Creation Care 

 

Ten Tips for a Green Christmas

1  Buy recyclable wrapping paper.

In Britain every Christmas we throw away 226,800 miles of wrapping paper. When buying paper, avoid shiny metallic or ‘foiled’ paper which can’t be recycled. Brown paper with a fabric (reusable!) ribbon looks super-stylish; if you have kids, get them to decorate brown paper with potato stamps or crayons and felt-tip pens. Or make the wrapping a part of the present by using a scarf or piece of fabric. And remember to recycle the paper you’re given wherever possible. As a rough guide, if you scrunch paper and it doesn't spring back, then it can be recycled.
 

2  Do a reverse Advent Calendar.

This is a lovely family activity to get kids thinking and help counteract the consumerism of Christmas. Every day in Advent, take it in turns to choose an item needed by Wimborne Food Bank and place it in a box or basket ready to be donated.
 

3  Avoid wasting food.

Each year we throw away the equivalent of 4 million Christmas dinners in Britain, and the average UK family wastes £700 of food a year. Christmas is a time when we are most likely to overbuy (and overeat!), and so food waste increases even more. To avoid wasting food:
• Plan your meals and stick to your shopping list.
• Only take advantage of ‘buy one get one free’ offers if you know you will use them up.
• Don’t confuse ‘best before’ dates with ‘use by’ dates: ‘best before’ dates are usually very conservative and food can be safely consumed past these.
• Love your leftovers! Cover, cool and store in the fridge (or freeze for future enjoyment – see it as a homemade ready meal). Eat them as they are the next day, or get creative and turn them into new meals.
• If you get given more chocolates than you can eat, donate them to Wimborne Food Bank.
• If you have surplus food close to its use-by date, donate it to Wimborne Community Food Supply at the Allendale or try a food-sharing app like Olio.
• Compost all those potato peelings if you can!
 

4  Include some vegetarian meals in your Christmas catering.

If you have time at home over the Christmas break, use it to do some experimenting in the kitchen! Eating less meat is one of the best ways to reduce our individual carbon footprint, and a veggie or vegan meal can be a refreshing change from meat-heavy celebration meals. Perhaps you could start a Veggie Christmas Eve tradition…
 

5  Give gifts that people actually want.

Each year, the UK spends about £700 million on unwanted presents. Ask people what they would like for Christmas. Buy things that they will enjoy using, rather than festive novelties likely to be discarded within days. Toiletries and socks may seem clichéd but they are likely to be used! You can be doubly environmental by going for plastic-free toiletries (soaps, shampoo and conditioner bars) available from shops like Lush, or sustainable bamboo socks.
 

6  Give an ethically sourced or Fairtrade or homemade or preloved gift.

Rather than giving gifts of unknown origin, choose something that benefits the makers. There are many ethical and charity shops online, such as the Fairtrade Shop, Ethical Superstore, Ethical Shop, the Unicef shop. High street charity shops often have books and gifts that look like new; remember that second-hand is always the most environmental shopping choice! Gifts are tokens of affection; if you have time, something homemade is naturally personal.
 

7  Don’t give a gift at all!

Talk to your friends and family about what they really want for Christmas. Some people might be relieved to make a pact not to exchange gifts, saving money, time and stress. Others might prefer to receive a charity gift, and feel good that their Christmas has helped people in the Majority World or has planted a tree. Or you could agree to exchange inexpensive experiences instead of objects, like taking each other out for tea in the dark days of January.

8  Choose your Christmas tree carefully.

Millions of Christmas trees, both real and artificial, are thrown away every year. If you choose a real Christmas tree, consider buying a living one that can be planted after Christmas or find out whether your council will compost your tree. You can book a tree collection with local charity Diverse Abilities for a £10 donation and they will dispose of it responsibly (https://diverseabilities.org.uk/trees). You can even hire a tree that goes back to be replanted after Christmas. Look for sustainably grown trees (e.g. ones that carry the Forest Stewardship Council ‘FSC’ logo). And if you have an artificial tree, treasure it! Look after it carefully and reuse it for as many years as possible.
 

9  Save energy.

• If you put up Christmas lights, choose LED ones – they use 95% less energy than traditional bulbs.
• Fibre optic trees and decorations are the ultimate in energy efficiency, often using only a single light bulb located at the base of the unit to light the entire decoration.
• Wait until dark to turn on your Christmas lights and turn them off before you go to bed (set a timer if you forget).
• If you have guests, you may find that you can turn the thermostat down thanks to the extra heat provided by those extra bodies!
• When using your oven, bake several dishes at once.
• When cooking on the hob, put lids on your saucepans to speed up cooking and save energy.
 

10  Remember the reason for the season.

Take time to sit quietly. Go for a walk in the park. Listen. Say a prayer. Thank God for Jesus.