Greenhavens Network

Greenhavens Network EARTH CARE IN DECEMBER

Greenhavens Network CIO has much to celebrate this winter. We had such a great day at our seed/plant swap event where we saw local green groups from Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven come together. It was an amazing day of connecting, making plans and networking the groups with each other, and of course, some great activities and seeds and plants to swap! Thanks to everyone who came and gave their time for the day. The future feels bright locally with so many Green Heroes working tirelessly to maintain and increase our resilience in such a difficult time as climate change accelerates. I am proud to be part of such a great community of people.

As the dark nights close in and we prepare for Christmas, it’s time to think how we can celebrate Christmas with as little negative impact we can on our precious Earth. As climate change increases, we can all do our bit to keep our carbon footprint low and thus ensure we are not contributing to the ton of waste Christmas brings. Our carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases we release by the actions we take daily. As a mum I know the pressure and temptation to buy new and exciting gifts for the kids and in the run up to Christmas – we are bombarded by adverts all telling us what our Children need… Whether it’s the latest console, or brand new clothes we need to change our minds about what we buy and how we shop to help prevent the environmental catastrophe that is coming if we continue to drain the Earth of its natural resources.

There are choices we can make, buy second hand where you can, use last year’s decorations, swap toys and get together with friends and family to share food. With the awful truth that plastic takes 1,000 years to decompose in landfill and each plastic bottle takes 500 years, we have to stop buying it wherever we can. So this year buy smartly, see if you can get it second-hand, think about what your kids need rather than want. Try buying gifts that are memories, buy tickets for a day out, give your friends and family an experience rather than add needlessly to landfill. Shop local for more meaningful gifts, it will have a better impact on the earth to buy local and handmade, it will stop the air miles taken for it to be brought to you.

With the threat to our food chain ever pressing, buy gifts that will endlessly give, a fruit tree, fruiting hedgerow or a plant that will help biodiversity grow. Every action we take has a reaction on our Earth – we cannot keep taking from it, it is not an endless resource. Being able to feed ourselves will be of paramount importance in the years to come. So gift your family with the means to become self-sufficient, buy them growing kits, wormeries, compost kits, or a raised bed and help them get started on a growing adventure. A membership to the National Trust, Kew gardens, local kids’ attraction parks, it will be a gift that just keeps on giving.

So keep clear of single-use plastics and create multi- use presents that give joy and pleasure again and again. Be it the blossom from a fruit tree and the fruits that follow, or trips every week to beautiful gardens, or time spent with family creating an edible garden, or getting to visit a family park attraction again and again, even when the finances are low…make better choices this Christmas. Every single action we take leaves a footprint on our Earth, so leave a good one. Our Earth needs us.

From everyone at Greenhavens we wish you a Happy and Peaceful Christmas x

JANUARY DEADLINE: TUESDAY 6th DECEMBER