Eight years ago, I started living towards a zero-waste lifestyle. People still find it hard to get their head around this, although it’s much more understood as a lifestyle choice in 2023 than it was in 2015! However, I should be honest and say that I still am yet to live 100% zero-waste. Despite us managing to achieve a zero-waste wedding, my husband and I still recycle and we make enough landfill-waste to put our bin out approximately once every few months. But the goal has never been perfection, rather it was always to go on a journey and see how far I could adapt my lifestyle to produce as little waste as possible.
Christmas is almost certainly the hardest time of the year for this, so there is no judgement here if you don’t manage a zero-waste Christmas! We won’t! But we do aim for as-low-waste-as-possible Christmas! Here are some ideas:
Gifts (received and given)
Non-physical gifts – gifts of time, vouchers to be redeemed, experiences are all good ways to reduce waste. I have tried to be more proactive in giving and asking to receive non-physical gifts which goes a long way towards reducing waste and not ending up with unwanted gifts!
Sustainably-produced gifts – locally-produced foods and drinks, especially that come in sustainable or recyclable packaging are a great way to support local businesses and reduce waste. Bamboo and fairly-traded socks, clothing or other gifts can hopefully fit all budgets. A great tip is to check brands on the Ethical Consumer website. Or dare I say, for the more adventurous among you, perhaps even make your own gifts!
Gift ideas:
-magazine subscriptions – The Ethical Consumer offers the option of online subscription only as well.
– a voucher for a meal to a local restaurant
-a voucher for a tea/coffee and cake with the person you give it to
-cinema membership
–Creation Care and Christian Mission is a great new short, part-time course being offered by All Nations Christian College that you may want to ask for gifts towards the course fee.
Wrapping
Anyone who has gone round with the rubbish bag after present-opening-time knows how much waste wrapping gets generated! Here are some tips to reduce the waste
-if you have gone with non-physical gifts, wrapping won’t be an issue
-use materials that have been used before and can be used again
-if you do want to use wrapping paper, if possible, buy recycled paper and avoid shiny or glitter paper as this can’t be recycled.
Food
For many people, food is one of the most wonderful things during the Christmas season. Special treats, sharing meals with family and friends and making family recipes. I almost always go overboard on food, and so I have been making a conscious effort to reduce the food I buy and prepare to avoid waste, as well as having more non-meat and non-dairy options available in order to lower the carbon footprint of our food.
Christmas Walks
This might be a tradition for you at Christmas already, however it wasn’t really for me and my family growing up. However, it’s something I try to intentionally do with friends and family, whether in an urban or rural setting, is to get out into nature or a local park even over Christmas. Not only does it help walk off some of that Christmas food, I can appreciate the wider creation and winter season.
Advent
Christmas Day comes and goes so quickly! I have often been guilty of getting so caught up in the Christmas rush and preparations that it’s only after Christmas that I have really begun to reflect on the season. I have therefore tried to introduce the discipline of following some sort of Advent devotion to ensure I pause each day even amongst the busyness. There are lots of options out there, but if you are still looking for something to follow, try out the Diocese of Bath and Wells Eco Advent.
Explore further ideas to care for creation over the festive season in our twelve tips for a greener Christmas article.
This ‘meet the community’ article was written by Jo Herbert-James for our Wild Christian email, ‘Nature and Christmas’. Jo is A Rocha UK’s Interim Head of Policy, Campaigns and Communication. She previously worked for Tearfund and founded The Justice Conference in the UK, and sits on the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission leadership team equipping churches globally to engage with Creation care.She is an adjunct lecturer in Biblical Theology, and mentors younger leaders and lives with her husband Pete in Cardiff, Wales.
