Surprise, surprise! Christmas is bad for the environment!

It’s official – Christmas is unsustainable and damaging the environment. The ‘shock’ claim, made by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in a report titled ‘The Hidden Cost of Christmas’, is based on calculations of the environmental impact of spending on books, clothes and other seasonal goods. For every dollar spent on gifts, huge sums of water and land are used in manufacturing. The ACF advise citizens to consume in moderation, recycle and buy gifts or vouchers with low eco-impacts or that help charities. They also recommend spending time with friends and family. Here in Europe, Christmas is also bad for the environment, with all the tree-chopping, card-sending and present-buying, not to mention the packaging, drinking, flushing, travelling. We really can say that, in many houses across Europe, Santa is stuck up the chimney, as emissions rise on the ground and the Earth slowly warms. Santa deceives, presenting us with the illusion of plenty, whilst he really packages and delivers scarcity for future generations. However, Christmas, like other festivals, is also about hope. So, we should be sure to both take responsibility and celebrate. So, as the Australians throw another shrimp on their giant Christmas barbeque, and many Europeans gather with their families around trees, the staff at ICLEI European Secretariat wish you a happy holiday season and successful 2006! We hope that, together, we can continue to strive to make our future world – and Christmases – more sustainable - and if you are still looking for a present, try http://www.goodgifts.org. [Noticia extraída de www.iclei-europe.org]