10 bright ideas for a green Christmas
1. Be kinder to the planet
Make it one of your New Year resolutions to be kinder to the planet. First, find out how big your carbon footprint is – and how to reduce it – by using our My Footprint app. Using the app is one easy step you can take to help our planet and keep yourself motivated to make a change. Once you’ve calculated your carbon footprint within the app, you can get practical advice on how to introduce positive changes to your life through a variety of challenges, from cutting down your plastic consumption to eating a plant-based meal.
2. CHOOSE FSC TREES AND CARDS
More than eight million Christmas trees are bought each year in the UK. By buying a tree that’s certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – and FSC-approved wrapping paper and greetings cards – you can be sure that your festive celebrations support the sustainable management of our forests. Once the season is over, your tree could become a log pile in your garden, or if you buy a potted tree you could reuse it each year. You could even go a step further and rent a tree – various places let you care for the tree over the festive period and return it to be replanted for use again the next year.
3. FORAGE FOR NATURE’S DECORATIONS
It’s great fun decorating our homes at Christmas. Instead of buying decorations, why not take your family on a foraging expedition and see what you can find in the garden or on a woodland walk? Branches of holly make great wreaths and garlands, or tie sprigs up in ribbons. Just don’t take too much foliage off one plant as it provides shelter for birds and other animals. Weave tendrils of ivy with baubles, paint pine cones in silver, gold or white, or hang bunches of mistletoe over your doorway. We’re sure you’ll agree that natural decorations are best.
4. ENJOY A SEASONAL FEAST
Food is at the heart of Christmas for many of us, but it can have a huge impact on the environment. Planning ahead, being realistic about how much food you need and using up any leftovers on Boxing Day is a good way to avoid food waste. Eating more plant-based meals is another way to be good to the planet. There are lots of meat alternatives around these days and buying locally produced seasonal fruit and vegetables will also help to reduce your carbon footprint. Brussels sprouts are at their best at this time of the year, while pomegranates and clementines bring a zing to the party.
5. BUY PRESENTS FOR THE PLANET
We’ve all probably received a gift at Christmas that we don’t want or will never use. Buying fewer but better-quality gifts reduces the chances of gifts going to waste and can be better for your wallet too. Gifting your time or a pre-bought experience is also a great way of bringing people together. If you’re buying something new, we have a fantastic range of sustainable gifts that your family and friends will love, and that also help to fund our work to protect our one shared home. Have a look at our selection of gifts and stocking-fillers on our shop.
A jolly good idea Watch our quick guide to planet-friendly presents
6. GIVE THE GIFT OF FOOD
Food always tastes better homemade – whether it’s biscuits, fudge, jam or chutney. All of these are easy to make and would be a thoughtful gift for your loved ones. Store your gourmet gifts in a reused glass jar, which you could personalise by decorating and adding a homemade tag. You could even add them to a homemade hamper – covering a box with leftover wrapping paper from the previous year works well. You don’t have to only include food: a hand-painted mug, a photo frame, second-hand book or other charity shop finds make nice additions.
7. HOLD A VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING PARTY
Everyone loves a party. And Christmas is the perfect time to have fun and help protect our planet by organising a virtual fundraising party in aid of WWF. Invite your guests to donate to us instead of giving Christmas gifts, or make it a fancy-dress call and encourage friends to pay a small sum to dress up. Even better, piggyback your office ‘do’ and ask even more people to share some Christmas cheer with us. Take a look at our fundraising pages for more ideas.
8. BE ENERGY SMART
Christmas is a time for enjoying the company of friends and family, so make the most of yours and be kind to the planet at the same time. Turn off your TV or games console, snuggle up together on the sofa and play board games or read a book. Using LED lights on your Christmas tree, and turning them off at night, will help you save energy and look just as good too.
9. GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR WRAPPING
Set yourself a challenge this year to make your wrapping more environmentally friendly. Avoid plastic ribbon and tape, and foil-backed papers or those with glitter which aren’t recyclable. There are many tape-free wrapping techniques online to try, or you could try furoshiki, a traditional Japanese method of using cloth to wrap and transport gifts, making for beautiful, unique, and reusable packaging. Why not try reusing cards and wrapping paper from last year as gift tags?
10. DRESS YOUR TABLE SUSTAINABLY
A Christmas dinner wouldn’t be the same without some novelty Christmas crackers. But they’re not recyclable, and the toys inside are often made of plastic. As an alternative, look out for FSC-certified crackers, or reusable DIY crackers that you can fill yourself with eco-friendly and (if you want to go the extra mile) personalised festive favours. Cloth napkins and tablecloths that you can pop in the washing machine also have a longer lifecycle than their single-use paper equivalents.
GIVE A GIFT THAT LASTS: ADOPT AN ANIMAL
If you’re looking for a unique and personal gift this Christmas, anyone with a passion for wildlife will love one of our animal adoptions. From polar bears to penguins, tigers to rhinos, there are 14 endangered species to choose from, and each one comes with a gift pack and cuddly toy, so they make the perfect present.
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