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How to Have a Greener Christmas (That Actually Helps Australian Wildlife)

There are so many people just like you who want to find practical ways of making Christmas celebrations greener and more sustainable.

For nature-lovers and conservationists, there are also opportunities to turn the festive season into a time of year that really helps support Australian wildlife and biodiversity.

A green and sustainable festive season can be achieved through a variety of actions. From gifting experiences to opting for native flora tree decorations over plastic, our purchasing decisions have a great impact on the world around us.

Get inspired by 5 simple yet powerful ways we can all celebrate the holidays while helping to protect the planet and our incredible natural environment.

5 Ideas for Making Christmas More Sustainable

Here are 5 ideas for how to make Christmas a time for giving back to nature, and a time for celebrating our wonderful natural heritage with friends and family.

1. Rethink Xmas Gifts

If your purpose this year is to celebrate in a more eco-conscious way, then shifting your buying habits from “stuff” to purpose is key.

By prioritising gifts that are experience-based and support charities and local artisans, you can make a positive contribution while celebrating Christmas.

Experience-based gift ideas include:

• Vouchers to watch an open-air concert
• Tickets to attend a cooking class
• Give a coupon for a relaxing spa massage.

If you’re interested in supporting a charitable cause when buying a gift, there are lots of options to choose from. Some charities will provide a personalised certificate or card with your loved one’s name on it.

If you are buying a physical gift, many sustainable ideas can support nature. For example, gifting a native plant or seeds can help someone start their own Nature Block, while also building back biodiversity.

💡 Find out more about Nature Blocks and how to start growing your own.

2. Embrace Native Tree Decorations

You can literally deck the halls with native flora this Christmas and thereby avoid purchasing plastic tree decorations that are often discarded after the holidays.

Choosing Australian native plants like gum leaves, pine cones, and bottlebrushes is an eco-friendly way of decorating your tree. After the holidays, you can safely compost these decorations, which helps to eliminate waste.

An increasingly popular trend is to use a potted native tree as a Christmas tree, which you can decorate. After Christmas, the tree can be planted in your garden or remain in the pot until next year’s celebrations.

3. Get Jolly about Sustainable Holiday Celebrations

Many of us are interested in reducing the amount of waste, including food waste, that gets produced during the holidays.

Here are some helpful tips to make your holidays more waste-wise:

• Plan your meals to minimize food waste.
• Compost your food waste so that you put it back into the soil.
• Opt for solar or low-energy Christmas lights, and remember to switch off your lights at night or when not in use.
• Avoid single-use plastics – get your family involved in CVA’s SeaToSource Plastic Waste Challenge this holiday to raise awareness about the amount of plastic waste in our home and how to reduce it.

4. Take Part in Nature-Positive Festive-Season Activities

Looking for family-friendly and nature-positive activities to take part in this festive season?

There are many ways to enjoy the holidays while also making a positive impact on the local environment.

Here are some ideas for Australian nature-friendly holiday activities:

• Take part in a local beach cleanup (CVA organises these regularly – check out our volunteering page and sign up for an event near you)
• Organise a family outing to a local beach, park, or nature reserve. You could go bushwalking or hiking, or even join a guided tour or participate in conservation volunteering initiatives.
• Look for family volunteering opportunities with local conservation organisations like CVA. We have lots of fun conservation volunteering adventures planned, so please sign up to join us and take part.

5. Support Conservation Organisations

The season of giving is upon us. Not only can we give to those we love, but we can also support causes that matter most to us.

If you’re looking for ideas of conservation initiatives to support, we have a few ideas. At CVA, our conservation programs aim to create a future where biodiversity can thrive – supporting ecosystems and communities while also making cities more liveable and sustainable.

Here are some CVA programs that need your support this festive season:

Help Bandicoots in Australia

Donate $25 or more to our Safeguard a Bandicoot campaign, and you’ll receive an exclusive Eastern Barred Bandicoot-themed Christmas card (which you can gift to someone special).

Your donation will help us boost the population numbers of this endangered marsupial. CVA is involved in maintaining exclusion fencing at the Woodlands Park bandicoot sanctuary, monitoring bandicoot populations, and restoring their native grassland habitat.

💡Learn more about 5 ways you can help save bandicoots right now.

Help protect habitat for Glossy Black-Cockatoos

Support our Glossy Black-Cockatoo Campaign here here by making a donation and help us build back nature.

Like the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, glossies need our help. Their popular numbers have been declining with their survival being threatened by habitat fragmentation, diminishing food sources, climate change, and extreme weather events.

CVA and our partners organise regular conservation volunteering events and programs to maintain and enhance the habitats of the Glossy Black-Cockatoos.

💡Learn more about how CVA is helping to protect the Glossy Black-Cockatoo in Australia.

Share Your Green Christmas Suggestions

Let us know how you plan to celebrate a green Christmas this year by connecting with CVA on social media.

Either leave a comment on one of our holiday posts with your ideas, or tag us in your sustainable Christmas celebration pics on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

We can’t wait to see and hear what you’ve been up to and to share some of these ideas in our blog next year.