Christmas and Sustainability

We’re simply having a Sustainable Christmastime…..!

In the words of Slade themselves, “IT’S (nearly) CHRISTMAS!” and so whatever this time and celebration means to you, it is a time of reflection and celebration of the positives of the world and all that nice stuff. As Christmas is going to be a little different this year, it grants us an opportunity for how we can make our Christmas a little less environmentally wasteful and a little more kinder to our planet. Here are some ideas to help you enjoy the festivities while improving your impact on the planet…

• Gift wrap – love it or hate it, wrapping presents is a big part of the holiday celebrations, but it need not be a struggle. Why not swap the shop bought gift wrap for materials you can reuse in your own home? Scrap fabric, unused scarves or previous wrapping paper such as tissue paper that you are able to reuse can make excellent wrapping, with the opportunity for those with a creative flair to make a statement using fabric to wrap gifts in knots and fancy ways to bring joy to the recipient. If you don’t have anything to hand, you can of course buy wrapping paper, but try to pick paper which can be recycled more easily such as those without glitter and metallic parts which can cause micro-pollution.
• Save your Christmas tree from landfill – if you have an artificial tree, the best way to get the most use from it is to buy one that you know you like and that will last, so you can keep reusing it every year, as these trees are difficult to recycle. If you have a real tree, consider how you can get more use from it before you chuck it away. Ideas include: reusing it in your garden as part of a habitat pile or as garden material such as wood chippings, growing your own or buying a tree in a pot which you can bring in each year but can grow outside for the rest of the year (a less wasteful option if you have the space) or taking your tree to a Christmas tree recycling centre/point local to you so that it can be recycled.

• Christmas lights – having a large amount of outdoor lights on during the festive period can have an adverse effect on wildlife as light pollution can influence their natural behaviour. It is a good idea to be respectful of your natural environment and turn off lights when not in use or use sparingly. Secondly, it is possible to recycle Christmas lights with electricals, so check with your local council before throwing any lights away.
• Have a more thoughtful Christmas – sometimes we have a tendency, usually the week before Christmas, to have a panicked shopping session because we feel the need to buy people something for the sake of it. But the reality is that this gift may not be useful to the recipient and therefore may be wasted, adding to the issues of landfill and pollution. Therefore, shop with a more sustainable mindset and gift consciously by picking or making gifts with meaning, or showing you care in a non-material way. There is a growing feeling from the recent world issues that it is not the things we buy that bring us happiness, but the people in our lives and the meanings behind the possessions that influence our home environment that bring us joy, so consider how you can spread festive cheer without being overly consuming this Christmas.
• Decorations – find your artistic side by making festive decorations from natural materials. For example, why not try fashioning a wreath from twigs, grasses and leaves from your garden? Or use the materials collected from autumn such as nuts and leaves? Beautiful and all ready to be composted when you’re finished!

• Crackers – probably one of the most well-known Christmas traditions for causing waste, modern crackers often contain many single-use plastic parts which are very wasteful for the environment as they are often left unused after the festive meal or Christmas period. To combat this issue, you could try purchasing more environmentally friendly options which have recently become more popular, such as crackers containing reusable games or activities like origami. Another option is to make your own crackers containing items you actually want! Using paper and a cracker template (easily available online), you can reuse papers as well as the contents of the house to make your cracker! Now that’s something to celebrate…
• Christmas cards – once the festive season has passed and it is time to dismantle the house once more, give your cards new life by saving them for next year. Rip off the front design and keep them in a safe place for next Christmas when you can reuse them to make your own cards (by sticking them to a base card/paper) or making them into paper chains or other decorations. This way, one card can come back as many different incarnations and keep spreading joy before it is recycled when it can no longer be redesigned.

Whatever it is you celebrate at this time of year and however you do it, I hope you have a wonderful time! If you can, try and see where this Christmas you can make some changes to benefit the planet. Even if it goes the other way for a month, there is lots to be learnt from this season – so if on December 27th you find you have loads of plastic waste or food waste, it will highlight which area of your lifestyle you can work on improving in the coming year. Have a holly jolly Christmas, and see you on the other side! 🎄