How to enjoy a greener Christmas

Green Issue

How to enjoy a greener Christmas

‘Less is more’ is a mantra that’s rarely heard around Christmas. This year, show Planet Earth a little love with these five eco-friendly Christmas tips. from local farm shops and choose an organic, freeRent, reuse or recycle a tree range turkey. Food tastes a lot better when you Every December, up to eight million Christmas know where it’s come from! trees are bought in the UK alone, most of which Sadly, Christmas is also the most wasteful time of are dumped at the end of the season. That’s a lot the year, so make sure you only buy things that of waste! you know will get eaten. If you get carried away, Plastic trees last for years but take enormous turn your leftovers into new meals, see how much amounts of energy to manufacture. Buying you can fit in the freezer or donate to a local food pre-loved ones on eBay, Gumtree and Freecycle, bank. however, is a great way to reuse what would Rethink your decorations otherwise be thrown away. From Christmas lights to candles, who would have If Christmas isn’t the same without that authentic thought that decorations could be bad for the pine tree scent, why not rent a tree from a local environment? farm? After you’ve used it, it’ll be picked up and Fortunately, something as simple as switching replanted, ready for next year. your incandescent lights to LEDs can cut energy When buying new, look out for the ‘Grown in usage by up to 80%! You don’t have to give up Britain’ label or FSC ‘seal of approval’, and find your candle collection either; look out for soy drop-off points in your area where it can be or beeswax candles, which don’t contain harmful recycled once Christmas is over. paraffin wax. Buy second-hand The chances are you have Christmas decorations Gifts don’t have to be new to bring a smile to rattling round in your attic, so don’t waste money someone’s face. Suggest a second-hand present – or materials – buying new ones. If you do, head rule with family and friends this year, where you to charity or vintage shops to find some pre-loved only buy each other pre-loved gifts. styles. These could be from a charity shop or websites Wrap sustainably such as eBay. If you’re feeling crafty, you could even We use over 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper over whip up some gifts from home. Candles, jams and Christmas, much of which isn’t recyclable! chutneys or knitted hats and scarves: get creative It’s depressing, but don’t lose hope. Try wrapping and see where your talents take you! presents with old wallpaper, posters or newspapers, Source locally grown food and save the wrapping paper on your own gifts for We’re all guilty of buying – and eating – a little next year. more food than we need at Christmas, so it’s A great way to test if wrapping paper can be important to make sure it’s coming from a recycled is to scrunch it up in your hands and sustainable place. then let it go. If the paper stays crumpled it can Instead of fighting over groceries in the be recycled, but if it unfolds by itself it probably supermarket aisle, source your Christmas lunch contains non-recyclable elements.