Planning a Greener Christmas

October 13, 2008 – 9:13 pm

Being Environmentally friendlier around the house is something we’re all being told to do these days, and most of us are actually listening on some score at least because of the cost to our pockets of not being green.  We’re using energy saving light bulbs, and we are thinking more about the water we use because of meters.   When it comes to Christmas however, how can we plan on being a bit greener but still have a fun time?  With all the Decorations and paper and puds beginning to appear in the shops already (yes I know it’s only October!), maybe now is when we should start thinking, before we start buying.

The first thing to think about is paper!  We buy expensive paper covered in gold and silver to wrap our presents in, cover it in  sticky tape and we don’t really think about how friendly or otherwise it is to the environment.  There are several options that are greener, and not all of them are more expensive, some even work out cheaper in the long run.  The first idea would be to use a gift bag for each family member with their name on it.  This can be bought, or made at home quite easily and you can fill it with all that person’s goodies from you, and then after Christmas, it can be put away until next year.  Another alternative is to use non-metallic paper to do your wrapping with, and use ribbon or string to tie this with instead of that horrid plasticy sticky tape.  Personally, I plan on making lots of shopping bags from scraps of material I’ve picked up in charity shops, and wrapping each person’s presents in one of these, making the wrapping an extra present for them.

What about the present itself.  Well if you’re like many people today you’re worrying already about how expensive Christmas is going to be, and how hard January is going to hit.  Presents can be bought that are just as good, more environmentally friendly AND better for your pocket by the very simple means of looking in charity shops and shops like cash converters, eBay and other similar places that sell second hand goods.  If your son wants a guitar and amp for Christmas, is he REALLY going to care if it’s come from somewhere like this?  Think back to when you were a child… do you remember the presents most? Or do you remember the big family day of everyone being there?  I can only remember a couple of presents I got as a child, mostly the things that make me smile when I look back are the fun of all being there together on the day.  So make a point of looking for second hand computer games, try the charity shops for books & things (I just picked up a copy of the latest Jonathan Kellerman hardback released this year, for 75p and it doesn’t even look read!).

The third element of Christmas where we can all be greener is the food.  Look back over the last few years and think about how much food you bought for Christmas… Think about the ‘extra’ tins of sweets that you were still eating in January, the nuts that you threw away because they were going rotten, and the leftovers that go to waste as well.  Don’t forget, these days shops barely close, so probably only have a couple of days when you can’t get anything you need, and don’t over shop.

Our fourth main element is decoration – trees and lights and tinsel and so on.  Look at what you’ve got.  If it’s ok, re-use it, if it’s not, then again look at places where you can pick things up second hand.  Every year hundreds of people throw decorations away because they’re a bit old or they don’t like those colours any more.  Ask on freecycle, or pop into your local charity shop and see if they have anything, you might find you can decorate your whole house for just a few pence and save lots of really nice items from landfill too.