Go Greener in East Renfrewshire

Trees

• It’s a dilemma - what do you go for: a real tree or an artificial tree? Artificial trees have the benefit of being reuseable, which sounds good in theory but ... they are made from non biodegradable materials harmful to the environment when disposed of, they are often manufactured far away in the Far East and their average life is apparently only around 6 years. So....
• Why not go for a real tree. Real trees should be carbon neutral: the carbon dioxide they absorb as they grow more or less equals what they give off if they were left to decompose. Go for a locally sourced one that has not had to be transported over many miles (for a really detailed discussion about this, try http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/christmas-trees-picking-greenest-options-synd2).
• After Xmas, make sure the tree is disposed of sustainably e.g. take advantage of the Council collection scheme (they will shred it) or take to a local recycling centre.
• If you have a garden have you thought about trying to get a tree with roots? It could be planted in your garden after Xmas, and even used again next year.

Lights

• The first question to ask is might you manage with fewer lights this year? Xmas lights are lovely – but think of all the energy they consume. Could you do with fewer? Have you got them on timers, could they be on for shorter periods?
• LED lights use less energy and are now becoming widely available. If you decide to buy new lights, don’t bin the old ones – could they be reused (if they are working) e.g. pass on to an organisation like Reuse It, charity shop or recycle them.

Cards, decorations and paper

• Why not make your own Xmas cards this year – there are lots of ideas on the Web, e.g. try http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/homemade_Christmas_cards.htm.
• Or buy recycled cards e.g. try http://www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Christmas_Cards.html
• Sending e-cards is another idea.
• You can find out how to make this origami star Xmas decoration at http://www.ehow.com/how_8661204_make-origami-christmas-tree-stars.html
• What about making edible decorations such marzipan angels or chocolate stars? Can you get hold of any ivy, holly, or evergreen branches for decorating around the house ?
• If you aren’t able to make decoration, remember there are some beautiful, ethically sourced decorations available from charities or through sites like www.traidcraftshop.co.uk or www.sharedearth.co.uk or www.ethicalsuperstore.com.
• 1000s of meters of Xmas paper are sold every year . You wrap up a present , and it does look nice – but in seconds its ripped off and chucked out. Why not a) try to recycle and reuse some, b) put the rest in the recycling, or c) buy recycled paper or paper from a charity.
• After Xmas, remember to recycle your cards either in your paper kerbside recycling sack, or in one of the collections a number of shops do now, or taking them to a recycling centre.

Green Xmas presents

• There are loads of ideas now on the Web for green Xmas presents e.g.  www. ethical superstore.com, www.nigelsecostore.com,
• What about buying an experience rather than an object e.g. a concert or cinema visit, a health and beauty voucher at a local outlet, a gift of a meal at a local restaurant?
• There are many ways of supporting charitable organisations with Xmas gifts now e.g. sponsorship , membership etc.
• Have you thought of doing ‘Secret Santa’ with your extended family? In my immediate family, we all gave each other presents as usual. But with the extended family, one family member is chosen to be organiser – this person assigns to each extended family member another member for whom they buy a present (you should all agree an approximate value for gifts first). If you like, family members can email each other with a short list of things they’d like. On Xmas day, when you all get together, each family member thus has one present to open and there can be fun guessing who gave the present. Does this sound mean i.e. only one present each – well if everyone ends up with something of a bit of value and something they probably want, this is much less wasteful than receiving a lot of smallish items that you don’t really want, and end up putting in a cupboard, or even binning!

There are lots of websites now with loads of green Xmas ideas. May be you’ll do 1 or 2 this year, may be 4 or 5 next year, may be ......... a whole lot more after that!

Happy greener Xmas from Go Greener!