A trio of savvy Leeds mums have found a way to make Christmas environmentally friendly and save money too.
One of the mums, mum-of-two Caroline Scott has this year adorned a ficus houseplant rather than a traditional spruce, pine or fir is to reduce her family’s environmental impact.
She is among a growing number of people finding inventive ways to celebrate Yuletide more sustainably and frugally – and at a time when research shows 40% of Brits admit to feeling bad about festive waste. Household rubbish increases by a third over Christmas, reports the Mirror.
Caroline says: “The children love it. We collected evergreen from the garden to make it more seasonal and I created ‘branches’ from bamboo.
“I didn’t like the idea of spending so much money on a real tree that you only use for a short time. For me, Christmas is about spending time with people you love and relaxing, not stress and consumption.
“I used to feel a lot of guilt about the environment. Being proactive and making small, positive changes has eased that – and I don’t fret when I do have to buy the occasional new thing.
“I enjoy the challenge and my philosophy is it has to be fun and social, like making chutneys for gifts with my friends or collecting foliage to make wreaths with the kids.”
Caroline runs Leeds-based Abundant Edible Gardens, which creates green spaces for communities and businesses and teaches people to grow produce. She will harvest her own potatoes, carrots, sprouts and cabbage for a vegetarian Christmas dinner with partner Arun, 54, and kids Ash, three, and Amber, seven.
The crackers are made from scraps of paper and loo roll tubes, with handwritten jokes and packs of seeds inside.
Gifts are also made or bought second hand from charity shops and online marketplaces – as are Christmas outfits. Wrapping paper is reused or gifts come in newspaper, to be composted later.
Caroline adds: “My best buy was a full set of Paw Patrol trucks for £12 for my son. Just one would be the same price brand new.
“The children still have a traditional paper advent calendar from my mum, and if we want new decorations we find them at the charity shop. They don’t know any differently and are just as happy.”
Caroline is growing an organic spruce in her garden for next year, to either bring inside in a pot or decorate outside.
She says: “There’s the added bonus that the needles are edible and make a lovely pesto or tea, or used to make cleaning products. I’ve achieved my dream of growing my own Christmas dinner, so next year I’d love to eat my own Christmas tree!”
Frugal living expert Jane Berry, who writes the blog Shoestring Jane, believes saving money and lowering your environmental impact go hand in hand, especially at this time of year.
She says: “During food rationing it was illegal to waste food but we’ve had an unprecedented period of boom and excess, and need to relearn old habits.”
Jane, 59, from Colchester, Essex, plans meals before she shops and works out how leftovers can be turned into extra dinners or freezer fillers.
She also saves energy by using the most efficient cooking methods, like roasting veg with meat or using a stacking steamer.
Last Christmas, the mother of three set herself a challenge to only buy second-hand gifts.
She says: “I think it means you put a lot more thought into it. I gave my brother vintage West Ham football memorabilia and he loved it. Not only was it unique but there was less packaging and transport involved.
“Small children really don’t mind if things are brand new or not. If that is too much of a stretch, consider ecofriendly presents, like bamboo make-up removal pads, gardening tools and bird feeders, or energy saving products, like a heated blanket or Instant Pot.”
Jane also makes gift wrap from old fabric and duvet covers, which she asks recipients to reuse or return.
For mum-of-two Eleanor Tucker, 50, of Edinburgh, renting and borrowing has become a way to cut back on waste without losing the magic.
She says: “The sharing economy is all about using apps and online platforms to hire out something you own to earn some cash, or to rent the thing you need for less than it costs to buy.
“It comes into its own at Christmas when we often want things for a short period, whether that’s extra chairs, fairy lights or a carpet cleaner.”
Eleanor has a book on the subject coming out in April – entitled Thanks for Sharing: How I Gave Up Buying and Embraced Borrowing, Swapping and Renting. You can even rent a real tree from a local nursery.
Eleanor adds: “It means you won’t have to leave it for the bin men in the New Year and it will be replanted, be a home for wildlife for a year and be used again in 2023.
“Instead of buying fast fashion, look into renting a dress, using a clothes sharing app like Loanhood, By Rotation or Hurr. You can also rent or buy reusable wrap from Wrag Wrap, which doesn’t need sticky tape – and it crackles like paper, so still feels Christmassy."
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