Every year, Christmas places a heavy burden on the earths resources and our environment. However, it is the major festival in Britain, offering lots of fun to millions. We don’t want to be killjoys but we would like to reduce its environmental impact.
Luckily, with a little thought and a bit of information we can significantly reduce its impact, save money and actually have more fun.
On this page you can find out how to reduce the waste you produce over the festive season and recycle what you do produce, as well as how to save energy (from the increased use of all those new electrical appliances) and money and have a green Christmas!
Here's our top tips for a green Christmas in Colchester.
Christmas Cards
- Why not send an e-card instead of a paper card this year. This is becoming increasingly popular, with senders sometimes donating the money they have saved on cards and postage to a favourite charity. Send a free ecard now
- When Christmas is over don't just throw your old Christmas Cards away - recycle them. Why not help the Woodland Trust or Forest Stewardship Council by recycling all your old Christmas Cards through the recycling bins at branches of Marks and Spencer until 31st January 2014 and Sainsburys until 14th January 2014.
- If this is to much effort for you, just pop them in your kerbside paper collection.
- Don't forget to keep a handful to make your own gift tags for next year.
Christmas Tree
- If you buy a real Christmas Tree make sure you buy it from a sustainable source. For suppliers of UK-grown sustainable Christmas trees check out www.christmastree.org.uk. Try to buy it from a local producer.
- When Christmas is over recycle your real tree by cutting it up and putting it in with your green waste kerbside collection. Alternatively, if you are visiting the zoo see if they want it to use in the animal enclosures. Otherwise, you can recycle it at your local Household Recycling Centre.
Christmas Dinner and all that food and drink
- Buy local, seasonal, winter vegetables (these include sprouts, carrots, cabbage, leeks, onions, parsnips, swede, potatoes and nuts such as walnuts and chestnuts). Visit your local Farmers' Market or Farm shop and pick up some quality local produce to give yourself a treat at Christmas. Find your local market or producer at www.localfoodharvest.org
- For those foods where you can't buy local choose Fairtrade, organic fruit, nuts and chocolate (visit http//:www.fairtrade.org.uk for a list of Fairtrade product in your shops)
- Buy bottles of wine with real corks. Not a single tree is cut down in their production – just a small part of the bark is removed leaving the tree alive. In fact insisting on real cork helps maintain one of the most environmentally friendly industries possible. It provides essential employment for the people who work in the cork forests of the Mediterranean and helps to maintain vital habitats for the endangered wildlife of these forests such as the Iberian lynx, Spanish Imperial eagle and the Barbary deer
Buying Presents
- Don't buy useless presents that the recipients don't want. What about taking them out for a meal, the cinema or buying a season ticket for the local football team or local zoo for a present to remember. Better than another pair of socks.
- Try and buy environmentally friendly and useful gifts. What about a bike instead of some electronic game that is discarded on boxing day. Or something very useful but unusual for your elderly relatives like cavity wall insulation that makes a real difference to there quality of life.
- We are all a little time poor these days so why not give a little time instead of money. Use your imagination but what about offering a foot or head massage, makeovers, dinner or the washing up.
Unwanted Presents
- Give all your unwanted presents along with old clothes, toys etc that may have been replaced to local charity shops or Community Group or on giveortake, freegle or sell them on ebay
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Recycle all your Christmas waste
- At Christmas thousands of extra drink cans and bottles are produced. Don't just throw them away. Make sure you recycle all your glass bottles, cans, aluminium foil, paper and cardboard through your kerbside collection scheme or recycling banks. If you use the recycling banks please remember they are normally overflowing during the festive period so it would be helpful if you could spread your visit to the banks over a longer period.
- Recycle your corks and perforated bottle tops (the type used on beer bottles) at en-form.
Stamps
- Save your old Stamps - It won't be long before Christmas cards start arriving through the post. This year tear off the old stamp and give it to charity. Many charities, schools, churches and clubs save old stamps which they sell for money. You can hand them in at many of the towns charity shops.
Save Energy at Christmas
Christmas is a time of particularly high energy consumption. The whole house is heated as extra family members return for the holidays. Lights, televisions and stereos are left on and cooking appliances are used more heavily. Not to mention the energy needed to power all those electric gadgets bought as presents.
Being careful with your energy usage at this time of year can save your household considerable money. Visit the Energy section to find out how to save energy at home.
- Many gadgets bought for Christmas require batteries, which cost money and need to be disposed of. Try to buy things that don't need batteries but can be run from the mains or are rechargeable. If you have to buy batteries make sure they are rechargeable ones, preferably Nimh – they last a lot longer and save you money into the bargain.
- You could also purchase gifts that use renewable energy, for example solar powered (or wind up) radio's and torches and mobile phone chargers.
How to have a Green Christmas:
http://www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Green_Christmas.html
http://www.ecocentric.co.uk/acatalog/green-christmas.html
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-have-a-green-christmas/
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