If you haven't seen our first 6 tips to make your Christmas more sustainable, you can check them out here. Otherwise, here are 6 more tips to having a green Christmas:
7. Buy Local, Buy Less, Buy Ethical
Shopping locally supports the businesses in your community which have been hard hit this year and absolutely deserve our Christmas pennies. However, localism may not be the best way to reduce your environmental impact as transport only constitutes a small percentage of a product’s carbon footprint (around 10%), while the majority is the result of production, processing and packaging.
Shopping locally supports the businesses in your community which have been hard hit this year and absolutely deserve our Christmas pennies. However, localism may not be the best way to reduce your environmental impact as transport only constitutes a small percentage of a product’s carbon footprint (around 10%), while the majority is the result of production, processing and packaging.
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In addition to buying locally, therefore, consider buying fewer, more meaningful presents and think about what the product is made of e.g. avoiding unnecessary plastic. Normalise gift receipts in your family to reduce the shame in returning an unwanted item instead of binning it or shoving it to the back of the wardrobe, never to be seen again. |
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You may also want to avoid buying from corporations with a reputation for poor ethical behaviour like exploitation of workers. However, be aware of Greenwashing, which muddies the water for genuinely eco-conscious businesses. We recommend doing your research as many well known brands have been shown to not be as green as they claim!
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8. Give the Gift of Time
No, I don’t mean an expensive, new watch. Now, more than ever, your loved ones will appreciate some quality time. Do you speak French? How about gifting your travel-loving cousin vouchers for one-on-one language lessons with you? Your mum always fancied a herb garden? Pop down to the garden centre, pick up a few pots and create a Nigella-worthy display on her kitchen windowsill, complete with a hand-written care guide.
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Opt for plastic novelties and they will pollute the ocean forever, or, opt for gifts of activities and experiences and the memories will last a lifetime.
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Alternatively, give thoughtful gifts for your eco-warrior friends and relatives by donating to charity on their behalf. With JUST ONE Tree, you can purchase our Gift Sets for as little as £5 and give the gift of climate change-busting trees this Christmas. |
9. Don’t Fly With Me, Don’t Fly, Don’t Fly Away
Travel is especially difficult this year. The pressure to visit older relatives who haven’t seen their children and grandchildren for months feels extra heavy, while the anxiety of gifting them a potentially deadly disease across the Christmas table is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
The carbon footprint of your travel options is probably not your number one concern this year. However, if you have the capacity to consider your options, think about getting the train instead of flying this year.
Travel is especially difficult this year. The pressure to visit older relatives who haven’t seen their children and grandchildren for months feels extra heavy, while the anxiety of gifting them a potentially deadly disease across the Christmas table is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
The carbon footprint of your travel options is probably not your number one concern this year. However, if you have the capacity to consider your options, think about getting the train instead of flying this year.
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Train companies are doing everything they can to keep people socially distanced (sometimes at an extra cost to the consumer, admittedly) and going by rail will reduce the carbon footprint of your holiday travel if you would have otherwise flown. If your family are abroad and you have to fly in order to see them, consider offsetting your flight by paying a little extra to plant trees or to use biofuel instead of fossil fuel.
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Of course, we’re all Zoom experts now and, given the risk of Covid, there’s no shame in a virtual Christmas this year either. An added bonus is that Zoom Christmas saves on fossil fuels and keeps you away from Grandma’s post-sherry snoring!
10. To-furkey or Not To-furkey
A recent study by researchers at the University of Oxford showed that if you eat more than 100g of meat per day, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with your diet are over three times higher than those associated with the vegan diet!
A recent study by researchers at the University of Oxford showed that if you eat more than 100g of meat per day, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with your diet are over three times higher than those associated with the vegan diet!
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Poultry meat, like your Christmas turkey, while considerably less polluting than beef or lamb, is still responsible for around 6kg of CO2e each year, per kilogram of food, which is a lot higher than plant-based alternatives. Besides, with the array of veggie options easily available in supermarkets now, who can resist a tasty plant-based alternative. Try a vegan pig in a ‘fake-on’ blanket this year or one of the tasty nut-roasts on offer. Gobble down your roast potatoes and leave the turkeys to gobble gobble another day.
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11. Sourcing your Cranberry Sauce
Where you buy your food matters as the festive season is a great opportunity to support local farmers and shops.
Where you buy your food matters as the festive season is a great opportunity to support local farmers and shops.
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Buying local may not have the largest impact on the overall carbon footprint of your dinner, but it may improve the standard of living of any livestock you choose to eat, and it will benefit the people helping to get your food from farm to table.
Furthermore, if you usually do your grocery shopping online, there are now numerous online supermarkets specialising in vegan and ethically sourced products like The Vegan Kind, My Vegan Supermarket or Green Bay, all of which are UK based. |
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12. Fossil-Fuel Freedom
Finally, there’s never a better time to switch to a green energy provider than when you have the heating on longer and you're powering all those fairy lights.
Finally, there’s never a better time to switch to a green energy provider than when you have the heating on longer and you're powering all those fairy lights.
Maybe not all of these suggestions are for you, but you can pick and choose the best ones like a good tin of Quality Street. Finally, from all of us at JUST ONE Tree, we wish you a very merry, green Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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