Archived press release

Tips for a green Christmas

15 December 2004

It probably won't be a white Christmas this year, but why not enjoy a `green' Christmas instead with Friends of the Earth's tips on eating, drinking and present buying for the festive season.

• Buy food from local farmers markets, organic suppliers and vegetable box schemes

• Choose alternative gifts - buy theatre tickets or treat someone to dinner or buy memberships, such as the Friends of the Earth £25 starter pack.

• Ask your children to give their time as a gift, eg pledge to make you breakfast in bed, help in the garden

• Buy green gadgets as presents -eg solar powered mobile phone charger or a wind up radio

• Ask for a bicycle and make a New Year resolution to cycle to work or school (good exercise too)

• Give to a charity - eg you can pay for a goat, chickens or tree seedlings for someone in the developing world or give a donation to your favourite cause.

• Switch off your telly and go for a Christmas or Boxing Day walk

• Take unwanted presents to charity shops

• If you have a real Christmas tree, plant it in the garden or find out if your council will collect it for shredding and composting

• Recycle your Christmas cards - some shops and local authorities provide bins for used cards - or reuse them next year as gift tags

• Recycle any wrapping paper you can't use again and bottles and cans through your council's recycling scheme

"No more novelty ties or trips to the supermarket - if you follow our tips for a greener Christmas, you won't just be treating your friends and family to quality food and drink and original gifts, you'll also be doing your bit for the planet," said Georgina Bloomfield, Friends of the Earth's resource use campaigner.

At Christmas in the UK around 1 billion Christmas cards are sent; 83 sq km of wrapping paper used; an extra 750 million bottles and glass containers emptied; an extra 500 million drinks cans are thrown out; half a million Christmas trees are bought. After Christmas most of this ends up as waste in landfill. We tend to do things to excess at Christmas but it does give us a chance to make changes and carry them through as New Year's resolutions.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust