Tips for an Eco - Christmas
Published 04 Dec 2019
Christmas has traditionally been the season of indulgence but there are growing concerns that the season of excess puts a strain on our environment. This Christmas celebrate with an environmentally-friendly Christmas. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get started:
Buy
- locally made
- recycled and second hand
- charity vouchers
- rechargeable batteries for those Christmas toys
- a family experience rather than individual gifts.
Get creative
- recycled secret Santa: re-gift perfectly good ‘stuff’ that doesn’t get used but may be useful to someone else
- family secret Santa = one gift each
- cut down on present purchases by putting together gift baskets for entire families
- make your own vouchers and gift your time or an experience (hiking, picnic, helping in the
garden) - make your own gifts such as chutneys, jams, gingerbread, body scrubs, infused olive oil,
cleaning products, or raw muesli for gluten-free relatives - give living plants
- help others be plastic free by giving cloth shopping bags, beeswax lunch wraps, and stainless steel
drink bottles or straws.
Decorations and cards
- send electronic Christmas cards
- make your own cards and decorations
- cut up old Christmas cards to use as tags for presents next year
- save your decorations and other reusable items like wrapping paper, ribbons and gift bags for next year.
Wrapping
- Beautify your gift wrapping. Use fabric, brown paper bags, flax kete, a new tea towel, kid’s paintings, or newspaper, and foliage as decorations.
- Avoid glossy metallic wrapping paper that cannot be recycled.
- Use twine, flax or fabric ribbons instead of tape (which is not recyclable).
Tree
- Buy a different fruit tree each year instead of a Christmas tree – you'll be enjoying the produce in no time.
- Buy a living Christmas tree in a pot to use year after year; you could get a native, a pine tree or even a pine nut tree.
- Build your own driftwood or cardboard tree.
Christmas Dinner
- plan ahead and avoid plastic/throw-away tableware
- recycle leftovers into new recipes
- donate excess food.