Eco Tips

Each month we will be sharing ideas of things you can do to shrink your carbon footprint and combat climate change. They will range from easy and cheap challenges to really life-changing ones.

We hope you’re up for the challenge, but please do what you can as it all helps. If there’s anything you’d like to know more about, or a topic you’d like us to cover in future, do let us know.

Liz Francis

This Month's Eco Tips: Christmas

With Christmas coming soon (yippee!) our Eco Tips this month & next are focused on tips for an eco-friendly Christmas. It’s a bumper edition as there are so many little things you can do to make a big difference. So maybe make yourself a brew and take 5 minutes to read through and choose what you’d like to do.

Gifts:
• Give a gift to charity as a gift – e.g. a Gatehouse backpack
• Challenge yourself to fill a stocking with only second-hand items
• Secret Santa – each person buys one big thing for one other rather than little things for everyone
• Buy ethical chocolate (https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/shopping-guide/ethical-chocolate)
• Shop locally & from independent shops
• Give an experience rather than more stuff
• Offer your time with a gift voucher – take someone for a coffee, babysit, clean their house
• Avoid buying from Amazon (https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/retailers/ten-reasons-avoid-amazon-christmas)
• Get crafty and make gifts – knitting, scrapbook, plant bulbs, candles, sweets…
• Give something which is pre-loved or refurbished
• Buy gifts with little or no packaging
• Sustainable gift ideas: https://olioapp.com/en/sustainable-living/50-sustainable-christmas-gift-ideas/
• If you’re buying online, choose slower, grouped delivery
• If you can, spend more for things that will last

• Adopt an animal as a gift

Wrapping:
• Wrap in newspaper, magazines, FSC-certified brown paper, fabric that can be reused, recycled paper & ribbon. Reuse paper gift bags from past presents

• Wrap in a tote bag that the recipient can reuse
• Use paper tape rather than plastic
• Ditch the gift tags and just write on the paper
• If wrapping paper stays scrunched, it can be recycled. Make sure you remove plastic tape before recycling

Cards:
• Make your own
• Send e-cards
• Tell people you’re not sending cards and donate to charity instead
• Look for cards with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) mark. This guarantees the paper has been produced sustainably and ethically.
• Try plantable cards
• Recycle or compost your cards in January or turn them into decorations or gift tags for next year

Decorations:
• Real Christmas trees – rent one, grow your own, check it has been grown sustainably (FSC approved). https://thetreebarn.co.uk/farming-sustainably
Recycle your Christmas tree at a local collection point – e.g. the Cattle Market car park in Thame
• If you have an artificial tree, keep using it!
If you’re not sure what type of tree to have, check this out: https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/real-vs-artificial-christmas-trees
• Make your own decorations – e.g. for the tree, bunting, origami, pomanders, wreath, pine cones & holly leaves on the table
• Avoid tinsel! Those little bits that end up sprinkled all over the house are plastic.
• If you must have glitter, used a plant-based one
• Make or buy reusable advent calendars
• Turn off your Christmas lights overnight and when you are out the house to save energy
• To save electricity, use fewer lights and make sure you use LED ones. Put your lights on a timer so they can turn off automatically at a certain time.
• Use eco-friendly candles made from beeswax, soy or other vegetable alternatives. Avoid paraffin-based candles

Food:
• Make sure your advent calendar is Fairtrade
• Write lists of everything you need before you shop
• Try to shop locally, and choose seasonal produce (that includes Brussels sprouts!)

• Get a local veg box delivery - often they're from local farms, plastic-free and are full of wonky-looking veg
• Buy bigger drinks bottles as you’ll create less waste than lots of small ones
• Don’t buy items just because they’re traditional if no one actually enjoys them. Most of Christmas dinner’s carbon footprint is from the life cycle of your turkey!
• Make space in your freezer for leftovers, or get creative and turn them into something else
• Offer guests a doggy bag as they go home, so everyone can enjoy using up the leftovers
• Avoid palm oil (https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethical-christmas/palm-oil-guide-christmas-food)
• Invite people round – it reduces energy consumption as you share heating and cooking!
• Try a meat-free/free-range/organic Christmas meal

• Eat less meat and dairy which have big carbon footprints

• https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethical-christmas/eat-ethically-christmas

• See tips to avoid Food Waste

Other ideas:
• Re-wear last year’s Christmas jumper
• Hire your party clothes
• Avoid buying outfits with sequins as they’re usually made with PVC
• Skip the disposables and use fabric napkins and tablecloths that can be washed and used again.
• Make or buy reusable crackers
• Borrow party items from your local Library of Things e.g. disco light/glitter ball, candy floss maker, drinking glasses, chocolate fountain, fairy lights, gazebo, ice bucket, water boiler urn

• If you’ve got a lot of people in the house, take the opportunity to turn the heating down a notch or two