Make it and Mend it member Jo of Sewing is for Girls has sent us her top 20 tips for a greener Christmas. While a few may be a bit greener than some of us can manage, there are some excellent suggestions and everyone should be able to find a few things that can make a difference to the greenness of your Christmas!
After all – Confucius said “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”.
Here are Jo’s tips:
- Buy handmade – try online shops like folksy and etsy. The endless craft fairs around the UK in the run-up to Christmas are also a great place to look.
- Re-use wrapping paper, gift tags – write a note on the bottom of your cards suggesting what the recipient can make it into for next year’s festivities.
- Buy a green ethical gift from Oxfam or a ‘green’ shop like The Natural Collection Think about the story behind the gift you are buying for someone. Who has made it? Was it flown around the world wasting energy? Who was paid for it? Did they earn enough to enjoy a Christmas themselves?
Buy sweaters and socks for presents to avoid turning the heat on!- Turn the television off and go for a walk – or learn a new craft. Read up on green/ethical issues.
- Make some green new year’s resolutions.
- Buy local – everything from buying clementines and nuts from the local greengrocers to buying books from the local bookshop.
- Wrap presents in interesting snippets from newspapers and magazines – perhaps there was a relevant news story that applies to the recipient – an interview with Angelina Jolie for your partner? Maybe an article on how to be green!
- Don’t send Christmas cards – instead use some free call time to have a chat with relatives you won’t see at Christmas or send an electronic greeting card.
- Do you need to take that trip to Spain on the plane? It sounds mean, but can you catch up with relatives in another, greener way? Take the train, or even stay home and talk via webcam or email.
- Does your child really need a new doll or remote controlled car? Maybe you could repair an old toy or look online for inspiration on how to breathe life into an old neglected toy. Buy sustainable wooden toys if you can, instead of plastic and buy organic woollen dolls.
- Make your own Christmas tree decorations – if you have never done this before start small – just a sheet of red felt cut into stars or hearts and hung on your tree will look fantastic. Make It and Mend It have some great templates to get you started. >> Here they are
Do you really need that plastic tree with pre-decorated tinsel and lights? Go green and buy a real tree with roots. If you do own a plastic tree don’t throw it out – re-use it or make sure you recycle it. One of the materials used to make fake trees is PVC, which is very harmful to the environment.- Cut down on the amount of meat you eat. Turkey is great but it’s not the only food you can eat on Christmas day. Think outside the box and see if you can reduce your carbon footprint whilst saving a Turkey!
- Make your own presents. This can be really rewarding but make sure you write a plan otherwise you may end up rushing the end of a scarf late on Christmas night!
- If you’re posting presents, use old newspapers or wrapping paper to cushion the box instead of polystyrene packaging.
- It’s too late to start growing veg for the dinner table this year – but you could write a planting plan for next year and have some tasty carrots and sprouts on your plate for Christmas 2010. Grow Veg has some brilliant veg planning software that’s easy to use and comes with a 30 day free trial >> GrowVeg.com
- Make your own Christmas crackers. You can do this really easily by using old loo rolls and old wrapping paper! It’s much more fun looking around for small items and chocolates than pulling a shop bought cracker only to throw away the contents after Christmas dinner. (You can even write rude jokes for the adults!)
- Ditch your Christmas lights – or make sure they are low energy if you can’t.
- Buy rechargeable batteries to power toys.
Merry Green Christmas everybody!
