Photo by Niklas Ohlrogge on Unsplash
The festive season is well-upon us, and we thought we'd share some of our volunteers' tips on how to make your holidays as eco-friendly as possible! Christmas is often associated with high costs and a lot of waste, and we want to show you that with some low-effort swaps this doesn't necessarily have to be the case!
Eco-Friendly Decorations
Making your own decorations is a great way to get creative with less, and it's a great thing to do with housemates, friends or family while you're watching a festive film.
- DIY snowflakes using scrap paper
- Paper chains! You can use magazines, newspapers or coloured paper to make some eye-catching decorations
- Knitted Christmas decor like these cute decorations
- If in doubt, second-hand! Charity shops often have plenty of tinsel, baubles etc
- Make your own nature-friendly, glitter-free reindeer food, using oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit!
- Oven-dried orange slices or orange skin are perfect for making sweet-scented festive garlands!
- Avoid the plastic waste of Christmas crackers by making your own, using loo roll tubes (and writing your own jokes...)
Cards and Gifts
Putting a little thought and planning into gifts allows you to give personal and sustainable presents for loved ones!
- When buying cards, look for recycled cards that are free from glitter - this makes them possible to recycle
- Making your own Christmas cards is also a great (and cheap) option if you're feeling crafty!
- Alternatively, instead of sending paper cards, why not send e-cards instead? An online note has the lowest impact in terms of carbon & saves money on postage
- When it comes to DIY gifts, a great idea is handmade bakes! From fudge to biscuits to chocolate, try your best chef skills and cook up some delicious gifts for friends and family
- Or make some upcycled candles - follow volunteer Natasha's tutorial for upcycling your candle wax to make brand new candles, which is great for gifting!
- For other DIY gifts, think about repurposed items - there are many things you can do with everyday goods to make gifts, from snow globes out of old jars to lamps from old wine bottles!
- Alternative sustainable gifts include virtual things like buying memberships, experiences or charitable donations, which reduces any physical waste
- Again, think second-hand: if you have like-minded friends or family, agree that gifts you exchange will be from second-hand sources such as charity shops. This reduces the cost to your wallet and to the planet
Wrapping Gifts
When it comes to wrapping your presents, these tips can help you be less wasteful and still provide special-looking gifts:
- You can wrap presents with newspaper, or magazines
- Or even the packaging from your Who Gives A Crap loo roll for a bit of colour!
- Turn old greetings cards into gift tags
- Try reusable alternatives such as Furoshiki, and the fabric gift wrap cloths we stock in the shop at WNW!
- If you do use paper wrapping paper, look for recycled options & glitter-free paper, and make sure it passes the scrunch test
- Look for plastic-free tape options! This includes washi tape or even the new plastic-free Sellotape
Food
Food waste (and food's other environmental impacts) are very common at this time of year, but with some planning ahead you can help to reduce it:
- These days there are tons of vegan and vegetarian versions of Christmas classics! From mince pies to pigs in blankets, there are many yum plant-based options available which help you do your bit for sustainability
- Save food waste by not peeling your carrots and parsnips - just give them a good scrub and chop off the ends
- Plan ahead to avoid buying (and wasting) too much food
Waste
- Finally, and importantly, don't forget to save up your plastic waste for recycling in our Terracycle schemes once we reopen the shop in the New Year! We will collect any of your cheese, chocolate and cracker wrappers (and much more!)
Comments
Post a Comment
What are your thoughts? Let us know!