Here’s our list of Must Know Holiday Things. It’s our attempt to make the holidays happier and more environment friendly!
1. BUY A REAL TREE. Fake Christmas trees are made of plastic. Unfortunately, the production of plastic is not a pollution free process. Plastics are polymers made from carcinogens like benzene and vinyl hydrochloride. Byproducts released in the manufacturing process are also extremely toxic, and include mercury and PCBs.
(If you’re unsatisfied with this name dropping of chemicals and are looking for more details, check out The World Counts and Safe Markets. They have extensive data on the effects of plastic production.)
All of this happens before the tree has even entered your house, and it only goes downhill from there. Fake trees are non-recyclable, and will inevitably end up in a landfill. Studies show that the carbon footprint of a real tree (cut down for Christmas and then discarded) is about half of that of a fake tree.
However, it’s not easy to find Christmas trees in Gurgaon, and it’s likely that you’ll end up with a fake tree and a guilty conscience. If that’s where you find yourself, try to look for a non-PVC tree, those will have less negative impacts on you and the environment.
And if you do manage to get ahold of a real tree (or plant), rejoice! A study by University of Wisconsin-Madison found that having plants in your house can reduce your stress levels and make you happier.
2. SCIENCE CHRISTMAS CAROLS! Lot's of chemis-tree here. This one’s for all of you who find comfort in experiments and data… but also love the holiday cheer (much like the team at Newsroom).
3. BUY ECO-FRIENDLY PRESENTS! There’s no explanation necessary behind this one. Some great online stores for buying environment friendly gifts in India are Better India, EcoIdeaz and this section on Amazon.
Even better, you might want to gift your friends and family an experience rather than a material gift. Research shows the former is more likely to strengthen relationships.
4. BONUS POINT: Here are the best places to celebrate Christmas in India! Check the list on TourMyIndia.
We hope your winter break is full of happy music, brightly coloured candy, presents wrapped in reusable paper, and most importantly, Newsroom articles!
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