Low carbon Easter

It is Easter holiday and this often leads to many gatherings with friends and family and religious activities. What are the main ways you can cut your carbon footprint with your actions in this festive season?

Buy what you need

If you are going to buy Easter eggs or do Easter activities, then focus on buying what you need. Try to avoid buying unnecessary gifts that will not be valued. It will only end up in landfill and create more carbon emissions. When buying an Easter Egg, there are some Easter Eggs that have a lower carbon footprint than others. Dark chocolate creates less carbon emissions than milk chocolate because it does not contain milk. Also, smaller Easter eggs will have a lower carbon footprint than larger ones.

Buy food from sustainable sources

You can cut the impact of your purchases on the environment by buying from firms who are committed to sustainability. Look for labels such ‘Made from Sustainable Palm Oil’ or ‘Palm Oil free’. You should also favour firms that sources ingredients from sustainable sources, such as sustainable cocoa beans or coffee beans where companies invest in production processes that restore the environment.

Make family get togethers low waste

If you are going on a picnic, take reusable cutlery, cups and plates. This will ensure that you are using less, single items, which have probably been made and flown to your country from abroad, and takes up a lot of energy and resources. There will also be less unrecyclable waste at the end of the picnic.

Also be realistic about the food you are going to eat. We tend to buy more than we can eat and create food waste, so it is best to plan ahead how much food you need rather than making impulse purchases and avoid offers such as ‘Buy one get one free’ as it is likely you will end up throwing away what you what you do not need. Food waste is a large global problem and contributes 8-10% to greenhouse gases. It is important to avoid creating food waste as much as possible.

Take low carbon routes to your destination

Driving a car to a destination is the worst way to travel in terms of carbon emissions. Why not consider cycling, walking or taking public transport to your destination? It will be cheaper and healthier for you as well as cut your carbon footprint.

Cut out meat and dairy as much as possible

If you have a special Easter lunch, try to reduce meat and dairy as much as possible or have meat with a lower carbon footprint. Research from ‘Our World in Data’ shows chicken, pork and fish have a much lower carbon footprint than beef and lamb. However, if you are making a roast lunch with meat, you can get vegan alternatives to supplements which do not change the difference to the taste of the meal, such as vegan gravy or vegan butter where needed. Every small change makes a difference!

Other ways to cut the carbon footprint of a meal is to use dairy-free alternatives. If you are having a dessert, it is better to use seasonal fruit because they will come from the local area, Make desserts dairy free ingredients where possible, such as dairy free butter, cream and custard.  Research from Professor Bridle (2020) in her book ‘Food and climate change without the hot air shows using seasonal fruit and dairy free products can halve to carbon footprint of a dessert.