{"id":5592,"date":"2020-12-07T00:05:04","date_gmt":"2020-12-06T23:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/lichfield\/?p=5592"},"modified":"2020-12-03T23:35:46","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T22:35:46","slug":"were-dreaming-of-a-green-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/lichfield\/2020\/12\/07\/were-dreaming-of-a-green-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"We’re dreaming of a green Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the words of Kermit the Frog, “it’s not easy being green” (ask Alyson!<\/a>) especially at what some might say, is the most commercialised time of the year. But you don’t have to be a Grinch and opt-out or miss out, just make some clever swaps and changes to cut your carbon footprint without stinting on the magic of a green Christmas…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a>Gifts<\/b>. Do you need to buy gifts? Could you buy an experience instead? Or even better, make or design your own gifts…Offer gifts of your time or expertise, for example some baby sitting time, cooking someone a special meal or helping someone learn a new skill.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you do prefer to buy gifts, perhaps you might consider eco-friendly gifts? Or a gift for the planet such as planting trees or ethical gifts that help others such as Toilet Twinning or a goat or two. Perhaps ideas to encourage more exercise such as a subscription to a digital mapping or walking trails app which you can download on your phone before you leave home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stocking Fillers & Novelties<\/b>.<\/span> Does your Uncle Darren REALLY need that Toilet Mini Golf? Enough said!<\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas trees.<\/b> Up to eight million green Christmas trees are bought in December in the UK alone. That’s a lot of Christmas trees and therefore a lot of waste. While it’s true that artificial trees last for years, they do take a lot of energy to manufacture and it’s more synthetic waste to be disposed of in the future. You’d need to use your artificial tree for <\/span>10 years at least<\/b> in order for its environmental impact to equal that of a natural tree which you dispose of in a responsible way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Could you rent your tree? Could you use or grow your own? If you do have a fake tree keep using it, and make it last as long as possible but look to more environmentally sound options when it comes to replacing it. If you want to buy a real tree, make sure that you look for the FSC certification logo or one that’s approved by the Soil Association if you want one that’s certified organic and pesticide free.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a>More Christmas trees get recycled now than they ever did. Most councils have allocated locations where trees can be recycled after Christmas. The trees are usually shredded then used as mulch on plants in parks or on woodland paths. Alternatively, they’re rotted down and recycled as compost. <\/span>Locally St Giles Hospice, in Whittington, Lichfield operates their \u2018tree-mendous\u2019 annual <\/span><\/i>TreeCycle campaign<\/span><\/i><\/a>. TreeCycle will be collecting trees from Wednesday 6<\/span><\/i>th<\/span><\/i> until Wednesday 13th January 2021 for a minimum donation based on the height of the tree. The trees will be recycled locally for agricultural use.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Christmas Lights.<\/b> Time to rethink your Christmas lights if you haven\u2019t already. If every UK household were to swap a string of incandescent lights for an LED equivalent, we could save more than \u00a311 million and 29,000 tonnes of CO<\/span>2<\/span> just over the 12 days of Christmas! LEDs are much more environmentally friendly because they use up to 80% less energy than other types.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Switch to solar powered lights outdoors and put your sets on a timer. We\u2019re sure you don’t do this, but don’t leave your Christmas lights on overnight – quite a lot of people do and it\u2019s well…<\/span>daft<\/b> as well as expensive and a potential fire hazard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Food<\/b> waste is a major problem in the UK. So is there any chance that we can do our best to cut it right down this Christmas? We know it’s very hard…You want to be hospitable and generous…How about trying some vegetarian or vegan recipes for a change? It doesn’t have to be predictable or boring but cutting down the meat a bit does help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Try and buy things that are light on packaging or buy loose items. And if you end up over catering don’t just throw stuff away. Leftovers are the key to great meals – saving money and cutting waste. And they can usually go into the freezer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Decorations.<\/b> We all enjoy decorations but research suggests that the paper waste over the Christmas period is equivalent to 5-12 million litres of biofuel \u2013 enough to power a bus or to go to the moon 20 times (Greenpeace). So if you can, recycle or make your own Christmas decorations, perhaps using natural products, that’s a great excuse to get outdoors and have fun (carefully) collecting the materials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas Cards.<\/b> Around 1.5 billion Christmas cards are thrown away in the UK each year. Online cards are an increasingly popular alternative or alternatively, make your own green Christmas cards this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas Tags.<\/b> Kept any old Christmas cards from last year? Using pinking shears (if you have them) or cut around key parts of the front cover, use a hole punch to make a small hole and make your own. Tie with string or ribbon and write your message on the back! Look through any cards you get this year to make more green Christmas tags for next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a>Wrapping Paper.<\/b> Lots of wrapping paper contains plastic so brown parcel paper tied up with string (cue for your best Julie Andrews impression) with added natural decorations are a chic and classy alternative. One of our members Chris is an expert at wrapping her Christmas presents in scarves and they go down really well, though she does have a bit of trouble getting the scarves back!<\/span><\/p>\n

Crackers<\/b>. By replacing single use crackers with reusable ones we can make real difference.\u00a0 Some are made from linen and other similar materials, and some allow you to add your own personalized gifts. There are plenty of ideas to be found on YouTube!<\/span><\/p>\n

Throwing a socially-distanced party<\/b>.<\/span> If you don\u2019t have enough plates, bowls etc don\u2019t buy disposable or plastic ones if you can help it. Borrow from others, or rent. If you don’t have enough party glasses, don’t buy plastic ones, just borrow them for free from the drinks supplier. Same with drinking straws – stainless steel \u201cstraws\u201d are the most sustainable option\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally…last but absolutely not least…<\/b>Shop local<\/b> and buy locally-made, grown or reared and food <\/span>shop <\/b>seasonal.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the words of Kermit the Frog, “it’s not easy being green” (ask Alyson!) especially…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":735,"featured_media":5599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[111,36],"class_list":["post-5592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-green-christmas","tag-planet"],"yoast_head":"\nWe're dreaming of a green Christmas | Blog | SI Lichfield and District<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SI Lichfield and District : Blog & News : We're dreaming of a green Christmas : Top Tips for greener, more planet-friendly Christmas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/lichfield\/2020\/12\/07\/were-dreaming-of-a-green-christmas\/\" \/>\n<meta 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