How to party on this Christmas — without hurting the environment
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As I walked through Killarney on a breezy morning, a burst of vibrant colour permeated the winter drizzle. Then my stomach churned with the smell of latex.
A huge arch of balloons was attached to a shopfront. Colours bring us joy, but these things are lethal. It’s distressing to see them being used at everything from art exhibitions to political meetings.
Balloons burst and land in the sea. Turtles, birds, and whales mistake the litter for jellyfish. When they try to consume the scraps, latex gets lodged in their throats and the creatures slowly starve to death.
As for human bellies, microplastics infiltrate the soil to enter our food chain. I ask Dr Silvia Caldararu a botanist at Trinity college, for insights. “Rain washes across surfaces where plastics are found,” she says.
“As water flows though the soil, particles move down to the deeper layers with the water flow. The exact effects on plants depend on the type, and especially the size, of plastic particles.”
Larger pieces of debris (microparticles) can change the soil texture.
“This affects the water and nutrients that are available to plants, often leading to less plant growth and to plants being more susceptible to things like drought.
Smaller particles (nanoparticles) are a different story. They can actually be taken up by plant roots and cause toxicity in plants,” Silvia explains.
The scientist says that plants need to be studied at bigger scales as well as how they interact with each other and with soil.
Most of us consume plants. Our vegetables are affected by toxins in the soil, and balloons are part of the problem.
In the nineties I was clueless. Birthdays parties meant balloons. Watery eyes and tomato-red faces.
Filling them with air brought fart sounds and squeamish stretching. Knotted rubber. Fingers sore from thumb tacks. My football-crazy son moved balloons with slow-motion kicks and headers.
Latex toy balloons have been around since 1931. Last January, for the good of the environment, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee vowed to interfere with the manufacturing process.
The toy industry complained, “Perfectly safe balloons, colouring pencils and sturdy trampolines are in danger of disappearing.”
But balloons are not safe, even ‘biodegradable’ ones. They can travel for hundreds of miles before exploding at higher altitudes.
Strings attached to them can cause birds to get tangled up. Balloons don’t vanish. They take years to decompose.
Helium-filled versions with metallic coating can cause an outage or fire if they hit electricity power lines, so California banned them.
We don’t need to look to our government for ecological guidance on this. We can simply stop purchasing balloons.
There are endless Earth-kinder ways to add colour and celebration to life. Streamers, balloons, and confetti can be replaced with bubbles, which leave no trace.
Blowing bubbles is a feelgood activity that spreads smiles in people of all ages who enjoy the shimmering, iridescent, rainbow colours.
Floral arrangements are an attractive alternative to tinsel. In Cavan, Kirsten O'Keeffe makes dried flower products for interiors.
She supplies shops under the name Studio 8. “The most popular products are my handcrafted dried flower wreaths” she says.
“I source all the flowers from small Irish flower farmers and suppliers.” Plants also add a natural vibrancy and therapeutic benefits.
They reduce stress and improve air quality. Make sure that the ones choose are safe to have around children and pets.
Celebrate the arrival of a winter baby or New Year by planting a tree. For information on native species and making an excellent choice, the Tree Council of Ireland offer guidance.
You can also cherish the memory of a deceased person by paying to plant a tree in an existing forest. Look for organisations online.
For Christmas, trees are ripped out of the ground only to be dumped a few weeks later. Why not display one that is still growing?
At ChristmasTree.ie, customers can choose from different sized trees grown in pots from bare roots.
The West Cork enterprise is twenty-seven years in business and has a store in Mahon.
“We have expanded this year. People in Dublin, Waterford Kildare Kilkenny Wexford and Wicklow can rent a tree from us. All going well, we will potentially expand it further to other counties in the future,” Colm Crowley (no relation) tells me.
Pot-grown trees can be delivered. They are not to be confused with potted trees, which are cheaper, but die quickly because the transplanting process shocks the roots and can cause irreversible damage.
Pot-grown trees look bushier. Check with your local garden centre to ensure that the tree was cultivated from seed in a container.
Parents feel pressurised to buy gifts, so plastic bits and pieces that cost around a tenner are common winter presents.
Consider popping a fiver or another note in a card instead.
The birthday boy or girl could save up for something that they genuinely want if everyone did this.
Cheap toys, costumes, and decorations are soon chucked in the wheelie bin. Goody bags afterwards are not necessary.
What matters is that children gather and have fun.
If you are adamant that junior revellers bring something home, why not share any leftover party food or give them a packet of seeds to plant?
‘Tinswool’ is a sustainable tinsel made by Convert textiles in Monaghan. Hannah Mc Mahon upcycles excess yarn from a local weaver.
Each piece is a minimum of 1.8M long. Her mustard-yellow creation, and one in pink, caught my eye online. Tinsel shreds and the plastic shards are lethal. If your inner magpie demands glitzy decor, perhaps you could use lights.
Flickering, dancing flames add a soft glow. Candles create atmosphere. Some companies infuse theirs with essential oils such as lemongrass, orange, and aromatic spices. Soilse in Dundalk and Meath’s Handmade Soap Company are two examples.
If you don’t have enough safe spots, or if you dislike candles, white LED lights are lovely substitutes. If you buy new, keep the receipt. The cheapest, made-in-China variety are unlikely to serve you very well or last long.
Christmas is a big deal for Christians and other folks like it regardless of their affiliations. Some people choose not to decorate.
In the last census over 14% of the population reported having no religion. Over 3,800 people identified as Agnostic or Atheist.
Whatever your beliefs, a splash of colour can be uplifting. Upcycled furniture will transform a space. Revamp 3R store in Longford diverts items from landfill.
Find similar initiatives in Duhallow Furniture Revamp, Renew Enterprises in Waterford, and elsewhere. You can donate old furniture.
Remember to support artists too! Exhibitions happen all year around. It is also easy to find paintings online.
All that glitters isn’t gold, so let’s find alternatives and prevent stuff ending up in the nearest river before flowing to the sea. K
illarney was the first town in Ireland to ban single use coffee cups. I wonder if any town will ban balloons.
In a world where microplastics are a massive problem it’s heartening to know that we can create a cultural shift by making more conscious consumer choices.
Come on, colour lovers: let that be our legacy.