My Way to Green

My Way To Green

Being More Environmentally Friendly

Archives for December 2021

A Green Christmas

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green Christmas
Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash

Christmas can be a time of year where there is a lot of waste, often unnecessarily so.  Often glittery, Christmas things are difficult to recycle once they have passed their useful life span.  There’s a tendency to follow Christmas fashions and fads.  Often items are left in the loft and aren’t in the best of condition when they are bought out for another year’s use.  There are any number of reasons why Christmas can be a rather wasteful, environmentally unfriendly time of year.  However, it doesn’t have to be that way at all.  There are alternatives and other ways of doing things.  It might take a little more effort and research though.

Are you dreaming of a green Christmas? With the devastating impacts of the climate and nature crisis making headlines on a daily basis, many of us are thinking of ways we can make a difference this year.

To help, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity the Woodland Trust, has compiled a guide to simple ways we can all join the fight for nature and climate and reduce our impact on the environment during this year’s festivities.

Kelly Tanner, products and retail manager, said: “We all want to do our bit for the environment but sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming, especially at this time of year when everyone is so busy.

“But there is a way we can all make a difference. Supporting the work of the Woodland Trust as we shop is a fantastic and easy way to help fight climate change and nature loss and tick tasks off our Christmas list.

“There are many gorgeous gifts and every single purchase supports woods, trees and wildlife across the UK.”

  1. Ditch the glitz 

Buy eco-friendly cards and gift wrap. Look for a range of Christmas cards and wrapping paper is FSC-certified and guaranteed to be plastic and glitter free.

 

  1. Give a tree a home

A tree is for life, not just for Christmas, so what better way to join the fight against climate change and celebrate the gift of nature than by planting your own tree at home. Go for holly or yew sapling for a colourful Christmas vibe or choose a fruit or nut tree to give wildlife a tasty treat.

  1. Buy greener gifts

We’re all looking for simple ways to reduce, re-use and recycle. Investing in a family pack of beeswax wraps means you’ll never need to fiddle with rolls of plastic wrap again. Or scrub up with some gorgeous chemical-free handmade botanical soaps.

  1. Go plastic-free and save trees

Support woods and trees with every sip with a reusable insulated drink cup made from recycled plastic coffee cups. Proceeds from the sale of every Now Cup go to the Woodland Trust.

  1. Choose a ‘virtual’ gift

Virtual gifts are the ultimate environmentally friendly present for anyone who really wants to go green.

  1. Waste not, want not

When the festivities are over, what can you do to avoid sacks of rubbish ending up in landfill? You can find out how to recycle wrapping paper and cards, or how to dispose of your Christmas tree.

Make sure you have a green Christmas this year.  Merry Christmas!

How to Avoid Buying New Clothes

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Over the last few years more and more people have been trying to avoid buying new clothes.  Sometimes it’s trying to save the planet that motivates them, sometimes they simply want to save money.  Whatever their motivation many people do it for a period of time, say a year, as a bit of a challenge.  They don’t tend to stop there though, as for many once they have gone a year, it becomes a habit.

how to avoid buying new clothes
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Know what you have already

It pays to do a regular audit of everything you have, so you know exactly what you need and what you don’t. Plus, you’ll find treasures: clothes you’ve forgotten you have and clothes you don’t remember buying. The most sustainable garment is the one already in your wardrobe.  Make sure you can find things again my organising things.  My tops are all organised by colour.  I have trousers, jackets and dresses housed elsewhere (although I’ve never got around to colour coding them).

Declutter and get rid of unnecessary items

This may sound counter intuitive, but nobody can make the most of their clothes if have too many to sort through.

Make do and mend

You don’t need a lot of kit or a great deal of expertise to affect minor repairs.  Watching some YouTube tutorials and using a hotel sewing kit will get you a long way. Clothes are sometimes abandoned for the tiniest of reasons, such as a scratchy label, so don’t be afraid to get the scissors out. If you can replace buttons and mend a seam that will make quite a difference.  If you want to rehem trousers or patch up clothes too, you’ll save yourself some cash and reduce the number of new clothes required.

Play dress-up

I try to do this at least once a week.  Basically I team up a new combination that I’ve not tried before from my wardrobe.  It gives garments a new lease of life and can feel like you are wearing something new when you aren’t.  Most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time, and the waste charity Wrap says that extending the active lifespan of a garment just by nine months could reduce its carbon, water and waste footprints by as much as 30%. So dedicate an afternoon to experimenting with different combinations – try that summer dress under a jumper and you have a new dress.

Learn from your mistakes

Why has this item not being worn (or worn much)?  Go through your wardrobe and ask the question.  Get your colours done to avoid buying items that don’t suit you and see if a personal stylist will recommend suitable styles for you.  By buying the right things, you’ll avoid expensive mistakes.

Break the habit

Avoid the things that lead to you buying more clothes.  Don’t go shopping with your friends, do something else together instead.  Unfollow influencers or brands that encourage you to buy more fashion.  Follow instead those that make their own clothes, wear vintage items or that adapt what they already have.