This morning I noticed that
Shinningstar had posted an article re the amount of waste we generate at Christmas.
This got me thinking - it's got to be the most commercial and wasteful event of the year, so surely it's an ideal thing to start trying to "green"
Let's see what ideas we can come up with - if you have any ideas how to have a more sustainable Christmas, please add them on. Some may be more expensive, but others, I'm sure, will help you save money. Is there anything you do each year, or anything that you'd like to do? Let's see what we can come up with...
For a start:
Food
If you must have meat, then go organic and locally farmed
Order a box for your fruit and veg (Abel and Cole do a great Christmas box for those of you who are in the UK, and they'll deliver it anywhere in the UK. Ideally though, look for more local schemes - may be the local farmer does something as a special for Christmas.
Don't over do it - I know Christmas is a time when the diet is out of the window, but that doesn't mean you have to buy and cook 3 times the normal amount (I can never work out why everyone else seems to be loading their trolley so high at Christmas - OK, you've got guests, but that must mean that they are buying less...)
Presents
try to make them - if you've got kids, there are loads of sites around for ideas for present making. Try here for a start. Or why not try making sweets - marzipan or fudge - and then making a box to put them in. Homemade gifts are appreciated so much more, generally cost a lot less, and are more likely to be used / eaten.
I remember making lots of pencil pots for family out of toilet roll holders covered in fabric or painted - I'm sure my Granny still uses hers now.
Travel
On the day, walk or cycle, don't drive - it means you can have a drink as well. Or at least have one person on pick up / drop off duty so that there aren't so many cars on the roads. Walking or cycling helps you build the appetite and then work off the enormous meal you have.
Have the smaller group of family / friends travel to the larger group - few people, less pollution, less cost.
Decorations
Again, make them. Use last year's Christmas cards - cut out shapes, stick glitter on them and hang them on the tree.
Make a snow man out of a toilet roll covered in cotton wool, with a ball of wool for the head and stick on eyes, nose and mouth.
Rather than lots of tinsel (nasty plastic.....) make traditional paper chains to trail across the room - you could even paint newspaper and cut it into strips to use.
For wrapping, well try not to go overboard - the paper is bad enough (make sure you recycle the waste and the paper after opening) but the curling ribbon is not good..... so try using jute or string instead. You can have some very stylish wrapping with brown paper and jute string.
I could go on for ages with ideas of gifts to make for various members of the family, but I'll stop for now. If you've any ideas, please add them on.
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Replying to this comment:
I heard a very relevant point today - Christmas lights! Well they are a big culprit at Christmas, especially as people cover their houses more and more with garish (sorry, but I have never really liked them) moving lights. Not only does that put pressure on the bank balance, but on the environment. Really think twice before lightly the house up for weeks on end.
There's another point - more people put their trees up earlier now than they used to. In many parts of Europe tradition says the tree doesn't go up until Christmas Eve, and here in the UK it used to be 12 days before, not on the 1st Christmas.
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