Simply having a Conscious Christmas time...

potatowaffle
Dec 19, 2019
5 min read

A few tips for a more sustainable Christmas

It's that time of year when marketing goes mad for Christmas time, tempting you to put things in your basket that you really don't need. After everything I've learnt over the past year about sustainability, I thought I'd base my Christmas presents this year around the theme of sustainability. Now by no means am I an expert in this, I'm only really just venturing into how to be a bit more sustainable myself. And like I said in my last post, it's a privilege to be able to commit to sustainable alternatives as sustainability isn't easy or accessible for everyone. Seeing as I'm trying to be a bit more conscious this Christmas, I thought it'd be nice to share a few tips and sustainable alternatives for anyone that's interested in doing it themselves!

Sustainable Gift Ideas:

My number one idea for sustainable presents this Christmas is Experience Gifts. I've been doing these for a while now as I think they hold more value than physical things. Spending time with the person you're buying for and creating memories, whether that be a class or going for dinner together, it's a lovely alternative to physical gifts. More often than not you can end up doing something that's a bit different too as the experience gifts that are on offer can generally be quite quirky. I think it's a lovely thing to do and even better when it's a more sustainable gift option as you're not giving gifts that run the risk of ending up in land-fill. It saves you money through not being a wasted gift and also allows you to spend time with your loved one.

However, experience gifts can sometimes be on the pricey side and especially as a student I know that I do not have the money to buy all my family and friends experiences. This is where I think homemade gifts come in handy. Again, something I've been doing for a while now is making or baking my gifts for family and friends. I tend to go down the route of truffles or chocolate tiffin (I'll link my vegan tiffin recipe at the bottom of the page!). You end up only using the ingredients that you've bought, which saves on the packaging of the ready-made treats, and you can re-use these ingredients until they're all gone, which generally goes a long way. I like to put the things I make into old jars and I decorate them with string and newspaper (or any old gift wrapping things we've collected from previous years to re-use).

Say 'No to New', every week 11 million items of clothing end up in landfill, fast fashion is putting pressure on our planet more than ever and it's important not to give into the pressures to buy new. If you really want to buy your family or friends fashion then opt for buying from a second hand or vintage store. You can find just as good pieces, generally for cheaper too, as well as being more sustainable for the planet.

Plants are also worth thinking about as a gift idea, especially if you know anyone living in a busy city. For anyone who lives and breathes city fumes every day, plants can be a great addition to their home environment as it adds a bit of oxygen to their home, making it a healthier space - as well as being a nice way to SPRUCE up their home (sorry, couldn't help myself).

In general when it comes to gift giving, make sure you know that what you're buying is what the person will want. If you don't necessarily want to ask people what they want, in order to keep an element of surprise, then at least make sure your presents are well thought out and if you are buying new make sure they are things that will be used over and over again and worth the purchase. If you really want to buy friends and family physical objects for gifts, consider second-hand books or go down the route of useful everyday objects like keep-cups for coffee lovers or bamboo toothbrushes, that way you know the things you buy will be worthwhile and used!

Christmas Wrapping:

When it comes to wrapping Christmas presents this year maybe think about what you're using. Most of the wrapping paper we throw in the recycling still isn't actually recyclable because of the plastic, glitter or dye it contains. Some alternatives to store-bought wrapping are recyclable brown paper, old fabrics or newspaper (because who doesn't want the reminder of Brexit on Christmas Day). Another thing worth mentioning is Sellotape isn't recyclable either so try and teach yourself how to wrap using string as an alternative! Alternatively re-use the gift bags and wrapping that you receive, this also saves money too!

A little tip, something that my Mum has always done, is re-using old cards as gift labels! If you like using labels on your presents but don't want to go out and buy some more because of the plastic wrapping or expense, simply cut old Christmas cards in half and write on the back of them! You can also re-use these as Christmas postcards too, saves on buying more cards the next year!

A few extra tips for a Conscious Christmas:

Food waste:

- Make stews or curries out of the leftovers instead of throwing them away as food waste.

- Try and limit animal products over the season.

- Cook meals from scratch, using local produce if you can.

- Donate to your local food bank! We are all so lucky to receive the food we do at Christmas time but more often than not we buy too much for ourselves and not enough for others, consider thinking about those who are without family or food this Christmas.

- Try not to over buy, really think about what and how much you actually need when it comes to food.

Transport:

- Use public transport or car share when visiting family.

In Conclusion...

Don't let the wasteful worries of Christmas bring you down, hopefully some of my suggestions can help you have a more conscious Christmas or at least raise awareness to some of the waste issues Christmas can bring for our planet. Try to stick to simplicity, spend time with your loved ones, connect with nature, and maybe take on a few of the sustainable swaps I've mentioned above. Whatever you choose to do this Christmas (and even for those who don't celebrate it), I wish you all good health and happiness. Remember to look out for those less fortunate at this time of year and make the most of those around you. Thank you for reading, I hope it's been helpful to some of you. Please feel free to share this around and if you want to suggest any tips for a conscious Christmas yourself please let me know and I'll post them on my social media!

For now though, thank you for reading and Merry Christmas!

All my love,

Emily x