With Christmas just around the corner - we, as consumers have all the power to minimize our environmental impact this festive season!
1. Buy Less
Many gifts are gestures of thoughtfulness, there are ways to give more by spending less. There is no better way to show somebody you care, other than taking the time and effort to make them their own personal gift. Whilst some gifts cannot be made at home (such as a toaster for example), if you do have to buy your loved one a gift, try:
2. Buying Greener
Make sure electronics have a good consumption rating, you can find this out by looking at the energy star label, and here is the Greenpeace guide to greener electronics which evaluates leading consumer electronics companies based on their commitment and progress in three environmental criteria: Energy and Climate, Greener Products, and Sustainable Operations.
3. Look for locally made gifts
Many gifts come from somewhere across the world - and when you think about the environmental impacts of transportation, it is better to source gifts that are locally made; not to mention the fact that these gifts generally come with a great story to tell.
4. Pass it along
Re-gifting is fine, if you have 3 sandwich makers and one of them is still in the box, why not pass it on to the next person? Just make sure it’s not the same person that gifted it to you!
5. Give experiences
Plant a tree with your family or loved one, go watch a show or a play, material things are lost or damaged, but great memories last forever.
6. Lower the impact of holiday lighting
Minimalist is the new trend. A smaller presentation of lights can still be extremely effective, also, utilising LED lights also cuts down energy consumption by 95% when compared to traditional lighting. Saving energy can be seen as one of the best forms of giving as conserving resources benefits everybody!
7. Choose a living tree
Plastic trees may be reusable, however, research states that plastic trees are discarded when they become less effective. Live trees, however, are a renewable resource, grown on specific tree farms, they contribute to air quality whilst they are growing and can be planted again, sometimes even lasting up to 3 years or more!
8. Send E-cards
With loads of creative electronic card websites around, you can make customized e-cards like it was 1999 again! You could even make a video message and let out that inner artist! If all of these fail then you can always gather some recycled materials and make a card yourself!
9. Put your money into helping others
Give the gift that keeps giving.
Greenpeace is able to help maintain a sustainable balance between humans and the environment because of support from likeminded individuals. We accept no corporate or government donations so we can maintain a much needed independent voice, but it means we rely totally on individual supporters like you to fund our work.
Join us today!
