Tips for an Eco - Christmas

Christmas has traditionally been the season of indulgence but there are growing concerns that the season of excess puts a strain on our environment.  This Christmas celebrate with an environmentally-friendly Christmas. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get started:

Buy

• locally made
• recycled and second hand
• charity vouchers
• rechargeable batteries for those Christmas toys
• a family experience rather than individual gifts.

Get creative

• recycled secret Santa: re-gift perfectly good ‘stuff’ that doesn’t get used but may be useful to someone else
• family secret Santa = one gift each
• cut down on present purchases by putting together gift baskets for entire families
• make your own vouchers and gift your time or an experience (hiking, picnic, helping in the
  garden)
• make your own gifts such as chutneys, jams, gingerbread, body scrubs, infused olive oil,
  cleaning products, or raw muesli for gluten-free relatives
• give living plants
• help others be plastic free by giving cloth shopping bags, beeswax lunch wraps, and stainless steel
  drink bottles or straws.

Decorations and cards

• send electronic Christmas cards
• make your own cards and decorations
• cut up old Christmas cards to use as tags for presents next year
• save your decorations and other reusable items like wrapping paper, ribbons and gift bags for next year.

Wrapping

• Beautify your gift wrapping. Use fabric, brown paper bags, flax kete, a new tea towel, kid’s paintings, or newspaper, and foliage as decorations.
• Avoid glossy metallic wrapping paper that cannot be recycled.
• Use twine, flax or fabric ribbons instead of tape (which is not recyclable).

Tree

• Buy a different fruit tree each year instead of a Christmas tree – you'll be enjoying the produce in no time.
• Buy a living Christmas tree in a pot to use year after year; you could get a native, a pine tree or even a pine nut tree.
• Build your own driftwood or cardboard tree.

Christmas Dinner

• plan ahead and avoid plastic/throw-away tableware
• recycle leftovers into new recipes
• donate excess food.