This week's blog post by Alice Langridge covers our theme for the rest of year, a 'Sustainable Christmas and has some great tips for making Christmas impactful but with less impact on the planet.
'Christmas is a great time of the year, but it can be a dangerous time for the planet. It’s a time where most overconsume, causing a huge increase in waste and the amount going to landfill. In the U.K. alone we produce 30% more waste at Christmas. We are hoping to change that this year, and according to The Westminster Report Brits want to have the most sustainable Christmas ever through acts such as buying secondhand gifts.
A Charitable Christmas
'Shopping secondhand with Dorothy House really is a win-win because not only are you directly supporting life-changing care with every purchase, you are also helping the environment by shopping sustainably - all whilst saving money!
'A fun idea for a charitable Christmas is to do a sustainable Secret Santa with your friends, family, work colleagues etc. A great way for it to be sustainable is to purchase a secondhand gift. A perfect place to start is by browsing our new online clothing store for some of our favourite looks, as well as our eBay shop for a range of items including designer clothes and limited edition books.
'If you are eager to begin your Christmas shopping and don’t want to leave it all until the last minute, Dorothy House offers the following gifts via our online shop:
- 2021 calendars and diaries
- Christmas cards
- Care Wrapped Up - a range of fantastic and thoughtful gift cards to help us payoff a little bit of the vital, compassionate care we provide
- Ubiety - a wellness range that promotes wellbeing and mindfulness with all profits going to Dorothy House. All products are made of natural, vegan, and environmentally-friendly ingredients with sustainable packaging
'Sustainable Tips for Christmas
- Support local businesses and buy secondhand when you can. Some Christmas markets are going virtual this year - such as the Bath Christmas Market, so give local creatives your support. Ubiety also has a 'Pop Up' on 9 Broad Street, Bath, at the Always Sunday Store from 3 December.
- Use eco-friendly wrapping paper. Shockingly, Defra estimates that enough paper is used each year to gift-wrap the island of Guernsey. So, wrap your presents with old paper bags or newspapers - you’ll be surprised what you can find in your own home. Or purchase recyclable wrapping paper and use last year’s Christmas cards as gift tags. Sticky tape, ribbons, and paper covered in glitter can't be recycled, so avoid these materials if you can. For creative inspiration of how to wrap your presents beautifully and sustainably check out Pinterest.
- Furoshiki is a beautiful and sustainable alternative way of wrapping presents by using fabric. So, you can ditch paper all together with secondhand clothing or any unwanted/leftover fabric you have. This is a great way to make 2 presents in 1 - you can wrap your present in a beautiful secondhand scarf. Watch a YouTube tutorial on how to achieve this eco-friendly look.
- Make your Christmas decorations - blogger Mindful of the Home has a great range of natural Christmas decorations, you can also make beautiful dried citrus ornaments for your tree. Making your own decorations isn’t only sustainable but it’s a fun activity for the whole family, and if you make decorations from biodegradable materials it saves waste going to landfill. However, if you’d rather purchase decorations why don’t you see what’s available secondhand first?
- Get creative by making your own Christmas presents. A great thoughtful, and eco-friendly option, is to upcycle secondhand clothing or furniture - you can beautifully transform items into a unique one-of-a-kind gift.
- Try eco-friendly crackers - most crackers cannot be recycled and come with plastic toys which usually end up in the bin. Why don’t you try RSPB’s eco-friendly Christmas crackers, or for a fun activity you can make your own sustainable Christmas crackers.
- Rent a Christmas tree this year. According to Carbon Trust, a single 2-metre Christmas tree emits 16kg of CO2 if it ends up in a landfill (which nearly 7 million trees in the U.K do). One of the kindest things you can do for the planet this Christmas is to rent your tree through sustainable schemes, as the tree gets replanted and some schemes allow you to have the same tree year on year - your very own Christmas tree for life!
- Buy plantable Christmas cards - a great zero-waste option. When the biodegradable paper is planted in a pot of soil, the seeds will grow, and eventually the paper will decompose. Etsy has some really great plantable Christmas cards from U.K. sellers - it’s basically 3 gifts in 1. 1 - the personalised Christmas card, 2 - the gift of flowers, 3 - gives back to the environment by reducing waste.
‘Tis the Season
'A few changes to your usual Christmas routine can have a huge impact on the environment, so try a few of our sustainable tips and see what works for you and your family!
'If you are already an avid charity shopper, you will be happy to hear that shopping secondhand is one of the best ways to have an eco-friendly Christmas. If you’ve followed any of our tips or purchased any of your Christmas presents from Dorothy House we’d love to see - tag us on our social media channels and add the hashtag #ChristmasWithDorothyHouse. We hope you and your loved ones have an amazing and sustainable Christmas this year! 🎄 '