No matter what happens this Christmas
make it green with our top 12 tips
Christmas - it's a little different this year
Christmas is a wonderful time of year; a time when families and friends can come together and celebrate all the good things in life, and each other, a time when we can look back at the year gone back and be grateful, or commiserate, and make plans for the year ahead.
This year will be a little different and for many of us, it may be a lonelier time than usual, with big Christmas parties and family dinners off the table, and vulnerable relatives potentially shielding.
And even though there’s zoom, it’s just not the same is it?
We're dreaming of a green Christmas
This year, no matter what happens though, we can still all celebrate sustainably.
Sadly, for all the wonderful things about Christmas, it’s also become the time of year where we consume and waste the most.
In fact, we waste three times more stuff at Christmas than at any other time of year.
But enough with the doom and gloom! We’re here to help with…
Our top 12 tips for having a sustainable Christmas
- Make your own gifts. Handmade presents are the perfect way to save money and give a loved one something from the heart
- Rent a Christmas tree. Sign up for next year at London Christmas Tree Rental, or buy yourself a forever tree from The Stem
- Craft like a boss. Use recyclable materials or reuse last year’s cards and turn them into gift tags
- Buy upcycled gifts. There are loads of cool, alternative products made from recycled materials. We love these from Protect the Planet
- Gift your time or make a donation. Charities need you more than ever this year
- Give second-hand a go! Buy your festive outfit from a charity shop or clothes-swap with family and friends
- Pay it forward.
Support a struggling London-based business with a donation using the Mayor of London’s Pay It Forward scheme - Gift your skills. Mentor a young Londoner at ReachOut and watch them bloom
- Recycle your wrapping paper. But remember, if you scrunch it and it springs back open, it can’t be recycled (why not reuse it instead?)
- Recycle your Christmas tree. Many councils collect them for free, or pick them up from drop-off points
- Recycle your leftover Christmas dinner. Bones, tea bags, fruit and veg peelings can all be recycled in your council food waste collection
- Recycle unwanted gifts. If you have some lovely gifts that aren’t for you, give them to someone else or donate to a charity shop.
