For years it has seemed that Christmas has gone hand in hand with excessive consumerism, but your holidays can be as sustainable as you want to make them!
Under the Tree
Shop Local
Buying gifts made by local designers and craftspeople with sustainable or recycled materials benefits local economies and the environment. And avoids the huge footprint embedded in goods made and shipped from overseas (often with questionable environmental standards or working conditions). See our guide to local and/or sustainable Barcelona stores or search for more at bcnsostenible.cat. Also, check out the festive activities organized to promote local shops and markets around the city as part of the La màgia del comerç.
Christmas gift giving can be a minefield. One way to avoid overspending on gifts no one wants anyway is to make (if you have time) or buy locally-crafted, handmade goods.
Be Crafty
With a little time and imagination, you can make your own unique gifts, decorations, wreaths and cards from recycled or natural materials. Get inspiration online, or take the kids to one of the craft workshops and activities at Barcelona’s centres civics and libraries, or join a festive cookery class.
Try making your own wrapping and packaging from recycled materials (you can do a lot with old magazines), or reusable/recyclable containers like glass jars. If you must use new, avoid film wrapping or plastic-coated paper (often unrecyclable) and tie parcels with string, not tape, so wrapping can be saved to use again next year.
Are new toys really necessary? "Renova les teves joguines" aims to promote conscious consumption and waste reduction among the younger generation via a seasonal toy exchange.
Get Second-Hand Kids (Presents, Anyway)
Shopping for kids is probably one of the biggest drains on the festive family purse and the environment. In my day, a second-hand toy gift would have had us threatening our parents with social services. Now, though, you can point to Greta Thunberg to inspire (or shame) your little darlings into being more sustainable at Xmas. Renova les teves joguines (renew your toys) aims to promote conscious consumption and waste reduction among the younger generation via a seasonal toy exchange. Kids can take unwanted toys and games to collection points during December and get for points to "spend" on ones donated by other kids.
Unwanted toys are also collected (not exchanged) at Comparte y recicla. Check the website for details.
And since a toy is for life, not just for Xmas, the Ajuntament helps extend their lifespan by 3D printing replacement parts as well as running a toy hospital.
All the Fun of the Fair
A great place to browse for gifts, the annul Fira de Consum Responsable i d’Economia Social i Solidària (Plaça de Catalunya, December 16-30, 2022) hosts some 60 social and solidarity economy projects, organizations and businesses offering services and products related to crafts, clothes, culture, food, books, health and more. The aim is to promote responsible consumption in the city and get people thinking about how everyday decisions impact on neighborhoods, local economies and the environment.
Don't get sucked in by the puppy-mill industry! There are loads of adorable, abandoned dogs and cats out there looking for their forever homes.
Adopt, Don’t Shop
Don’t be grist to the puppy mill. If you’re thinking of adding a furry friend to your family this Xmas, check out the Per Nadal, millor adopta! initiative. Animal rescue charities and shelters like the CAACB are on hand to promote responsible pet ownership, offer advice and allow you to meet pups in search of their forever home. Don’t miss the daily catwalk (dogwalk?) parades, talks, children’s activities, educational workshops and more.
If you’re more feline-inclined, you’ll need to visit shelters in person.
Give Something Back
There are loads of charitable or humanitarian activities organized throughout the city during the festive season so you can support local businesses, donate food or money to those in need, attend a charity concert or walk, help the environment, workers or the homeless.
Did you cook too much (again)? Not sure what to do with all of the leftovers? The BBC’s Good Food leftover recipes offers a number of great ideas!
On the Table
Avoid Food Waste
‘Tis the season to be greedy, and our eyes are often bigger than our bellies during the holiday season (at least initially). But throwing away food doesn’t just waste money, it wastes the increasingly scarce natural resources used to produce it. According to Som Gen de Profit, we throw away some 260,000 tons of food per year. Or, to put it another way, nearly 35 kg per person. To help mitigate this, they’ve developed an online tool to calculate ingredient quantities per person, offer advice on correct storage and use of different foodstuffs (which should be locally-sourced, clar) and recipes for leftovers. The BBC’s Good Food leftover recipes is another great resource.
You can both recude your carbon footprint and have a healthier holiday season by going easy on the meats and adding more fresh, locally grown produce.
More Trimmings, Less Turkey
Meat production has a huge environmental cost, so cutting down the carn is one of the best things you can do for the planet, and potentially your own health, this Xmas. It’s usually about this point that someone will tell you there are loads of wonderful meat-substitutes out there. This is true, but only if you haven’t eaten the real thing for a while. If you’re not up for going cold turkey until the cold turkey’s done, you can still incorporate a few more plant-based recipes into the menu in the meantime.
Avoid Single-Use Plastic
If you don’t trust your drunken guests with the best china, buy a set of durable picnic plates, glasses and cutlery rather than use disposable ones. Pop them in the dishwasher and use again and again.
If you’re organizing an official event, check out the possibility to rent crockery from the Ajuntament.
Holiday traffic in Barcelona can get crazy. Fortunately, TMB adds extra services during the holidays to ease travel congestion. Photo by Jordi Ferrer (CC BY-SA 4.0).
On the Streets
Leave the Car at Home
Sounds obvious, but Christmas shopping traffic really ramps up the congestion and pollution city-wide. Shop locally rather than at out-of-town megastores and, as well as benefiting the local economy, you can get some exercise into the bargain.
TMB lays on additional public transport services at busy times, including those party dates when you definitely shouldn’t be behind the wheel.
If you’re shopping online, try to get bulk deliveries of several items, or opt for bicycle delivery where available, to reduce transport emissions.
Once the holidays have passed, remember to give your tree new life by recycling it!
Recycle Your Tree
If you prefer to keep it real when it comes to Xmas trees, don’t just dump it when it’s all over. Take it to a collection point January 7-17 so it can be mulched and given a second lease of life in parks and gardens.
Kate Williams.
Kate Williams is a freelance writer, editor, translator and Director of The Writer Stuff. She left her native England for Barcelona in 2003 and never looked, or went, back. When she isn’t writing or discovering all the cool stuff going on in the city, she enjoys hiking in the Catalan countryside, kayaking on the Costa Brava, and volunteers at a local animal sanctuary. You can read more by Kate here.
Originally published December 9, 2019, updated November 23, 2022.