Auguriamoci un Natale più sostenibile

Le luminarie natalizie inquinano quanto 315 automobili in un anno

With the arrival of December, the streets, stores and homes glow with a thousand lights and the atmosphere around us becomes pure magic. While all these ornaments make Christmas the most beautiful time of the year, they also encourage the emission of pollutants into the air we breathe.

According to a study by Selectra, a point of reference for the electrical trade, during the Christmas period (estimating a lighting of the illuminations of about 6 hours), each Italian household consumes 46,479 MWh, or 18,870 tons of CO2 equivalent.

In terms of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, we are talking about 651 tons of CO2 equivalent per day, so 18,870 tons for the entire lighting period.

In concrete terms, as much as 315 cars pollute in a whole year.

What are the main sources of pollution?

Among the sources that pollute the air during the holiday season are candles.

While for most people the risk associated with their use is mainly related to the possibility of generating small house fires, few know that the combustion products of candles similarly pose a serious danger. Being aware of what we breathe is the first step to a healthy life, even within the four walls of the home.

Another source of pollution that should not be underestimated is paper and plastic waste.

Especially harmful is wrapping paper, which according to a Greenpeace survey is responsible for the emission of 3.5 kg of CO2 per kilogram of paper.

When choosing a tree, we should also pay special attention.

Buying a Christmas tree from a nursery is the most environmentally friendly option especially if you can return it at the end of the holidays or if it can be planted in your own garden. Real trees, while growing in the nursery, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the greenhouse effect.

What to do?

As a first step, it would be enough to take some small steps to lessen the environmental impact of the Christmas season.

For example, one could limit the amount of luminaries and prefer LED lights rather than incandescent ones since they save 80 percent energy.

In addition to choosing sustainable materials for decorations and gifts, we should also choose organic, locally grown and seasonal foods: besides being healthier, they help support zero-mile markets and reduce CO2 emissions.

Let us not forget that the Christmas season, as magical as it is, holds the record of generating the most unnecessary and unjustified waste.

Let us wish for a more sustainable Christmas.