Five ideas for a greener Christmas

I love Christmas! But one of the things that's always bothered me is how wasteful it is. I spend most of the year trying to be as green and frugal as possible, and it seems that come the festive season, that's all expected to go out of the window.

So I've come up with a few very simple ideas to try to keep the environmental spirit alive over a period of excess.

1) Christmas wrapping paper Wrapping Christmas presents can either be a pain or a pleasure depending on your outlook in life. But one thing's for certain: it takes ages to go on, and seconds to come off. I hate the plastic bin bags of paper that you end up with on Christmas morning; all those bows and ribbon and little tags that you spent ages on, all gone and forgotten in an instant. And all that paper! Eek! So a few years ago, I started trying out alternatives to standard Christmas paper, and eventually I hit on a winner. Pillow cases. Pillow cases are brilliant, because you can pick them up cheaply in charity shops in all sorts of cool colours, they're washable, and you don't need to do anything to them. You pop your present in, and either fold and wrap with ribbon, or tie at the top like a sack for big presents. Get them back and re-use, or encourage people to re-use them the following year. I have so many pillowcases now that I don't know what to do with them all!

2) Christmas trees The environmental impact of Christmas trees is complicated to assess. Real ones are farmed, and so like any farmed product are subject to pesticides, fertilisers, and various other things that will impact the environment including delivery. Fake ones are plastic and usually come from China, so you've got all the issues of pollution and tree miles. But with fake trees, you re-use them, though they will eventually go to landfill. Real trees, you get a new one every year, and the end result is technically biodegradable, though a lot of them will be burnt. So which should you get??

Well, my answer is maybe not available to everyone, but I get one from a bog. Conifers of all sorts often invade areas of blanket and raised bog, spreading naturally or from nearby plantations. Bog managers usually want rid of them, because they cause damage by sucking out the vital water that bogs survive on. So if you can, look for a site near you offering unwanted trees. They may have organised events offering you the opportunity to go and cut them (never go onto a bog without permission and supervision because they're extremely dangerous places!) or they may give them away from a small donation. But it’s often cheaper than buying from a shop, and it’s surely the most environmentally-sound answer?

3) Make your own Christmas is a time of making things! I’m often found with a pair of knitting needles in December, desperately putting the finishing touches to hats, scarves and even jumpers (bad idea - they’re never finished in time!) But there are plenty of other ideas for home-made presents out there, and you could even make your own cards. I always make my own wreath for the door, with dried fruit and holly from the garden (it goes on the compost heap afterwards!) and I like to make a cake too, in memory of my grandfather, who used to make them for the family each year. It can be hard to fit it all in, as December is so busy, but even little bits and pieces make a difference.

My home-made chutney

4) Charity Christmas If you’re not sure what to give someone, then there are plenty of great ideas from charities that you could try. Membership to an organisation will usually give someone a whole year’s worth of value, including free entry to sites, magazines, and often a free gift as well. You’ll also find gifts for things like planting trees, or preserving areas of land, or making a child’s wish come true. Save the Children are doing a Christmas jumper fundraising event this year, and you could even just save your stamps and save an albatross http://www.rspb.org.uk/joinandhelp/donations/campaigns/albatross/howyoucanhelp/stamps.aspx

5) Shop local It’s very tempting to just buy everything online for Christmas, as you avoid the shops, and often save money as well. But if you have local producers in your area, why not pop in and see what they’ve got. You’ll save the delivery miles, and you might just find something unique for the special people in your life.