Finding sustainable ideas for Christmas is easy and can also be great fun. As preparations for Christmas are now in full swing, you can enjoy making some of your own decorations and looking at ways to be more sustainable over the festive period. We’ve put together these ideas to help you make this your most sustainable Christmas yet.
1. Choose a Christmas Tree
Consider the environmental impact of your tree purchase. Plastic trees are not recyclable, but can be used for many years. Most real Christmas tree farms replant after removing a mature tree, but consider how you will responsibly dispose of it. Council recycling schemes are best.
2. Growing Your Own Food
Eating your homegrown vegetables and sharing them with your friends and family for Christmas dinner is satisfying! The homegrown flavour will delight everyone, and there are plenty of Christmas vegetables that you can grow at home, even in a small space. Christmas potatoes, butternut squash, kale, sprouts, leeks, parsnips, and cabbage are all examples of what you can grow for Christmas, which will mean less expense, food miles, and better taste.
3. Making Your Own Decorations
Get creative and plan a few hours for making some nature-based decorations. Use pine cones, twigs, acorns, and anything you have collected from outside to paint with biodegradable glitter and make into tree decorations with brown string. Use brown paper to make your own paper chains in festive shapes and sizes, which can then be recycled or used again if still holding up the following year.
4. Recycled Gifts and Cards
Re-gifting is a great thing to do, so nothing goes to waste. Gifting plants and cuttings, seeds you saved, or even vegetables you’ve grown are all ways to gift sustainably. Many Christmas cards have been made with recycled materials and can be recycled to limit the amount of waste. You could also try to make your own.
5. Shopping Locally
One of the best ways to have a sustainable Christmas is to shop and support local businesses. This can help to reduce transportation, and often you will find handmade products, recycled gifts, and something thoughtful or personal. You could discover handmade plant pots, jewellery, and toiletries at a local Christmas fair, on the high street and in your local garden centre. Don’t forget to look in local charity stores as well.
Visit us this Christmas to find gifts for your friends and family.
