Have yourself a merry little Christmas.........
Christmas festivities can often turn into a wasteful affair, with 300,000 tonnes of card packaging thrown away and the equivalent of 2 million turkeys each year. However we think that it’s possible to have all the same merriment as usual, without the disastrous environmental impact.
So before December is upon us, think ahead and see what changes you can make!
GIFT GIVING
There are so many ways to do zero-waste or less-plastic Christmas gifts. Here are lots of ideas that we’ve come up with…
JUST DON’T BUY STUFF!
Make an agreement with your friends and family not to do gifts this year. Agree to play board games, go out for walks, enjoy movies together. So many of us already have everything that we need, why buy more? If you feel unsure on this one, have a watch of Minimalism, before you head out on your Christmas shopping spree. We totally understand that this doesn’t work for everyone, but give it a go if you can!
CHARITABLE GIVING
Oxfam has so many excellent choices of gifts that could make a real difference to someone in need, for a range of different prices. Toilet twinning is also a cool and quirky option, and a brilliant awareness raiser. Or sponsoring an animal can be another lovely gift for the year, not just Christmas. Giving to your local foodbank to support people in need of vital supplies is another option. There are so many options out there………you could even donate to Plastic Free North Devon to help fund our projects in North Devon.
OUTDOORSY EDUCATIONAL GIFTS
We think it’s really important that young people get plenty of opportunity to connect with nature. These brilliant swatchbooks can be a handy tool to have with you for those outdoors adventures. Likewise, Bee ID info pack and kits from The Bumblebee Conservation Trust or from Friends of the Earth can offer hours of fun and intrigue. Whale and Dolphin Conservation also has some brilliant adopt a whale or dolphin monthly packages for kids, which can be a great gift to both support marine life and get young people excited about the wonders of the ocean.
RE-LOVED GIFTS FOR CHILDREN
Have a toy swap with your friends or organise one at your local school.
THOUGHTFUL GIFTS FOR GROWN UPS
For grown ups, you could buy a subscription to a lovely publication. There is a lot of glum stuff in the world at the moment, but these lovely quarterly publications are the perfect antidote. Some of our favourites are Resurgence and Ecologist and The Happy News. To gift a truly inspiring story all about connection to the outdoors and each other, we couldn’t recommend The Salt Path highly enough.
USEFUL GIFTS FOR GROWN-UPS
As you may already know, Plastic Free North Devon worked with Wyatt & Jack this summer, to collect unwanted or damaged inflatables at local campsites, diverting them from landfill. At the end of the summer the 250 inflatables were whizzed off to Wyatt & Jack HQ, where they are now being upcycled into snazzy new products. We can’t guarantee that the ones on the shop floor right now are made from North Devon collected inflatables, but we do still absolutely recommend these brilliant bags for a friend or a loved one if they’re in need of a new one!
We would also recommend helping your friends and family getting kitted up for a plastic free lifestyle. Beeswax food wraps, stainless steel clothes pegs, hessian washing up scrubbies, metal lunch boxes, insulated water bottles, a safety razor, a bamboo toothbrush… there are so many different products that can help us to live a more sustainable lifestyle if we use them consistently. Give one to a friend if there’s something that they’re missing on their plastic free journey.
GIVE TIME RATHER THAN GIFTS
A babysitting voucher
A walk in the woods and pub lunch voucher
A washing up, washing, bed making, or home-cooked meal voucher. It may sound silly, but we all know that there are days when these little gifts can make a huge difference to a tricky week.
GIFT AN EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN A THING
Got a friend who has always wanted to try kitesurfing? Or think your sister could really do with some relaxing time out? Buy a gift pass for a massage, a yoga class, a pottery workshop, a pair of theatre tickets for an upcoming local show, a wakeboarding experience or a foraging workshop… anything that will suit your family and friends.
GIFT LOCAL GOODS
We know that our ethos is mainly about plastics, but we also can’t ignore the detrimental environmental impacts of the presents that have been flown half way across the world to get to us. So think local when you buy this year. North Devon Christmas Market in Braunton is always a busy, festive extravaganza; Bideford Christmas Market is coming up, and there’s also several running at The Big Sheep in Abbotsham; there’s late night shopping at Barnstaple Pannier Market, as well as Connect and Create fest coming up too; South Molton has a Winter Wonderland evening coming up in the Pannier Market; there’s also a two day Christmas Market event coming up in Ilfracombe.
MAKE AND BAKE
At Plastic Free North Devon we LOVE cake. We especially love cake that is home-baked, and made with locally sourced free-range eggs. We think that there is (potentially) no greater gift than cake. So hone your baking skills this December, and cut the plastic by baking your own (or buying from a local bakery or maker). Luckily, this applies to all baked goods, not just cake **click here for home-baked christmas treat inspiration**
Crackers: We recommend making your own Christmas crackers, as the shop-bought ones usually contain so much pointless plastic; and spending time together making can be a wonderful part of getting in the Christmas spirit.
Decorations: Whilst we don’t recommend that you throw away what you’ve already got if it’s still usable, we would strongly discourage you from buying new tinsel; after all, it is just sparkly plastic. We think that baked orange slices around the room are a lovely festive alternative. Find out how to make your own.
Advent Calendars: Making (or purchasing) a reusable advent calendar is an easy way to cut out pointless plastic this year and every year… it also means that the pockets can be filled with thoughtful little gifts for your children each day. More ideas here.
Wrapping paper: Get your Christmas wrapping right… no wrapping at all is the best option, as much of it will not get recycled, due to the complex materials that wrapping paper is made from these days (i.e. containing foil, plastic, glitter). Newspaper and garden string will do the job… or get collecting the wrapping paper from your Who Gives a Crap loo roll. You can get your hands on ribbon offcuts for a festive flourish from material shops such as Banburys in Barnstaple. We’re also inspired by the Christmas wrapping at Lush, and you can easily do the DIY version with scarves/material purchased cheaply at a local charity shop.
Christmas cards often come with unnecessary plastic, so get making your own instead. Simple potato prints, swirls of chalk pastel, or dashes of watercolour mean that you don’t need to be a fine artist to make something beautiful. Alternatively, Hospice charity shops have started to remove the plastic packaging from their individually sold cards, so pop in to find one.
STEER CLEAR OF UNETHICAL FASHION
We know that with Christmas drinks, parties and festive celebrations, it can feel as if you need to dress to impress. And we think that you can… in an eco friendly way. The fashion industry is one of the worlds worst polluters, so be mindful of what you buy this Christmas.
Get yourself to North Devon’s Ethical Festival Fashion Festival, supporting NDADA OR head to Re:Love in Barnstaple for a second hand bargain.
Dress agencies such as Turnaround Wear can be brilliant to find party pieces for nights out, without buying any new products.
Vintage shops: Exeter has a few, can also be a gem for supporting local business and finding some beautiful clothing. Check out The Real McCoy. You could also checkout Depop for a wide range of used clothing.
The trusty charity shops of North Devon are also choc-full of potential Christmas outfits… so set aside an hour, get to your nearest high street and get searching.
If you really must buy something new, we suggest opting for Fairtrade clothing, made from sustainably sourced materials wherever possible. We love People Tree for womens clothing, and Rapanui for mens.
Clothes swap! Know a friend who is a similar size to you? Fancy something a bit different to what you would usually wear? Pop to a friend and ask to do a clothes swap of a couple of items over the christmas period.
CHRISTMAS TREE OH, CHRISTMAS TREE
If you can possibly stretch to it, go for a real tree rather than a plastic one. If you are opting for plastic, make sure that you buy to last.
If you’re opting for a real tree, go for a potted one so that you can replant it afterwards.
If you can’t replant your real tree, see if there’s anything useful that your tree could be a part of in your locality after the Christmas period. For example in Croyde a collection of Christmas trees has been used in previous years to help fortify the shifting sand dunes.
You can also rent Christmas trees…….have a search for a local supplier.
WATCH OUT FOR THE SMALL THINGS
Christmas drinks:
We know that Christmas is a time for sweet treats and festive drinks, but watch out for that pesky pointless plastic. Opt for beers with out the plastic rings packaging, and go for glass instead of plastic where you can.
Take your Keep Cup to the Christmas Market. And all the other bits that you would usually need for reduced plastic shopping, such as cloth bags, jars for sweets and treats, and your own pots for cheeses and deli items.
GO THE EXTRA MILE WITH THE RECYCLING
Firstly, double check that you know exactly what materials can go in which sections of your recycling collection system. Make sure to clean out food containers thoroughly, and stack the recycling as space efficiently as possible, making it simple for the collectors at this busy time of year. Check out over-and-above recycling for tricky materials that can’t be taken by kerbside collection such as tetra packs, and polystyrene.
THINKING BEYOND JUST PLASTIC……..
Why not try a vegetarian Christmas this year? And make sure to buy your veggies from local, organic where possible, producers.
GET OUTDOORS
Don’t get so wrapped up in the festivities that you forget to get outside…
Long winter walks are wonderful, but we understand that not everybody has time to do them every day.
Even if it’s pouring outside, stand in your garden barefoot for a few minutes, take a few deep breaths of cold air, notice the sounds of the birds around you. Break up cosy movie-marathons with even tiny snippets of outdoors. You’ll feel refreshed afterwards, and remember the how glorious nature is – one of the reasons that it’s so important to look after it!
After all that we wish everyone a very merry and happy festive season. xx
