Christmas & Holiday Tips!

Banner image by pikisuperstar on Freepik

Tips to make Christmas more eco-friendly and sustainable, this year

• Wrapping paper & presents

  • Try to use paper that can be recycled

  • Try to use paper that doesn't have glitter or uses mixed materials

  • Create your own using brown packaging paper and use stencils or stamps to decorate

  • Think about giving donations, tickets to something or an experience instead of presents

  • Ask what people want to minimise wastage

  • Think about the longevity of a gift. Will it be thrown away in a couple of months?

  • What about volunteering, together? Giving the gift of your time

  • Second-hand toys aren't always a bad option

• Christmas Cards

  • Same as wrapping paper, use cards that can be recycled and cards with no glitter

  • Try giving out cards made out of seeded paper. Recipients can toss cards in their garden to grow wildflowers; see examples here and here. 

• Vegetarian/Vegan Christmas?

  • If having no meat at Christmas isn't "on the table", think about your side dishes. No sausage meat in your stuffing, no pancetta/bacon with the sprouts?

• Shop Local

  • For presents and food, be conscious of what you buy and it's carbon footprint. Shop small and local to help!

  • What about tickets to your local theatre?

  • What about a seasonal veg box?

  • A fruit tree or plant?

  • Sponsoring a child or an endangered animal? Or an animal at a local zoo/farm?

• Christmas Crackers

  • No one really likes Christmas cracker gifts, right? Make your own out of fabric or buy crackers that are eco-friendly and have no plastic gifts inside, like these from the RSPB or these from Cancer Research UK. Peace with the Wild also sell plastic-free Christmas items. 

• Lights

  • Try to use LED lights, where you can, which use less energy

  • Try adding your lights to a timer so they are only one for a short period of time

• Christmas Parties

  • Instead of buying new clothes, buy "pre-loved" or used clothes from eBay, Vinted, charity shops, etc. 

• Christmas Trees

  • Many charities will collect and recycle your live trees for a donation

  • The Coventry and Warwickshire Charity Christmas Tree Collection will collect and donate funds to the Myton Hospice and Pass The Smile. 

What about other holidays?

• Bandi Chhor Divas / Diwali

  • Avoid using disposable cutlery

  • Try to plan food accurately to avoid food waste

  • When donating food to the Gurdwara or Mandir, use items with longer shelf lives to avoid waste. Look at large quantity items to reduce packaging waste

  • Reuse old candles before buying new

  • Try using solar powered lighting

• Bonfire Night

  • Try to visit larger displays rather than doing your own at home. Professional displays use a reduced amount of plastic

  • Organise a litter picking group, post-event, to help tidy an area

  • Alternatives to fireworks can be a laser or light projection display

  • Don't use sky lanterns

  • Try this "firework-in-a-jar" experiment!