Safe and green Christmas: the decalogue of Wwf and the Fire Brigade

Between lunches, Christmas and New Year's dinners, shopping and gifts, decorations and post-holiday cleaning, we become super-consumers compared to other days of the year. The WWF, precisely for this reason, has given advice on how to deal with the holidays in a proper way #plasticfree.  Waste during this period increase by an average of 30%: an increase in the volume of waste often destined for undifferentiated waste is expected, a further burden for disposal by local administrations. 

Here are 10 rules on decorations, tables, food, gifts and packaging, a few simple gestures that, multiplied by over 60 million Italians, lighten our 'weight' on the planet. 

1. The tree dilemma: For the tree the best thing is to decorate plants that we already own or buy a local evergreen (juniper, strawberry tree, citrus) that is well suited to our environments. If we want the fir, let's buy it from a local nursery, checking the origin and the presence of a suitable bread of earth and vital roots. Let's treat it with care and after the holidays transfer it to a larger vase, placed in a cool and humid area of ​​the terrace or garden. The more creative ones can opt for a DIY tree” with recycled or recovered materials. For the decorations, we choose glass, wood or colored salt dough decorations, perhaps to be made with the children. Another solution is the dried fruit, marzipan or popcorn chains which, after Christmas, we can put on the terrace to refresh the shivering birds.
2. “Climate-saving” lights: The lights around the tree or the crib are a must: replace the incandescent ones with the leds. They have a higher cost, compensated however by the savings on your bill, until80% less energy of the old light bulbs, and by the duration. They are also safer as they generate little heat, minimizing the risk of fires due to overheating. For the outside, there are luminaries equipped with a photovoltaic panel: with one hour of sunshine they illuminate up to 10 hours.
3. The example is served at the table: To respect the environment even at Christmas, try a organic menu, with local, seasonal products and little meat. In the Italian tradition they exist vegetarian dishes, we avoid products such as goose liver pâté, which causes enormous suffering for the animals, or lobsters.
4. The green dinner: When choosing the fish to put on the table, let's focus on the fresh fish from local and artisanal fishing a “zero mile”.
5. No to “Wasteful” Christmas: Let's reduce waste at the table: let's pay attention to store well what we buy ea do not throwand what goes on. We avoid disposable plastic tableware, if we have really many guests we opt for bioplastic ones, paper or bamboo which can be disposed of with food waste.
6. Yes shopping, no cars: For Christmas shopping, best to move with bike or public transport: less stress and less environmental impact. 
7. Wrap gifts in an original way: The ideal would be not to wrap the gifts, but this way the surprise effect disappears. A good compromise could be to prefer the reclaimed or recycled paper. 
8. No gifts from illegal species trafficking: Shahtoosh shawls, turtle carapace jewels or shark teeth, skins and claws of big cats, inlaid cetacean bones, elephant tusks and skins, corals and shells are just some examples of products to be avoided because they threaten endangered species and strengthen criminal networks. 
9. Choose solidarity gifts: Thanks to #standupforforest campaign it can be given to a person we love, really a forest tree of the world. The recipient will receive a personalized postcard with the image of the forest you have decided to protect among it Amazonian, Congo and Indonesian, along with a personalized message from the sender. 
10. Christmas out of town? Don't forget nature: If we don't have to go overseas, we choose to travel on the train: it's the best way to start a sustainable journey. Once you get to your destination better go walking or opt for the bike, to pollute less, discover hidden corners and experience a place like those who live there. We do not print tickets on paper but download them to your mobile phone. 

Here are other tricks also gods Fire fighters:

1. If you prefer an artificial tree check that it is of type self-extinguishing: check that it is indicated on the packaging or in the instructions inside. If you prefer a natural tree, check that, at the time of purchase, isn't dry already. For example, check that the color of the needles is intense green or that the needles themselves do not come off easily. A dry tree in the presence of flames catches fire very quickly.
2. If you have chosen a natural tree, ie planted with the roots in the pot, check the stability. If instead you have chosen a tree artificial, beware of the pedestal where it is mounted: check that it is of adequate size. 
3. Place the Christmas tree away from flammable material such as, for example, curtains, upholstered furniture or tablecloths.
4. If there are small children in the house, be careful placement of decorations: Attach the glass balls higher up so that they cannot be reached by children. The shards of a broken ball can cause serious injuries. 
5. Avoid using Candles.
6. Be careful to use only fairy lights with the CE markpreferably with the safety mark of a typical voluntary certification body IMQ, TUV, GS, etc..
7. To avoid overheating of the lights, choose light chains powered by a transformer.
8. Do not overload sockets, prefer the so-called “electric slippers”.
9. Don't leave the lights on at night or when you are not at home.
10. Only use specific fairy lights outdoors e at low voltage (12 or 24 Volts), check that it is indicated on the package or inside it external use possible.
11. Always read all Warnings the electrical components you use.
12. Avoid hide sockets, wires and transformers behind paper, gifts or even worse curtains.