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Want to know what to get the eco-aware member of the family for Christmas? Here are a few ideas…
Recycled Newspaper Coasters
If you know someone who combines sustainable values with obsessive tidiness, then these drinks coasters made from 100% recycled newspaper should be ideal. Available in sets of six and with their own woven holder, these are made by a small social enterprise to add a touch of rustic elegance to any occasion. And since they are made from recycled newspaper, each one is completely unique.
https://etsy.com/uk/listing/723751839/recycled-newspaper-coaster-set-of-six
Cardboard Sculpture
An increasing number of retailers are basing their business on cardboard products, producing everything from children’s playhouses and home furniture to shelving systems. One enterprising company in Derbyshire even offers a range of artwork and sculptures made entirely of cardboard. Our favourite is the ‘Adam’, a hand-made muscled torso half a metre high. Pair it up with the ‘Eve’ (or another ‘Adam’) to create a stand-out talking point for the home.
Advent Book Bundle
Print books are always good to give at Christmas, but the hot new craze in book circles is the ‘Advent book bundle’. To get more children interested in reading, libraries in Canada are now offering bundles of 24 individually wrapped books that have been carefully curated for different ages. Anyone with a library card could pick up their neatly packaged stack, with most libraries running out of bundles within hours. For Christmas Day, you could extend the idea to create an ‘Annual book bundle’ – 12 wrapped books tied up with a ribbon, one to be opened on the first of every month.
Reforestation Donation
For some people, the knowledge that their gift will make a positive contribution to forestry around the world is more valuable than a physical present. World Land Trust (WLT) offers a number of options for gift-giving, and just £5 donated to the environmental charity’s Plant a Tree appeal will fund the care of a tree to the point where it can survive on its own. That includes collecting the seeds, nurturing the seedling, preparing the land, planting the tree, tending the sapling and protecting the new forest. Along with the hundreds of thousands of others WLT has planted, that tree will go on to repair the damage done by wildfires and agricultural deforestation.
https://worldlandtrust.org/donate
Climate Optimism
At the moment, it feels like everyone could do with a little positivity when it comes to the environment. Alongside the avalanche of doom-laden books, there are an increasing number that take the optimistic route, inspiring people to take action through the things they can do rather than worry about the things they can’t. For example, Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet by George Monbiot, explores the ways that people around the world are finding ways to produce enough food to feed the world without destroying it. Then there’s Jonathon Porritt’s Hope in Hell: A decade to confront the climate emergency, which implores people, companies and governments to use new technology, innovation and the mobilisation of young people to make the world a more secure place for all. Both should kick-start some lively chats around the Christmas lunch table.
