CHRISTMAS

Have a merry, green Christmas!

A sustainable Christmas definitely doesn’t need to lack festive cheer! 

Read on to see our favourite tips for a greener Christmas, including eco-friendly Christmas gifts, suggestions for reusable or recyclable wrapping paper, crackers, cards and decorations, and tips on eating locally and sustainably this Christmas (everything tastes better when it’s guilt-free!).

With a few small changes to your Christmas habits, you really can make a difference.

Gift Sustainably

Give Back

  • Gift a book to a child. Try local charity shops - you’ll be amazed at the good quality books you can find.

  • Help wrap Christmas presents for people in care homes.

  • Donate new, unused toys to a toy library, charity shop or refugee collection centre.

Buy local, second-hand, recyclable gifts! 

  • Visit a local refill store (here’s a handy guide before you visit one).

    The Green Stores in Croxley Green has some wonderful gifts.

  • Try out a sustainable online store like ecomarketstore; based locally and has some lovely ideas for presents.

  • Looking for sustainable gifts? Check out the Rickmansworth Winter Fair on Friday 25th November from 4 - 9pm or why not come along to the monthly Rickmansworth Sunday Market on November 27th from 11am - 3pm which specialises in sustainable produce and gifts.

  • Visit a local brewery, like Creative Juices on Woodoaks Farm.

“Is it Reusable or Recyclable?”

Plastic-Free Christmas Crackers

Every year, over 40 Million crackers are thrown away!  That’s an awful lot of non-recyclable, glittery card and single-use plastic heading straight into landfill, but this doesn’t mean we have to miss out on the fun of pulling crackers and telling corny jokes at the Christmas table..

A quick search for eco-friendly crackers will bring up plenty of options; including RSPB Plastic Free Christmas Crackers.

If you want to make them more exciting, why not have a go at filling your own crackers?  Choose gifts that will be valued and used. You could also invest in some after-dinner games that you can bring out year after year.

Recycle your wrapping paper (or reuse!)

DEFRA have said that each year in the UK we use enough paper at Christmas to wrap the island of Guernsey; other studies say if rolled out, it would reach the moon! So why does this matter?  Unfortunately, not all Christmas paper can be recycled, because it is made with shiny foil and glitter, and can include harmful dyes and chemicals.

Remember to look out for eco friendly alternatives. Here are some more eco-friendly alternatives to try:

  • Eco-friendly wrapping paper

  • Reusable present bags

  • Sari fabric or Japanese furoshiki can look beautiful

  • Vintage tins, tea-towels and scarves.

  • Save your magazines. They make an ‘interesting read’ wrapping!

Choose Sustainable Christmas Cards

We all love to receive Christmas cards, and it can be a great way to keep in touch with far flung friends and relatives, but with some reports stating that up to 33 million trees are used each year in their production, perhaps it’s time to think of alternatives.  

Cards with glitter, foil and plastic cannot be recycled and nor can much of their packaging, making the problem worse.   Here are some greener ideas to try:

Decorations that won’t cost the earth

  • Many of us love to decorate our homes - inside and out! Here are some ideas for festive decorations that will last for years to come, support the workers who made them and make use of recycled and/or recyclable materials!

  • Etsy is an online marketplace of people making and selling unique items - wreaths, tree decorations, garlands - all things Christmassy! By buying on Etsy, you can support small businesses, people and the planet.

  • Bread & Roses is an award-winning charity on a mission to help women from refugee backgrounds thrive through floristry training programmes and more.  As well as empowering their workers, each evergreen wreath features locally sourced foliage, berries and pine cones from Wetherly flower farm in Hertfordshire. @wearebreadandroses

  • Alternatively, you could try making your own wreath with locally foraged materials.  

    Chorleywood parish council is running wreath workshops at the War Memorial Hall. @chorleywood_parish

    Woodoaks Tea Shack also has wreath making sessions. @theteashackwoodoaks

  • Christmas scented candles really help to get everyone into a festive mood.   For an eco-option, look out for sustainable soy-wax candles with natural botanical scents.  You could try Gold Moss Candles, available on Etsy.  They use natural ingredients, plastic free packaging, and even better, plant a tree for every sale! @goldmosscandles

  • Decorate your home with Arena Flowers who pride themselves on being the most ethical florist in the UK.  From paying a living wage at every stage in their supply chain, to sourcing their flowers ethically and leading the way on banning single-use plastics, their commitment to sustainability is clear. They also plant 2 trees with every delivery! @arena_flowers

 

Cook Up A Seasonal Festive Feast

Look out for fresh seasonal ingredients grown in the UK for a quintessential Christmas feast which is kind to the planet.   Not sure where to start?  Try these tips:

  • Switch your online shop to organic, UK grown and mostly reusable, recyclable packaging with Riverford or Able & Cole!

  • Get Milk & More delivered in reusable, glass bottles by an electric milk float (just like the ‘good old days’!)   As the name suggests, they deliver much more than just milk to your doorstep.  They stock a lovely range of sustainable and eco-friendly treats too, as well as green household essentials to keep you going over the festive period.

  • Take a look online for seasonal recipe suggestions.   Could you try BBC Good Food, or Riverford.

  • Don’t forget to support our local zero waste refill stores when doing your Christmas shopping.   The Green Stores in Croxley has plenty of ingredients for your festive feast, including flour for baking, dried fruit, nuts and seeds and the all important chocolate!

Love Your Left-Overs - Avoid Food Waste

Food waste is a big contributor to climate change, with rotting left-overs contributing 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions.

We all know that often Boxing Day leftovers are better than the Christmas Day feast itself, so let’s embrace our surplus food and make it work for us and the planet!  

Here are a few suggestions:

  • Make sure you plan ahead, making a menu-plan and checking use by and best before dates.   Shop mindfully and don’t be taken in by seemingly too-good-to-miss offers!  How much can you really eat over the festive period?

  • Buy loose produce, so you only get what you need.  Cuts down on plastic too!

  • Freeze what you don’t need.  Run down your freezer stocks in advance so you have space.

  • Consider donating to your local food bank.  There are plenty of people in our local area not lucky enough to have excess food at Christmas.

Google ideas for using up your leftovers. This article from Jamie Oliver is a great example.

 

Artificial Christmas trees. Are they really more sustainable? 

Each year we buy and dispose of over 6 million fresh Christmas trees in the UK.  This is a huge waste of resources with a substantial environmental impact, but are artificial trees really the best alternative?

Artificial trees are a mix of plastic & metal, which makes them not easily recyclable. As such, they end up in land-fill sites where they won’t easily degrade. An artificial tree may last several years in your home, but will last for centuries in a landfill!

As a more sustainable option you could try renting a tree or buying a potted tree from Chesham Christmas Tree Farm

At the time of writing, we haven’t been able to locate any Christmas tree rental services close enough to our local area so that the environmental cost of delivery won’t outweigh the benefits (this is something we’ll work on for next year!).

If you do choose a natural cut tree this year, please remember to recycle your Christmas Tree and your wrapping paper with Three Rivers District Council.