves be!
Re: snowblowers and the manual labor aspect, I'm curious if any battery-powered rechargeable options are generally eco-friendly. My parents have an electric lawnmower that works like a charm, so obviously those give less emissions, but I'm sure there's aspects of the manufacturing process that have to be considered. Still, it seems a better option for those who are disabled in a way where they may not be able to shovel snow on their own.
I wiiiiish my roommate would let me turn the heat down even more T-T I love snuggling up in sweatshirts and heavier clothes but my roommate is much more cold-natured than me so the temp is set a few degrees (F) warmer than I'd prefer it in our house..
Like another commenter, all of my family's decorations are reusable and 90% of them come from before I was born! We simply pack them up and put them in storage the rest of the year, and every year after American Thanksgiving (which is always the fourth thursday of november) we pull it out and decorate! I think it's much better than buying new decorations because we get to all develop favorites from the decorations we have and look forward to finding our favorite things and the best spot in the house for them every year.
i think electric snowblowers being worth it really depend on the amount and type of snow you get. electric snowblowers unfortunately don’t fare well to the constant and heavy, wet snow (not to mention the cold. windchills can get cold enough to kill car batteries) in a place like minnesota. i won’t be ditching my gas snowblower for shoveling or an electric one as a minnesotan 😅
@@miixyy__ absolutely fair!! i grew up in minnesota and the labor the snow requires is no joke, I should've remembered the battery issue myself. been living in less snowy places for near on a decade so the practicalities are slipping from my memory ^^'
Also before I turn on the radiators, I will make hot water bottle out of just warm tap water otherwise it's too hot and I cannot put it on me so what's the point...? (in addition of sweaters, warm fuzzy socks, PJ, wearing thigts under my pants, having blankets). I will leave the oven open while it cools down after I cook to warm up the living space. I also bought very thick curtains that are made to prevent cold to come in (and warm to come in in the summer as well). All of that helps a LOT
Leaves. I use leaves to keep soil in new pots. One thing I've learned saving the leaves, is that some don't compost, keeping leaves by the house brings in more critters and same for near food beds. Critters. But by the flowers and over the middle of lawn, just leave them.
Use old cards, that have no writing on the back, use from as gift tag.
I am super proud of myself and my family this year for barely turning on the heat, even though it's been getting to freezing temperatures. We live in an older, but apparently very well insulated apartment, so we haven't really needed to turn it on yet. I am still on the hunt for a well made and beautiful wooden advent calendar, but so far ZERO luck and I won't like, I am disappointed. We already don't really light candles because scented ones trigger my migraines, as does anything citrus, which makes me very sad because I love oranges for decorating!
Our first Christmas was of necessity frugal. We made garlands of popcorn for our thrifted tree which we spray-painted gold (I realise spray-paint is problematic but very little was needed) and we still have the garlands 20+ years on.
We have a reusable plastic tree because my daughter is allergic to spruce. We've had ours for 17 years and it is still usable!
They are literally called LEAVEs 😂
👏for👏a👏reason👏
For decoration I have some paper origami trees and swans that I made last year and hang them around! They look so lovely and if they ever look a bit dodgy, I can just recycle them
I literally am able to sit in my home in a tshirt and im warm 😒 Cant control my heating unfortunately and I have no idea why it has to be so warm. I could totally wear a hoodie inside and be cozy.
One thing about the leaves is it can kill the grass if too much is left
One thing I’ve been adopting more of each year is less bought ornaments, and more ornaments made from things I find in my yard, or made from leftover craft supplies, spices (such as cinnamon sticks and anise) that are found stale, or recycling. This year, the only two new things I bough/will buy for Yule/Christmas is lights (which I’m still keeping an eye out for used, but kids are old enough now that they specifically asked for tree lights, but hopefully I won’t have to buy more for years after), and a gifts for immediate family (although most gifts I am looking for used first)
For me with heating, I just snuggle down under many blankets!
YES TO LAYERS IN THE WINTER! I've always been the type to bundle up (and personally love doing so) when colder temperatures roll around. But so many people I know personally (not naming names lol) would prefer to blast the heat while sitting at home with shorts and t-shirt on. Makes no sense! Anyway, I appreciate this video 🙏🏻
All good ideas! I used to do the cookie mix in a jar for my kids' teachers when they were little. I love the advent calendar idea. Our advent calendar is a tiny wooden tree with little ornaments that you put on it each day. I think I've had it for 20 years now 😆 Also instead of long underwear, try a hot water bottle...my favourite.
Love this video! I try to throw the snow that was plowed near trees or perennials.We also reuse bubble wrap to cover our windows. It reduces outdoor noise pollution and prevents drafty windows.
One way to get rid of a real christmas tree is to dump it in a lake. It might sound ridiculous, but it actually helps to create a new ecosystem around it and it does so much good for the fish and other creatures living there.
May be hard since you are already into your zero waste journey BUT, I would love to see a video like "trying zero waste swaps with things i already have" all about trying zero waste hacks, walks us through your experience with this new things, using thins in your home. showing that things dont need to be bought
The Christmas tree one is such an interesting topic, my parents bought a fake tree when I was about 5 - I’m 32 now and it’s still going strong. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it’s still being used when I’m 50+ who knows, maybe I’ll even inherit it one day. So to think of all those trees being cut down for the sake of a couple of weeks I suppose it balances out!
I'm not usually keen on faux trees from a style sensibility but vintage trees just get cooler and cooler as they get older, even more so when holding the stories from being within the same family
In the US, I am seeing an uptick in electric leaf blowers, weed eaters, and trimmers! People use them because they weight a lot less (bc not many people care about their emissions).
Hi Gitte! Love these video’s, makes me more aware of what we do.
Do you take sugestions on your impact video’s? If so could you do one comparing a fire place vs central heating to warm your house?
I bought a house and it has both so I want to make a thought out decision on what heat source to use.
Thank you for al your work 😊
A fire place can pollute the air (both indoor and outdoor) very much, however nowadays you do have more efficient ones with filters. Central heating often has a higher carbon footprint, but is cleaner for the air. In both situations it's best to insulate your house as much as you can. And perhaps look at infrared heating panels for spots that need some extra heat, without heating the whole house :)
Loved this video! I definitely knew nothing about the first three points
Have you by chance already shared the dry cookie mix you mentioned? I was just looking for something like this to make this year ♥
I love such content! I live in a neighbourhood where people tent to throw away a lot of good stuff. So I tend to collect the unwanted clothes. It works the same for Christmas decoration and gift bags. So no bags or decoration buying for me. As for the tree - we bought an artificial one at the beginning of our marriage when we were on a very tight budget and it has been with us for the last 8-10 years and it is staying for as long as it'll have its "needles". For presents this year - I'm going to get my family experiences (Japanese lessons for my son, singing lessons for me and my husband), sweets/teas as well as thrifted books and clothes. here will be some exceptions to the rule - like a new volleyball ball for my son who is a passionate volleyball player but that's it
Leaves should be swept up and left to biodegrade. It takes about two years for leaves to become mulch and if you leave on the ground they just kill anything underneath as they can't get light.
❤❤❤
Couldnt leave my leaves unfortunately lead to a massive tick infestation all over the yard, was completely unable to enjoy the yard during the summer :(
I don't believe in having a Christmas tree..... why? 1. I have a cat-> self explanatory (as in she'd be knocking the damned thing over whenever she gets the chance). 2. I have some severe chronic illnesses of which one requires me to run IV fluids and meds regularly and I have a few IV poles as a consequence so I have one IV pole that is permanently "decorated" like a Christmas tree shape and I change out the handmade knitted "stockings" that I use as holders for the flushes that are required to be used for each time I have to run fluids.
Very clever with the IV pole 😀
@@JasmineBrownOttawa plus side of the decorated IV pole is that it's on wheels. 🤣🙄
Having several chronic illnesses with the newest being CFS/ME, has led me to come up with some creative ways to do the shit that I need to do and occasionally what I want to do.
What if you use a candle warmer instead of burning? I guess its probably still polluting the indoor air bc the reason to warm it is for the scent, which is probably some carcinogenic chemical.
Can't have live candles because my cat won't leave them alone😸
What about soy wax candles?😊
Sigh. Unfortunately some shops won't allow you to bring your own cups and containers anymore. They'll put it in a to go container for you to put in your reusable, which defeats the purpose. This has been my experience in the States post covid. Some say its because germs.
Another idea is to buy tea in bulk and not from the teabags that are bad for the environment and for us.
These oranges looks nice but to dry them we need a lot of electricity which is not so sustainable anymore…
I just swapped to doing them in the air fryer! 30 mins instead of 3 hours 🎉
@@AnnabelFayAnnadorabel
I was thinking about airfryer too 😃this can be great idea!
We don’t use a Christmas tree anymore, the children are grown up now so they don’t care about it 😂
Christmas trees that get thrown away can be widdled into nick nacks to be given away for the next holiday season.
don't use snowblowers
*cries in Canadian*
Lead blowers are ridiculous! I think they have to be heavy, and ofc expensive and unsustainable. Just get a broom...
Does people need to get reminded that wearing one more layer and heating your house at 19-20 degrees is better than heating it at 24 and go around in t shirt all year round? Seriously? How thoughtless we have become?