Enter the ‘Festive Eco-warrior’.

09/12/2020

Step aside, Rudolph! Go to the back of the line, Frosty! There’s a new character in the Christmas line-up…

David Attenborough has made his message loud and clear. We CAN slow climate change down. Every small change that we make DOES make a difference. Here’s our round-up of top festive eco-warrior tips to make your Christmas celebrations better for our planet, and ultimately for you.

1) Jumpers for Joy?

They bring fun (and warmth) to the season and that’s nothing but a good thing, but do we need a new Christmas jumper each year? Research shows that 95%¹ of the Santa sweaters contain plastic. With over 65 million² jumpers already in UK wardrobes, how about starting a new trend where you swap jumpers with your housemates or family members? It could add a whole new hilarity to Christmas Day!

2) The Great Christmas Tree Debate. Fake vs Real

If you already have a plastic tree it is best to keep using it because once it hits landfill it will take 500³ years to break down. If you do need/want to use a real tree then you can always use the limbs of your artificial tree to make wreaths and other festive decorations. When it comes to using a real tree be sure to look out that it is FSC certified⁴. This guarantees that it is grown in Britain, harvested recently and your carbon footprint is much lower than other alternatives. Once the season is over, most local councils will recycle your tree so that it can be used for compost or weed suppressant.⁵

3) Roll out the barrel!

There is high chance there will be an alcoholic beverage or two enjoyed over the season. Depending on the size of your household, you could support your local brewery and rent a keg of beer creating no waste whatsoever. If you are a smaller party then it’s always best to choose beer cans which are packaged in cardboard rather than the 6-ring plastic carrier.
If wine is more your thing then be sure to look out for cork stoppers instead of plastic or aluminium screw caps. Natural cork production has the lowest climate impact⁶ and you can upcycle or recycle the cork – then you’ll be drinking ‘green’ wine!

4) All that glitters is olden

A giant Hooray! to Morrisons, John Lewis and Waitrose who have banned the use of glitter on any of their store-brand Christmas products such as crackers and wrapping paper. Glitter, a devilish micro-plastic has been found in arctic ice⁷ and the bellies of whales. When it comes to wrapping your gifts with a low environmental impact be sure to think of brown paper and twine because over 83 square kilometres⁸ of wrapping paper will be thrown away by Brits alone. If you rolled this out it would cover the island of Jersey.

5) Going cold turkey

With the meat and dairy industry being responsible for more emissions⁹ than all the world’s transport put together, we are being urged to eat less, or no meat.
Plant-based festive meals¹⁰ can be easier on the pocket as well as better for the environment. Other suggestions are to shop as locally as possible. Can you support your independent retailers and buy your festive food with a small carbon footprint? Remember to eat seasonally and as much home-grown produce as possible.

6) Lit up like a Christmas Tree?

If it’s time to consider upgrading your fairy lights then be sure to buy LED bulbs. They may be more expensive to buy initially but they are 80%¹¹ more efficient than traditional lighting. Another bonus is that 95% of the energy used by LEDs is converted into light, with 5% being wasted as heat. (In comparison fluorescent lighting uses the complete opposite – 95% wasted as heat and only 5% turned into light!)

7) There’s no time like the present

Over 21 million of us will receive at least one unwanted¹² gift this Christmas. Shockingly, 6% (that’s over 1 million) of those unwanted presents end up in landfill.
Eco-friendly gift suggestions can be subscriptions to magazines or apps, house-plants, a homemade gift ( knitted, sewn, painted or baked), or even an act of service or the gift of your time ( Can you offer to decorate, do gardening, offer childcare hours or walk the dog etc)