It’s a magical time of year for us, but what footprint are we leaving this Christmas?
Your card's in the post!
We go to the card shops, spend time picking out that perfect card, but did you know that it takes 1 tree to make 3,000 cards?
As 1 tree is theoretically only enough for 179 people to send cards, the UK alone will use 1 billion cards just for Christmas cards on an annual basis, totalling at around 33 million trees a year! As soon as Christmas is over its out with the tat to make way for that "fresh start", meaning all those cards will be in the bin after 4 weeks of looking pretty on the wall to bring that bit of “magic” into your home.
Instead of sending cards this year, why not donate to the Rainforest Trust and help to save the trees instead of destroying them. Tell your family about your donation.
What better way to say “I Love You (I want to keep you alive)” than the gift of oxygen?
On a similar note, did you know that the UK alone will use 227,000 MILES of wrapping paper?
Most of this wrapping paper is not recyclable due to glitter or shiny effect. Besides, the power is in the beholder of the recycler. Despite efforts, over half of Britain's waste is NOT recycled.
Save any wrapping paper given to you and reuse it next year to save on the waste from wrapping paper this year. Save money, save trees, save the planet.
Have you been naughty or nice?
There are over 12,000,000 children in the UK this December, and most of them will be getting presents that need batteries.
Let’s face it, the majority of their gifts need batteries. The UK uses 189 million batteries over Christmas. And it's not only the kids using batteries, as many Christmas lights are also now battery powered instead of plug in.
You can buy rechargeable batteries to help prevent all the battery waste in landfill.
Give your kids the gift of a future!
Aww, you shouldn't have....
No really, you shouldn't have. According to a recent survey, Brits receive a total of 81 million unwanted Christmas gifts annually.
Many of these are thrown out within a month, and if not they're not thrown out, they're thrown in a drawer to then be thrown out later in the year during a “clear out”.
If you are given unwanted gifts, reuse them or sell them to someone who will use them. One person's trash is another person's treasure. There are many new apps for selling as well as eBay or other known sites like Facebook marketplace or Swap and Sell pages.
Help small businesses
We’ve all had a strange year with Covid implications, but one positive that has come out of 2020 is the amount of new conscious businesses on the market.
It’s always better to help a small business grow and succeed instead of sending all your money to huge corporations filling the pockets of the rich and greedy.
You can still put thought into that special gift for your loved ones whilst being conscious about the present impact on the future of the planet.
Here are some sites that list vegan, sustainable businesses so you can feel good about your Christmas footprint this year.
https://vegantradersunion.co.uk/
https://vegandirectory.uk/
https://www.oida.life/home/one
https://veganamarketplace.com/
https://veenofs.com/
Click here to see our post on home made, sustainable gift ideas that don't cost the earth.
