Your Guide to a Sustainable Christmas in North Devon
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 Christmas is upon us, think ahead and see what changes you can make - as a start, have. a look at our Guide to a Sustainable Christmas in North Devon…
Also, we know this is not an exhaustive list, so we we LOVE your input. Get in touch at info@plasticfreenorthdevon.org
SUSTAINABLE 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 and if you do have to buy stuff, support our local businesses as much as you can. Start a culture of asking what people want, which is another way to save waste on unwanted gifts and novelty presents.
❎AGREE NOT TO GIVE GIFTS
Arrange to do something lovely with your loved ones instead…
• A night away somewhere
• A fun activity you’d both like to try
• Visit the Sea Sauna at Saunton Sands
• Go for a Spa Day Woolacombe Bay Spa or Saunton Sands Spa
• Attend a local Wreath Making event
• Go for a meal
• Get together & play games!
🫶🏼CHARITABLE GIFTING
• We have loads of eco-friendly gift options in our online shop that also donate to PFND!
• Toilet twinning is also a cool and quirky option, and a brilliant awareness raiser
• Sponsor an animal
• Give to your local foodbank
• Donate to Plastic Free North Devon to help fund our projects here in North Devon
🌳OUTDOORSY EDUCATIONAL GIFTS
We think it’s really important that young people get plenty of opportunities to connect with nature…
• Swatchbooks to take on outdoors adventures
• Bee ID Info Pack and kits from The Bumblebee Conservation Trust
• Adopt a whale or dolphin package to get young people excited about the wonders of the ocean
♻️RE-LOVED GIFTS FOR CHILDREN
• Have your clear out before Christmas rather than after so that items are more likely to be resold in the lead up to Christmas.
• Host a toy swap with your friends or organise one at your local school
🤔THOUGHTFUL & USEFUL GIFTS FOR GROWN UPS
• Subscription to a lovely publication, some of our favourites are Resurgence & Ecologist and The Happy News and the Oceanographic magazine
• To give a truly inspiring story all about connection to the outdoors and each other, we couldn’t recommend the book The Salt Path highly enough
• Personalised sand jewellery from Nalu Beads - tiny grains of sand from their favourite beach melted into coloured glass beads and made into jewellery
• Send them on a planet-saving mission with any of these 5 Books to Save the Planet
• Book in some events with Braunton Countryside Centre - they offer a whole host of fascinating nature walks, talks and interactive activities. You can also become a member!
• Help friends and family get 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
⏰GIVE TIME RATHER THAN GIFTS
We all know that there are days when these little gifts can make a huge difference to a tricky week…
• A babysitting voucher
• A washing up, washing, gardening, bed making, or home-cooked meal voucher
🧖♀️GIFT AN EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN A THING
We love this twist on the voucher gift form our Education Coordinator Libby: Buy a photo frame in a charity shop, put a voucher for an experience and then they can use the frame afterwards! We’ve rustled up a few ideas for experiences…
• Knepp Estate vouchers
• Saunton Sea Sauna
• Tickets for Neo cinema at the Woolacombe bay
• Woolacombe Spa vouchers
• Massage voucher with the local ladies at Makai Massage or our very own comms assistant Beth at Knead Massage Braunton
• Yoga class or experience with Croyde Yoga - she often offers scrumptious foodie and yoga mornings
• Pottery workshop
• Theatre tickets for an upcoming local show
• Wakeboarding Experience
• Foraging workshop
🍯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 and try out some of these ideas;
• North Devon Christmas Market in Braunton is a busy, festive extravaganza
• The Big Sheep Farmer's Markets in Abbotsham
• There’s late night shopping on Sundays at Barnstaple Pannier Market or check out other markets across North Devon
• We are the chosen charity for local jewellery maker WanderlustLife - so any purchase from them gives us a little boost.
MAKE AND BAKE
There’s nothing like making your own gifts, think about that home-baked cake, made with locally sourced produce. Perhaps hone your baking or crafting skills this December and cut the plastic by creating your own, here are some ideas…
🧁FOOD
• Bake a cake or Christmas biscuits click here for home-baked christmas treat inspiration, perhaps make them into a hamper?
• No time? Then perhaps source a local baker or produce maker
• Coffee? Give the gift of speciality coffee from 51 Degrees North based and roasted at Chivenor
🗓️ADVENT CALENDARS
• Making or purchasing a reusable advent calendar and fill with thoughtful little gifts for your children each day. More ideas here.
🎁WRAPPING PAPER
• 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. Make sure to keep them for the year after!
• Ideas from Lush for wrapping, you can easily do the DIY version with scarves/material purchased cheaply at a local charity shop.
• Check out these amazing plastic free wraps from our friends at Furoshiki Wrap Company!
✍️CHIRSTMAS CARDS
• Making your own cards, ideas such as simple potato prints, swirls of chalk pastel or dashes of watercolour mean that you do not need to be a fine artist to make something beautiful
• Send an E-Card and support a charity.
• 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 world’s worst polluters, so be mindful of what you buy this Christmas. Check out these ideas for alternatives;
• Dress agencies such as Turnaround Wear can be brilliant to find party pieces for nights out
• Grab a bargain from someone else’s decluttering and take a look on VINTED or Depop
• Find a vintage shop: Exeter has a few, they can also be a gem for supporting local business and finding some beautiful clothing. Check out The Real McCoy.
• Your local, 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.
• How about a 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. Need a Christmas Jumper for that Christmas Party ? Maybe just borrow one from a friend, re-wear last years or swap jumpers with someone else?
SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS DECORATING
• 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 or go to the recycle centre.
• If you’re opting for a real tree, ideally go for a potted one so that you can replant it afterwards if you have the space.
• If you can’t replant your real tree, see if there’s anything useful that your tree could be part of in your locality after the Christmas period, e.g in Croyde a collection of Christmas trees has been used in previous years to help fortify the shifting sand dunes. Keep an eye out on FB!
• Apparently there are rent-a-tree services around the country too
• Make your own Christmas crackers or buy card ones with plastic-free gifts in.
• Use what you’ve got (even if its plastic) and when it is time to update with handmade, sustainable decorations
• Try baked orange slices around the room as a lovely festive alternative. Find out how to make your own.
SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS PARTIES & DINING
🍸CHRISTMAS DRINKING
• Watch out for that pesky pointless plastic
• Opt for beers without the plastic rings packaging, and go for glass instead of plastic where you can.
• Hire our Reusable Cups for your Christmas event, party or even large Christmas Day! We have approximately 90 and have a suggested donation of £10
• Take your Keep Cup to Christmas Markets
🍽️SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS DINNER
There are so many options out there but a key tip is plan a menu, shop according to it and do not be duped by offers into over buying and try to eat your leftovers to avoid food waste. Other tips as follows;
• Why not try a vegan or vegetarian Christmas this year? If not then consider buying meat from these on our radar, Bassetts Butchers (was Turtons), Reeds Butchers or Pipers Farm
• Make sure to buy your produce loose where possible from local, sustainable producers , some on our radar are Amary Farm, Local Farm Box , Marshford Organic, Hedden's Besshill or several places around the Great Fields, Braunton.
Get your milk from Milksup
RECYCLING AT CHRISTMAS
First check the Christmas Collection in North Devon then 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.
In terms of wrapping paper, avoid plastic, foil, glittery paper and remember to take the sticky tape off if it isn’t paper tape.
Check out over-and-above recycling for tricky materials that can’t be taken by kerbside collection such as tetra packs, and polystyrene.
After all that we wish everyone a very merry and happy festive season. xx