Green Christmas: Guide to a sustainable festive celebration
Did you know you can rent a live Christmas tree, and even have the same tree back next year? Prices vary by size, starting at €15 plus deposit.
You don’t have to crouch meekly over a flickering soy candle in an un-dyed-wool geansaí, the heating at blood temperature to be more conscientious this season. Let’s kick up the Christmas feelgood, incorporating easy, sustainable behaviour to carry on right through the New Year and beyond.
To quote Eleanor Roosevelt: "You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realised how seldom they do."
It’s not overtly woke, worth or virtue-signalling to openly respond to the fire-alarm fire that is climate change. According to not-for-profit environmental organisation My Waste (Ireland), 50% of the presents we receive at Christmas were regarded by those questioned as “useless”. This is largely because of the spontaneous mindless choices many of us are making right now.
First of all, cut down the gifting list to those people who matter to you, and who will genuinely expect a little something. Repak, another not-for-profit group centred on the waste industry, reported that 49% of those questioned in a recent poll were determined to give to a smaller pool of pals.
Seriously, people, that’s alright. Being selective does not make you a passive-aggressive Gaelic Grinch to be whispered about in the office throughout 2024.
Where you are generous, zero in on a useful, personal thing or experience you are quite sure they will appreciate. I love the notion of a “mixed tape” using either a Spotify playlist virtually or what looks like a cassette tape that folds out into a reusable USB flash drive. From €30, notonthehighstreet.com.
You cannot lose with Irish consumables. Take a wander around any Irish farmer’s market and even your local supermarket assembling a hamper of unexpected goodies with a long shelf life.
I’m a huge fan of bird-feeding stations and houseplants. Your target can nurture a living thing all year, and with something leafy you can include a lovely pot, ornamented as a mini-Christmas tree with the gesture.
Forget the blushes and socially strangling nuance. Don’t shy away from charity donations and gift receipts — these are generally understood and deeply appreciated.
Afraid to give something “pre-owned”? That could be a beautiful Edwardian vintage cup and saucer from a local boot sale, nestled with a couple of silk tea pillows and a batch of homemade biscuits.
The cost? Less than a tenner.
Be braver. What if you get something devoid of meaning or purpose that you don’t appreciate? Re-gift (careful now), donate to a worthy charity or even return the piece to the store when a giver has been sensible enough to attach a gift receipt.
My Waste explains that over an Irish Christmas “The remnants of millions of turkeys, tonnes of plastic packaging and miles of wrapping paper have to go somewhere. This is unnecessary, expensive, and environmentally damaging. Millions of Christmas crackers are pulled each year. They are full of plastic and go in the bin after being used. Find a reusable option — invest in a good joke book that will last you for years to come!”
Our household waste will shoot up by around 30% of the norm, with packaging at 100,000 tonnes across the country. Become a dedicated meal planner, batch cooker, and freezer champion, and send your inevitable rubbish uptick in the right direction when you bin it. Foil-backed paper and anything with multiple materials will end up in the black bin.
A few tricks to cut back even further without decimating the joy? Dig out the wrapping, packing and decorations you already have. Do your best to add as little commercial additions to the heaps of cards, paper and decorative goodies crammed into “that” cupboard. Most shop-bought Christmas cheer is non-biodegradable.
Escaping landfills and minced by the pounding of waves if plastic reaches waterways and the sea — it can break down into ingestible micro-litter found inside the human bloodstream as early as birth. Happy Christmas. For tape, Sellotape Zero has no plastic in it. €4.99, for 30m, various suppliers.
To avoid shredding a fresh tree — rent one. This will include everything you need to hand it back healthy; December 8-January 2, €15-€150, depending on the footage. Suppliers include christmastree.ie based at the Mini Storage Mahon Industrial Park (T12 K7CV). You can even rent the same tree every year!
Would you prefer muscling through the crowds in the Euro emporium or taking out the poster paint and foraging for pine cones on a Sunday morning? Okay, smarty, don’t answer that. We’re building real memories here, a heritage of lovingly held principles.
Most of us are like hypnotised kittens when surrounded by blinking lights and metres of lametta. I centre myself on the aisles by imagining the smoking factory stack behind the cutesy Chinese resin deer and rictus grinning Santas. Christmas fashions are loose, cheerfully vulgar, and don’t change. There’s no need for a flashy updo every 12 months.
Glitter has not been specifically identified as a major culprit for environmental damage, but it’s so easy to turn back to traditional and sustainable decorations (dried fruit slices, garden cuttings, decoupage from old greeting cards and LED strings). Gifting time back to yourself and the family? Priceless.
Get together as a family and refresh pieces from Christmas past with homemade and natural inclusions. That could include a slightly balding synthetic tree and artificial stuff if you already have those materials. If the faux door wreath is looking a bit shook — perk it up with springs of garden cuttings and LED strand lighting.
A fresh tree or a fake? If you have the phoney — it wins hands down. Plastic is tough and durable — it should last for years. Found materials that can be composted? A real win.
Gifting decorations (something regarded as having huge sentimental thump in the US) choose quality pieces by iconic Irish makers. Try unbound.ie for handmade, ethically produced ornaments to love for decades. Belleek, Waterford Crystal, and Newbridge Silverware have stunning collections on offer including Parian harps, punched-out metal sleighs and cut-glass snowflakes.
For handmade creations — origami stars, candle jars, cinnamon stick bundles, popcorn garlands — YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest are crammed with ideas.
How long something takes to get to the shelves influences its carbon emission burden. Even the Christmas dinner can rack up tens of thousands of fossil-fuelled miles in air-freighting. To see what fruits and vegetables are in season in our climatic area for December, use the interactive map at eufic.org. Stick with Irish goods and services where possible. Try goodfoodireland.ie, a great index for local makers and producers of fantastic Munster edibles.
For designers, crafters and stores by county go to the directory of the Design & Craft Council of Ireland at dccoi.ie. Gift brackets from under €25. A fresh tea towel that’s part of the gift, fabric remnants, children’s school drawings, and good old newspaper with a hug of ribbon?
Explore chic Furoshiki that’s much more individual than typical gift wrap for your Irish finds. Where you do buy in paper, just search a little deeper for FSC-certified suppliers. With everyone lifting their sights, even one or two changes mindful changes to the Christmas binge-fest can make a difference. Let’s pull this sleigh in the right direction.
