With the big day just around the corner, we’ve put together our top tips for a sustainable Christmas. These simple switches and ideas can help us all to celebrate in a way that’s a bit more planet-friendly, and hopefully inspire some sustainable habits for many Christmases to come!
Eat Seasonally
Think of Christmas, and if you’re anything like us, one of the first things to come to mind is food! Eating seasonally is a great way to live more sustainably and reduce your impact on the environment, cutting down on the airmiles required to get your food to the table—and Christmas is the perfect time for it.
While not all of our Christmas favourites are seasonal—a tub of Celebrations chocolates doesn’t really fit into this advice—there are many classic Christmas foods in season at this time of year, so try heading to your local farmer’s market for your parsnips, potatoes and brussels sprouts! Winter crops make up a big part of our traditional Christmas dinner so you should be able to find them at your local greengrocers, farm shop, or market.
Reduce Food Waste
WIth all the delicious Christmas food sold in the run up to the big day comes the inevitable waste. It’s estimated that 70% of the UK’s food waste comes from households, and with so much festive food on offer at Christmas time, it’s important for us to reduce our food waste as much as possible.
There are plenty of ways to cut down on food waste, from getting creative with leftovers and exploring new recipes to giving unwanted food away to friends and family or inviting them to share. If you’re in need of some inspiration, Love Food Hate Waste is one resource that’s full of information, tips and recipes to help reduce food waste.
Shop Small & Shop Local
It’s not just your fruit and veg that are great to buy locally. Whether it’s Christmas gifts or the cheeses for your cheeseboard, choosing to shop locally and from small and independent businesses not only cuts down on airmiles, but also helps to support your local community.
Explore your local high street or find craft fairs or markets happening near you—and if you’re shopping online, look for independent alternatives to the big name stores.
Gift Wrap Sustainably
When you’ve found the perfect gift, your mind might turn to wrapping. It’s estimated that we get through 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year in the UK alone, so opting for sustainable wrapping solutions is extra important! If you want to use wrapping paper, make sure it’s recyclable—we know that glitter and sparkle look tempting, but glittery or foil wrapping papers aren’t recyclable. If you’re unsure, do the “the scrunch test” to help you work out if wrapping paper is recyclable—or look for the rolls that are clearly marked as such.
Tape isn’t recyclable either, so make sure you remove any tape before recycling the paper—or challenge yourself to wrapping gifts without tape! Another great gift wrap solution is to save and reuse gift bags from previous years—it gives those items a new lease of life, cuts down on waste, and they can be reused by the recipient again the next year!
Opt For Waste-Free Gifts
If you want to skip the gift wrap and the physical gifts altogether, then experience gifts or charity gifts are a great option. From baking or craft courses to memberships, donations, or days out, there are plenty of gifts that don’t need to involve any waste or packaging. DIY gifts are another waste-free idea: homemade Christmas biscuits or fudge can be gifted in reusable tins or jars.
There are waste-free gift ideas for all budgets, and they make great last-minute gift ideas too as there’s no need for shipping times.
20/12/2022 by NatuTeam