‘Tis The Season To Be Sustainable

This year, I’m dreaming of a green Christmas.

After a bit of research, it hit home just how detrimental the festive season can be to the environment.

Christmas can be hectic enough – so adding the burden of the planet into the mix can feel like too much.

Not necessarily! I’ve thought of some easy, affordable and fun ways to be sustainable during the festive season. All you need is a little imagination and creativity.

Keep reading to learn more about how to stay on mother nature’s nice list this Christmas…

The most wonderful time of the year?

Christmas – a time to indulge, celebrate and spend time with loved ones. Sadly, it’s also a time of mass consumerism and excessive waste.

In the UK alone, Christmas is worth £42bn. Many brands benefit from excessive spending – particularly the toy industry that focuses its production around Christmas to boost profits.

The downside is that most of these plastic toys will end up in the oceans. By March the following year, it is expected that %41 of toys will have broken or get thrown away.

Christmas is quite literally costing the earth.

Here’s a break down of the toll that Christmas takes on the environment.

So does this mean we should boycott Christmas altogether? Not at all!

Without sounding too mushy, Christmas is about spreading a little love in the world – to both people and the planet. There are plenty of ways to care for the planet whilst enjoying the festivities.

Now, I’m not saying it’s easy – adverts tell us what the ‘perfect Christmas’ looks like with visions of presents piled high and tables overflowing with food. This is to encourage us to spend heaps more than we normally would.

Christmas can feel like a flop if it doesn’t live up to these expectations. Parents in particular can put a tremendous amount of financial pressure on themselves to deliver a fairytale Christmas for their children. According to TSB bank, almost one in ten would rather get into debt than spend less money.

But do we really need to break the bank to afford Christmas?

Shopping sustainably can cut the costs of Christmas. Here are some sustainable, affordable ideas for a more conscious Christmas.

How to be sustainable without being a scrooge:

CHARITY SHOPS

Charity shops are full of hidden treasures.

I love browsing through the books, vinyls and clothing – pondering their previous owner and what it meant to someone. It’s a treasure hunt but that’s part of the fun – you never know what you’ll find!

Christmas shopping at charity shops is sustainable, ethical and cheap. What’s not to love?

BUY LOCAL

At the click of a button, you can ship your Christmas presents straight to your door. Convenient, right?

Sadly, this doesn’t help local businesses or your carbon footprint.

Supporting local businesses benefits the economy, environment and community. For every £10 spent at an independent shop, £50 goes back into the economy, according to recent research.

EXPERIENCE GIFTS

Gifts don’t have to be material items. Experiences can bring people much more happiness than a present that they might never use.

It’s much less risky than buying physical things, that might end up going to waste. They might even bring you along (win-win).

Think about what they like to do. Going to the cinema, eating out…skydiving? You can find great deals for vouchers on Groupon or Wowcher.

HANDMADE GIFTS

There’s something special about handmade items and they reflect someone’s passion and talent. Buying from local handmade craft makers enables them to flourish and thrive.

Christmas decorations are perfect, themed gifts. Krafted by Katie, based in Stafford, hand-makes beautiful, unique and personalised decorations. These gifts are more sustainable than factory-made decorations and stand the test of time.

MAKE A DONATION

If you know that someone would appreciate a heartfelt gesture, consider making a donation to a charity in their name. Give the money you would have spent on a present to charity.

You can personalise it to the person – for instance, if they love animals, you could donate to Dog’s Trust. Oxfam offer a range of donation gift cards, specialised for Christmas.

• 

A HELPING HAND

Sometimes our time can be more valuable than any present.

A few ideas include: helping an elderly family member around the house or garden, babysitting for a new parent so they can have the night off or looking after someone’s pets if they go away!

LOW-WASTE WRAPPING

Did you know that we’ll use 227,000 miles of wrapping paper over Christmas? The amount we use in the UK alone is enough to stretch to the moon.

Most wrapping paper that we buy from shops cannot be recycled. But there are loads of alternative ways to wrap your presents.

Some options include:

• Recyclable paper – some shops sell plain brown paper, which has less effect on the environment than regular wrapping paper. You can customise it with stamps or tie a fabric ribbon around for a traditional look.
• Gift bags – pop your presents into a stocking or gift bag instead of wrapping them. These are reusable and reduce plastic waste.
• Reuse where possible – save wrapping paper where it has been used for larger presents, as there are less creases in it. Keep a box of ribbons and bows to use next year.

Having a conscious Christmas is about defying commercial standards and thinking about your environmental impact. Incorporating little things into your lifestyle, like buying more gifts from local shops can really start to make a difference.

Cultural expectations are changing and more people are waking up. Everyone has a role to play in caring for the environment and changing our holiday habits is a great place to start.

Do you have any more ideas for a low-waste Christmas? I’d love to hear your suggestions so please feel free to comment!