Sustainability Club

It has been a busy but fantastic year for Sustainability at Box Hill High School – from running our annual Sustainability Week and attending the Kew High Sustainability Summit, to working on getting our composting system up and running and introducing bottle/can recycling through the Container Deposit Scheme. 

We are so proud of what we have achieved this year and can’t wait to continue making positive change in the school in 2025.  

As we head into the silly season, we thought we would put together a list of suggestions for everyone to help reduce waste and have a more sustainable Christmas season. We wish everyone a safe and happy holidays! 

12 DAYS OF SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS 

1. Avoid wasteful wrapping paper and plastic ribbons/bows. Instead opt for newspaper, brown kraft wrapping paper, or clothing wrapping paper (available at Spotlight or Officeworks). Don’t forget to save the wrapping paper at the end of the day to use again next year! 
2. Similarly, try to steer clear of mass-produced Christmas cards and instead go for hand/home-made cards or even a e-card – this will save you heaps of time and money as well as avoiding large numbers of cards ending up in the bin after Christmas is over.  
3. We all love the smell of pine filling the living room at Christmas, so ditch the plastic and go out and pick a real tree – bonus points if it’s potted and you can use the same one for years! 
4. Try not to be sucked in by seasonal and short-lived clothes, accessories and single-use decorations. Stick with good quality ornaments and lights that can be used year after year.  
5. If you decide deck out your house with beautiful Christmas lights, make sure you do not leave them on during the day or overnight when everyone is asleep. Consider setting up a timer so they are only on in the evening when everyone can enjoy them. Also, where possible, go for solar powered lights! 
6. For big holiday meals or parties use real crockery and cutlery and avoid single use. If this isn’t possible due to numbers or washing-up capabilities, choose bamboo alternatives instead of plastic.  
7. When doing your Christmas shopping, consider giving the gift of an experience instead of something that will ultimately end up as waste in the long run. Check out AmazingCo, Class Bento, or Red Balloon for heaps of awesome ideas.  
8. Alternatively, try your hand at some home-made gifts, or go on a hunt to some Op Shops or Vintage stores – you never know what treasures you might find! 
9. When it comes time to cook up a delicious feast, try to buy seasonal, organic and local produce where possible. Also try your best to avoid products wrapped in plastic at the supermarket – lots of brands are now transitioning to cardboard packaging.  
10. Another handy supermarket tip is to do your calculations and write a specific grocery list before you go shopping – this will help you to not over-cater and end up with mountains of food wastage.  
11. Leftovers are somewhat inevitable, so remember to come prepared with lots of Tupperware (or tell guests to BYO if you are hosting) so the leftovers get put to good use. 
12. Finally, the holidays are a great time to try something new and incorporate some vegetarian or plant-based recipes to your Christmas lunch. There are millions of ideas online. Here are some suggestions from Delicious magazine which we think sound absolutely divine.