4 tips for a greener Christmas

It’s beginning to look a lot like…..

The lights are starting to get switched on. The nights are getting longer, the weather colder, and hot chocolate suddenly sounds like a REALLY good idea.

While you’re preparing for the holidays, here are a couple of tips to keep in mind to green up the holiday season.

 

1. Send digital cards.

You’ll save paper, the cost of postage, carbon miles, you won’t have to worry about last posting dates AND the planet will thank you for this.

However, if you really, really want to send a card in the mail, consider buying one from an independent maker.

If you’re the crafty type, or just want to save some money, you can go one better and create your own card. There is this great seed paper by Wildflower Papers that we stumbled upon recently. Plant it after you’re done with it.

Royal Mail delivers over 150 million cards & packages during the run up to Christmas. Estimates say that approximately 1 billion Christmas cards might end up in the bin after December 25th.

If you receive a card in the post, save it for a craft. There are SO many fun things that you could do with wrapping paper and cards! Like this entire list. Or this one.

Oh and there’s also WragWrap, this great reusable alternative for wrapping paper and this post by The Soap Co that’s full of alternative ways to wrap gifts.

2. Collect memories, not things.

 £17.5 billion is wasted every year on gifts that people buy without knowing if the recipient will like them.

Instead of asking for things which you may or may not really need, consider asking for money to be put towards an experience.

Perhaps it’s that’s trip you’ve been putting off, or that one thing on your bucket list. Maybe it’s a language class, or a cookery course. The sky’s the limit!

 

If you can’t think of anything you’d like to do with that money, you can put it to good use with organisations like LendWithCare or Deki. You’ll get a return on your investment while changing a small business owner’s life. Win, win!!

3. Shop Local.

Whether it is with gifts or Christmas dinner, choose to support your local community.

Keep an eye out for local farmers markets (Londoners click here) to order groceries for a Christmas feast. It’ll be a lot healthier and fresher than the average supermarket food! Put good stuff in your bodies, people!!

The amount of food wasted during Christmas amounts to over £64 million. 

Take a look at this list of delicious recipes using Christmas leftovers. Or this one. Or this one. And even this one. Or go on, create your own concoction!

 

Browse independent shops on your high street for gifts. Chances are, you’ll pick up an item that won’t be seen on anyone else.

Local designers and makers will often hold private views and buying evenings, and there are so many brilliant little popups happening all over the place. You can often snap up some unique pieces at these!

4. Quality, not Quantity.

Check the provenance of potential purchases.

Have a look at the label for starters. You can find out SO much about a brand, and if their values line up with yours with this one simple thing.

What the item is made of? Is it organic? Is it FairTrade? Where was it made or manufactured?

Ethical spending in the UK is increasing every year. Vote with your wallet, but make informed decisions. Do extra research if you come across a brand that’s new to you.

Good gifts don’t have to cost the moon. Or the earth in this case.

If you’re stuck for ideas, there’s this guide from us with 20 gifts for under £20, this guide by Pebble Magazine , this guide from us with gifts that do good, this blog on ethical investments as gifts and we guarantee that there are so many more out there!

 

Do you have a favourite gift guide? Or a brilliant product you’ve seen? Or a popup happening somewhere? Let us know in a comment or a tweet!

Want to know more about becoming a Blue Patch member? Click here.

 

Preeti is the Marketing Manager at Blue Patch. Born and raised in India, she spent some time in the US, completing a degree in Psychology and Biology, after which she moved to the UK in 2010 to study an MSc in Finance and Management. She can often be found obsessing over her plants, trying to clamp down on an ever-increasing collection of nail polish or exploring and taking photos of random corners of London. She has an obsession with Christmas lights.