Read about five Christmas-themed LIFE projects protecting life on Earth this holiday season.
A sustainable advent calendar
Many of us have advent calendars at home in the run-up to Christmas. A LIFE project has created a calendar with a difference.
LIFE IP Zenapa project partner, the BarnimDenktweiter initiative from Brandenburg, Germany, recently launched an online advent calendar on protecting the climate and being more sustainable in everyday life. Each door on the calendar contains practical information and tips for people to use in the home and office. Guidance on sustainable shopping and healthy nutrition is also presented. See the calendar here.
This LIFE Integrated Project aims to make ten protected areas in Germany and one in Luxemburg, low-carbon emission regions that support nature conservation and tourism.
De-icing winter roads
Roads across Europe are becoming icy as temperatures plummet. LIFE HaloSep came up with a circular solution to protect us while driving.
Waste that cannot be recycled or landfilled is usually burned in incineration plants, generating hazardous fly ash. The LIFE HaloSep team built the HaloSep process at Vestforbrænding - one of Denmark's largest waste-to-energy plants. The process separates metals and salt from the fly ash, leaving purified ash classified as non-hazardous waste. The metal in the ash can be recycled, while the salt can be used for de-icing roads or in construction. The process is now available on the international market.
Use less water this Christmas
Families and friends come together for Christmas, but the festive period also results in much water use. Cooking uses a lot of water while taps, toilets, dishwashers and washing machines work overtime.
The team behind Integrated Project RBMP LIFE aims to manage water resources on the Maltese Islands better. They have come up with some water conservation tips for the upcoming weeks. See them here.
Sustainable wine production in Spain
Families across Europe will be enjoying a glass or two of wine over the festive period, and people in Spain are no different.
However, the country's Priorat wine region is struggling with the impact of climate change on the quantity and quality of its wine. The LIFE Priorat + Montsant team developed a sustainable viticultural and wine production model for the region. The team provided irrigation recommendations to 16 wineries and winegrowers on 200 hectares, an area the size of Monaco. The savings in water use on these plots range from 25% to 35%. Other wineries across Priorat could use this approach.
Making ski boots greener
Some lucky people will go skiing over the Christmas break, but skiing gear is far from sustainable.
The 3.5 million pairs of ski boots produced worldwide are made entirely of virgin materials and are landfilled after three to five years. Bulgaria's LIFE RESKIBOOT project team makes high-quality, cost-competitive ski boots out of recycled plastics. This will dramatically reduce the amount of plastic waste sent to landfill. The team also decreases end-of-life disposal through a take-back and re-use service for rental ski boots. A new ski boot with about 90% recycled materials will be launched on the market.
Find out more about LIFE RESKIBOOT in the LIFEis30 podcast.
Between them, the projects above can help Europe become a climate-neutral continent by 2050. They also support the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan while contributing to the EU Farm to Fork Strategy.
Happy Holidays from LIFE.
Details
- Publication date
- 21 December 2022
- Author
- European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
