Eco Friendly X-Mas

With a little though and planning it is possible to have an environmentally friendly green Christmas without dampening the festive spirit.

Christmas can be an wasteful time of year, but with many families caring more about the environment and global warming here’s some ideas on green Christmas decorations, green Christmas gifts and environmentally friendly Christmas wrapping to provide a greenChristmas this year, without dampening the festive spirit.

The Environmentally Friendly Christmas Tree

• The most environmentally friendly option is to have a Christmas tree with roots on which is potted and grown outside throughout the year and bought into the home and decorated each Christmas
• If purchasing a Christmas tree solely for the festive season it is important that this comes from a renewable source. Most communities now offer a mulching service for Christmas trees in the post festive season.
• Electricity consumption can sore over the Christmas period. LED bulbs are now available in Christmas decorations that use 95% less energy than conventional bulbs. Putting the Christmas decoration lights on a timer will minimise the waste of electricity

Green Decorations for Christmas

• For an environmentally friendly Christmas why not try some natural decorations this year? Perhaps use some holly as a door wreath or table decoration. Alternatively collect some pine cones, spay them silver, gold or red, place a thread through the stem and they make excellent alternative baubles for the Christmas tree,
• Homemade paper chains can be fun to make. Last years Christmas cards are ideal for cutting into strips and making into a festive chain. Pages with photographs on from old magazines will also make a colourful display.

Use Environmentally Friendly Christmas Wrapping this Christmas

• Gift tags are easy to make from last years Christmas cards and hand making them in this way cuts down on waste compared to purchasing new shop bought ones.
• Wrapping paper is not always needed. Especially for children, for those bigger items why not consider hiding them somewhere and producing a treasure map, or a treasure trail with clues to lead the youngster to their gifts. A treasure trail prolongs the excitement for longer and adds to the green environmentally friendly Christmas.
• For those gifts that do need to be wrapped home made wrapping paper is a good alternative. Children will enjoy painting left over strips of wallpaper or brown paper to create unique wrapping paper.
• If buying wrapping paper it is best to avoid metallic based paper as it is difficult to recycle.

Give Green Gifts This Christmas

• Many charities now have gift catalogues of green gifts, livestock and other items that on purchase are given to families or communities in poorer countries.
• World Vision Must Have Gifts catalogue includes everything from mosquito nets and fruit trees to the gift of a new school toilet block for Senegal.
• Another alternative for a green gift is to trade favours rather than purchasing shop bought gifts. Make a nice gift card and offer perhaps a night’s babysitting, car washes, or some gardening.

Filed Under: Environment