Thanks to our guide to an Eco Christmas you will not have to compromise the Christmas spirit yet you will have fun while indulging your ethical side.
Christmas and the Holiday Season often bring over-consumption and excesses. Here is hoe to have an Eco Christmas and how to keep it green and cheerful!
Food and Drink - The festive season is really no different to any other time of the year when it comes to eating and drinking except that we seem to do a lot more of it. This makes it all the more important to be thinking of where our food and drink is coming from. While it is very important to look out for organic food and drink it is also very worthwhile to try to buy from local suppliers.
Food miles have an enormous effect on sustainability. A lot of organic food sold in supermarkets is imported from abroad and often it also comes with excessive packaging in order to keep it separate from the non-organic products. Of course this makes little sense for people who are trying to live in a more sustainable way.
To reduce your food miles this Christmas buy local and UK produce whenever possible and better still buy local organic produce direct from the growers or from a farmers' market. Here are some resources to help:
Find a local supplier: www.bigbarn.co.uk and www.whyorganic.org
Find a farmers' market: www.farmersmarkets.net
Gifts - More and more people will be looking for green and ethical gifts this Christmas as we become increasingly aware that what we buy and consume can have a significant effect on the environment and on the lives of the people who make the products we use. Fortunately there is also a growing range of products to choose from, ranging from organic textiles to fair trade products.
Christmas is also a time to think about all the waste we produce from the packaging & wrapping of gifts. The following tips are designed to help you reduce your environmental impact over the festive season:
Recycle unwanted gifts and toys - there are over 1,000 toy libraries throughout the UK, serving approximately 250,000 children. To find a toy library near you visit www.natll.org.uk
Freecycling is a grassroots movement that enables people to give what they have and get what they want for free. Find your local Freecycle Network at www.freecycle.org
Avoid overpackaged goods.
Buy organic and fair trade products.
Choose recycled wrapping paper or re-use old wrapping paper. Save the paper you get this year for next year.
Avoid wrapping paper that contains plastic as it is more difficult to recycle. Be creative: use raffia for ties and bows; use holly and pine branches, pine cones and anis stars for decoration. Wrap with Kraft paper for a rustic look.
Use rechargeable batteries and a battery charger for electrical gifts such as toys. Whenever possible buy wind-up or solar alternatives.
Trees - Over six million Christmas trees were bought in the UK last year, most of which were thrown out after the festivities creating over 9,000 tonnes of extra rubbish - that's almost five times the weight of the London Eye (source www.recyclenow.com).
Here are some sustainable Christmas tree options:
Buy a real Xmas tree in a pot that you will re-use next year. It will have better chances of surviving if you plant it in the garden.
Buy a UK grown Xmas tree. See www.bctga.co.uk for more details.
Recycle your Christmas tree
Christmas trees can be recycled for many purposes (paths, fish habitats, sand dune consolidation, compost and bio fuel) so please make sure you recycle your tree properly.
Call your local council as they should have information on how they recycle Xmas trees. For contact details see: www.direct.gov.uk/Dl1/Directories/LocalCouncils/fs/en.
Cards and Decorations - Cards and decorations are traditional features of the festive season. Here are some suggestions to help you reduce your use of paper, trees and energy and perhaps also to make something with a more individual touch:
Make sure you buy cards made from recycled paper.
Send e-cards and use less paper.
Decorations - Vintage, fairtrade, handmade and recycled decorations are perfect when it comes to Christmas.
Choose LED Christmas lights - they use up much less energy than traditional lights.
Make your own decorations this Christmas. From pine cones, holly and pine branches, anis stars, moss, dried orange slices... you can find a lot of inspiration to create your own designs, choosing natural and biodegradable material over plastic.
Reduce Waste - According to Waste Online, the holiday season will generate 3 million tonnes of waste in the UK. It is very important that each one of us makes an effort in reducing waste. A few simple tips include:
Buy goods that contain little to no packaging.
Buy goods packaged in materials that can be recycled such as glass and plastic (see our guide to plastic recycling).
Ditch plastic shopping bags. Replace them with a trendy shopping trolley (great Christmas gift idea), elegant wicker basket or just re-use old plastic bags.
Avoid single and individual size containers, bottles and cans and go for bigger bottles and boxes. As long as everything will be consumed anyway, you will save on packaging and even save money as these are usually cheaper.
Recycle your Christmas and New Year cards.
In January 2005, the Woodland Trust collected and recycled 58 million cards - that's 1,150 tonnes of rubbish. Take part and help preserve the environment by bringing your Christmas and New Year cards from 2 - 31 January to WH Smith high street stores and Tesco Extra and Superstores* (*Excludes Tesco Express and smaller Metro stores).