Sustainable Christmas

With the festive season fast approaching my focus has turned to a Greener Christmas.  How can I make more sustainable choices in my celebrations, decorations and gift buying? I am an advocate for shopping and supporting local businesses all year round and this time of year is no different. 

In research I came across based on the American shopping experience it showed that “for every $100 you spend at locally owned businesses, $68 will stay in the community.

What happens when you spend that same $100 at a national chain? Only $43 stays in the community” (What Happens When You Shop Local - Independent We Stand | Independent We Stand).  

In some cases, it’s not possible to buy everything locally but I encourage those who are choosing more sustainable gifts this year to make a list of whom they are buying for and select:

• Locally or nationally produced items
• Gifts made with less or no plastic material 
• Less packaging or choose reusable packaging, e.g., brown paper and twine, decorate with a sprig of rosemary, holly, lavender, or eucalyptus.
• Gift an experience
• Make a hamper with consumables produced locally
• Reduce, reuse, repurpose, recyclable options as gifts
• A quality investment piece e.g., jewellery, art piece, crafts made locally.
• For children – wooden toys rather than plastic 
• Visiting second-hand shops
• Buying a gift for someone living in another region or country that is made/delivered in their region in order to save on transport & airmiles.

In terms of delivery there is the debate between going to the shops and buying online. In research I came across it appeared that online purchasing was the better option.

  Although - other factors such as delivery need to be considered as “the “last mile” is usually the most energy-intensive stage,” (In store or online — what’s the environment-friendly way to shop? | Ensia). 

People wanting their parcels quickly means there is less time for suppliers to bulk transport which triples the CO2 footprint and between “12% to 60% of home deliveries […] reported to fail first time” (In store or online — what’s the environment-friendly way to shop? | Ensia).  This coupled with nearly one fifth of items returned has the CO2 figures stacking up.

On the positive side, research conducted by DMG Media Ireland “shows that 70% of shoppers are planning to shop on Irish websites for Christmas gifts this year” (extra.ie).

 When I think about gifts that are locally produced there are so many wonderful options in my own locality Co. Clare.  From natural hand soaps, skincare products, hand poured soy wax candles, perfumes, second-hand clothes shops, food producers, to bespoke art and crafts. 

For less packaging or material presents there is the option to gift an experience – such as brunch/lunch/dinner in local restaurants, creative classes, memberships, local massage/beauty treatments, day trips, activities and lots more.

Then we come to the Christmas tree debate - which is the more sustainable option – a fake or real tree? “It takes 20 years of use for an artificial tree to be as environmentally friendly as a real tree, but the average life span of an artificial tree is just 6 years” (The Useless Project) so if you are going to get a fake one, hold on to it!  There are also sustainable real Christmas tree in-a-pot options (Not just for Christmas: Trees go to pot to ensure many festive returns (irishtimes.com)). 

We can enjoy our festivities with sustainable actions that support our local businesses who are trying all year to make a difference and keep our communities alive and thriving.