Are you dreaming of a green Christmas?

Christmas doesn’t need to be a time of excess if you follow our top tips, writes Sarah Pearl, Sustainability Executive at Recorra.

As part of this week’s ‘Sustainability Week’ we have been sharing ideas on how we can have a green Christmas this year, here are a few of our favourites…

• Homemade gifts

Instead of ordering presents online, which come in a ton of packaging, make your own goodies.

Why not bake some biscuits and package them in old confectionery jam jars, or try your hand in knitting a scarf or hat?

• Waste-free meals

Approximately 4 million Christmas lunches are thrown away every year. When cooking for the family, use every-last scrap. Instead of binning your leftover turkey, why not use the extras in a turkey and cranberry sandwich or make a turkey pie or curry. The carcass can also be used to make stock or soup.  

• Don’t panic shop

Do you really need six bags of Brussels sprouts? Last minute panic shopping leads to over buying. Try not to be drawn into special offers, nine times out of ten you didn’t really need that much. Stick to a shopping list.

• Buy a real Christmas tree

Real Christmas trees are the more eco-friendly option. A plastic tree must be used at least 20 times before it becomes a sustainable option. Plus, if your tree comes in a pot you can replant it once Christmas is over, so it can be a carbon sequester once more.

• Creative wrapping paper 

Instead of forking out on expensive wrapping paper made from virgin paper (i.e. trees being chopped down), get inventive! At Paper Round, we spent our Tuesday lunchtime using old music sheets and newspapers to wrap our gifts. They were decorated with dried oranges, apples and cinnamon sticks and other natural decorations such as pine cones. 

With these handy tips you can enjoy Christmas while spending less and limiting your impact on the planet.