12 Top Tips for a Green Christmas
1. Buy Christmas cards that are printed on recycled paper or are Forest Stewardship Council approved (or better still, send e-cards from www.foe.co.uk/cards instead).
2. Cut out the stamps from envelopes and take them to your nearest Oxfam store.
3. Buy a sustainable Christmas tree from www.tree2mydoor.com or buy a tree that carries the Forest Stewardship Council logo.
4. Go shopping armed with a long-lasting bag so you can say ‘no to plastic bags’.
5. Avoid buying presents that are over-packaged.
6. Buy presents from organisations that offer a fair deal to third world producers such as the Natural Collection catalogue (www.naturalcollection.com).
7. Turn off the fairy lights when you are out.
8. Reduce food miles and protect the environment by making your Christmas dinner from locally sourced, organic and GM-free ingredients (www.realfoodguide.org.uk).
9. Save energy while cooking your Christmas dinner by putting lids on pots & pans.
10. Open your presents carefully and roll up the wrapping paper to re-use next year.
11. After Christmas, take your cards to Tesco or WHSmith stores for recycling (or buy some re-use labels from www.foe.co.uk/shop and use the cards again next year!).
12. Once the festive season is over, take your tree, holly wreaths & mistletoe sprigs to one of the temporary collection points provided by Manchester City Council (www.manchester.gov.uk), or call 0161 954 9000 to get your tree collected.
And there are even more ideas for a green Christmas here.
Have a happy Christmas!