Being an Eco conscious person and a lover of nature I want to share with you five top tips that will ensure your local land fill is left wanting this Christmas! Here we go and remember have fun!!!
1- Christmas Tree - Lets start with the Christmas tree - some people prefer a real Christmas tree while others prefer an artificial one. Which ever one you like, remember the natural one is the most biodegradable. I was surprised to read recently that you can replant the used Christmas tree in your garden to use again the next year, I don't know how well this would work as I haven't tried it. If you opt for a real one make sure it has been sourced from a sustainable forest.
2- Christmas baubles - Everyone likes the shine and glitter of new Christmas baubles but lets consider if we really need to go out and buy new ones this year. Dust down last years supply and save some money and the environment. You can make some really nice homemade decorations for the tree eg. cinnamon sticks tied together with some fine red ribbon - delightful aroma! So not only do they look good but the smell is wonderful as well. With a little imagination you can create some interesting pieces for Christmas. Another example is to make your own holly wreath for your front door. Simply get a piece of wire ( an old wire coat hanger will do) make it into a circle and go foraging in nature for your holly, pine cones, ivy and leaves from conifers. Get the family involved and enjoy!
3 - Wrapping paper - We all love to give and indeed receive presents that are nicely wrapped. Lets make an effort this Christmas and instead of buying the traditional brightly coloured Christmas paper lets try wrapping our presents in brown recycled paper and add a gorgeous red satin ribbon or whatever colour of ribbon you prefer. It immediately looks like you have made an effort - which in fact you have and people will be more inclined to follow the recycle principle! Just think - you wont have black bulging waste sacks piled up outside your home - because lets face it -the amount of packaging waste we accumulate over Christmas is huge.
4- Shopping -There are lots of ways we can be environmentally aware when it comes to shopping. The first thing I think of is the shopping bag! Plastic bags will hopefully become a thing of the past but not without a huge effort on our part. I have a few organic bags that I take with me when shopping. I believe every little helps. When I go grocery shopping I have reusable grocery bags which work a treat - The Sainsbury's of this world need to be given a clear message that the packaging they put on food is utterly ridiculous. We don't need our cucumber to be wrapped in plastic, If your budget allows, buy organic and fair trade products. You are not only buying food free from chemicals but you are supporting the farmers who get a decent wage and a fair market price for their produce.
5 - Christmas cards - Just thinking about alternatives and the savings that could be made - don't think Royal Mail would be a big fan of thinking about alternatives! Think of the rain forest how much of it is used for our consumerism? I have come up with the following suggestions - an ecard, home made Christmas card, special Christmas text and if you do send shop bought Christmas cards then it would be great to put them in a recycle bank straight after Christmas.
This concludes my Top Five Tips for a Greener Christmas and remember every little helps and just being that little bit more aware of the consequences of our actions. Most importantly whatever you get up to have fun and plenty of 'craic' over the festive period.
PS one last thing if you are looking for that special Christmas gift for a baby or child up to six years you could check out my website www.organicbabyclothesdirect.com to see my fabulous range of organic and fair trade clothing and gift sets. Just to make it a little easier on your wallet I am offering free Postage and free gift wrapping. All items will be wrapped in acid free tissue paper secured with an organic baby clothes direct sticker.
Warm wishes
Jacqueline x Millie x
