Want to have a greener Christmas? Some tips to help

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Want to have a greener Christmas? Some tips to help

Why is a greener Christmas something you want?

A greener Christmas is a good thing right? You want to make a difference to the world right? Do you wonder what you need to change to have a greener Christmas?’ If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions then these tips may help you.

Buy less stuff

For an average Australian household, almost 30% of our greenhouse emissions come from the various products and services we consume. In general, the more we buy, the more we contribute to climate change. This is why you may rethink you actions and have a greener Christmas. When you are thinking about Christmas gifts, think about whether that extra gift is really necessary. Does anyone really need that cheap, plastic stocking filler that will quickly end up in the bin, stuck in the vacuum cleaner, gathering dust in a cupboard or slowly disintegrating in landfill?

Buy gifts that will last

When we’re thinking about sustainability, quality wins out over quantity. Buy a well-made gift that will last for a long time and you will often have less environmental impact than buying a cheaper alternative that will soon need replacement, using up more of the Earth’s resources. Make those Christmas gifts something to treasure for a long time. Sure, it might cost a bit more, but if you are buying less (see above) the total cost might work out the same. And gifts that last can be passed on to others in time, giving them an even longer life.

Avoid packaging for a much greener Christmas

As much as everyone loves Christmas, the packaging is seriously crazy. Once you’ve made your way through a ribbon, the wrapping paper, a box, a plastic bubble and a zillion fiddly cable ties, you’re left with a tiny little toy and a whole lot of waste. You can avoid all of this waste by going digital and buying people digital music, digital magazine subscriptions and so on. Or buy them an experience instead of a product. Or, try and find physical gifts that use minimal packaging. And if all that fails, at least recycle as much of the packaging as you can. Here’s a great example – a kid’s veggie patch kit with compostable packaging. Perfect!

Buy ethical gifts

Gift-giving is a strangely sweet tradition when you think about it. One person holds out an offering to the other, something they thought beautiful or unique or useful, and they hope that this token will be able to convey the words which are sometimes so difficult to say: I love you or I’m proud of you or I’m sorry.

Christmas, of course, is the granddaddy of all gift-giving celebrations. Nothing else even comes close. This year, 12% of respondents to a survey admitted that they’ll be ringing in 2016 with a nasty financial hangover.

That says a lot more than I love you, doesn’t it?

Fortunately, there are plenty of gifts out there that are less expensive and have less impact on the planet and even some that have a positive impact.

If you’re looking for a holiday that holds less waste, debt and stress, there are many ways to shift the gift-centric nature of modern Christmas celebrations without eliminating the tradition of exchanging presents altogether. Without gifts, Christmas morning would find us all staring blankly at each other as we sip coffee and wonder: “What now?”

Perhaps the best way to shift the spotlight away from gifts isn’t to declare an outright ban, but to just … moderate them a little instead.

The Grinch

There’s a way to work around appearing to be a Grinch: a Secret Santa gift exchange can decrease the number of gifts on your buy list. Photograph: Universal

For families, organizing a Secret Santa gift exchange is a fantastic way to decrease the number of gifts on your to-buy list, as well as ensuring that the gifts you do buy are of good quality. Look at it this way, you can either spend December in a frenzy trying to cross eight people off your list and spend $20-$30 on each gift (and sometimes, admit it, find yourself looking at something in a packed store on 23 December and thinking: “To hell with it. This’ll do” ), or you can avoid the shopping frenzy and just have one person to buy for. With just one person you can ditch the mall and spend your time and money to find a gift which will be well made, useful and just perfect for the intended recipient.

Also, don’t discount gifts that aren’t things. We often assume that because a tangible object lasts longer than a once-and-done experience, it will bring happiness to our recipient for longer too. Not so. Research has shown that the way we quickly adapt to new possessions means that new experiences make better gifts. So consider ski passes, concert tickets, spa days (please, Santa: spa days!) or art gallery memberships for those you love this year.

As for the little ones, I like to remember just how many people will be buying gifts for my daughter when I’m tempted to go overboard. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins – it will be enough. Repeat that as many times as you need to until the panic passes: it will be enough. A nice rule to follow if you need some guidelines to assist in your gift-giving restraint is to buy each child just four things: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. Simple, useful and more than enough to keep any kid happy.

Now, let’s talk wrapping. Your thoughtfully chosen gifts look even better when they’re brightly festooned with colourful paper and bright ribbons and bows, but consider that American wrapping paper sales total $2.9bn annually, and the UK uses enough paper to stretch to the moon.

Gorgeous gifts don’t have to create this sort of waste.

Eco-friendly wrapping options don’t stop at secondhand wrapping paper and mismatched ribbons; this is a chance to get crafty and creative. In past years I’ve used newspapers (the comics section for kids) with a bright red fabric ribbon, or brown paper grocery bags decorated with stamps. This year I’ve saved the paper roll from my daughter’s easel, and I think friends and family will love getting gifts wrapped up in her bright paintings.

When you’re brainstorming wrapping alternatives, don’t ignore all the non-paper options either; with a little forethought the wrapping can even become part of the gift. A cute tea towel, a reusable bag, a soft scarf or even a fabric gift bag like the ones my mother-in-law sewed one year – think outside the box for beautiful, creative and eco-friendly wrapping options.

Oxfam’s Unwrapped initiative is a great example. Instead of giving your family or friends something, you donate an item on their behalf and let them know with a card. You can choose useful things like a goat, a duck, water for a school or literacy classes that go to those who need it most. They get the warm glow of having helped someone in need and you create a positive impact with your gift.

Finding other ethical gifts can be tricky though. Luckily, a non-profit organisation that was called Ethical Consumers Australia (now Good On You) offers five ways to give back http://goodonyou.org.au/5-ways-to-give-back-this-christmas/

. The site provides advice to help you make more informed consumer choices that are better for the planet, people and animals. You can browse ethical gift ideas or obtain customised suggestions about ethical/sustainable gifts ideas. Another site worth a look for gifts for the kids is Eco Toys.

Solar power your Christmas lights

Sustainability doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun and celebrate the festive season. Christmas lights are great fun and they really add to the sense of excitement that the holiday season brings with it. But how about we power those Christmas lights with solar power? Lots of the big department stores sell solar-powered Christmas lights now. I’ve even got some myself and they work really well.

Sustainable Christmas trees

This is a tough one. Is it better to buy an artificial tree that may last for many years, or to get a new, real tree every year which may not have been grown entirely sustainably. There is a good comparison of the options here. A couple of years ago, my friend tried getting a live Norfolk Island Pine that could be kept in a pot and brought out every year but it quickly outgrew its pot and became too big to drag into the house. Instead, how about making a clever arrangement with some decorative branches that can be used over and over again? Or, if you’re looking for more plants for your garden, buy a native plant, decorate it, and then plant it in the garden once Christmas is over. The birds will love it.

An alternative is the 10 Eco Christmas Trees to make! http://inhabitat.com/10-awesome-eco-friendly-christmas-trees-to-make-your-holiday-shine/

Plan well to avoid food waste

Christmas is a time of feasting and celebration, and that is as it should be. Unfortunately, Australians waste up to one fifth of the food we buy. Christmas can be a time when food wastage is even higher than normal. There’s lots of great tips on how to avoid food waste at the NSW Love Food Hate Waste website, although the site is down at the time of writing. One great thing to do is check recipe sites around Christmas time for innovative things to do with leftovers from the Christmas feast. For example, Taste has a Christmas leftovers recipe collection.

Remember what’s really important

This point belongs not so much in the eco-friendly zone as it does in the decent-human-being one: remember others. There are many for whom the number of gifts bought and received, or whether to use burlap or hemp wrap, is the very least of their worries. Socks are some of the least donated and most needed items at homeless shelters; each Christmas thousands face going hungry instead of tucking into a feast; and this year, more than ever, there are thousands of families experiencing their first winter in a strange new country. Donate your time, your money or a turkey dinner to those who need it the most.

That, more than anything, is a tradition worth preserving.

Other resources

As you will have discovered, there are many who have thought about a greener Christmas. Here’s a few other resources if you are looking for more tips.