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The origin of decorating houses for Christmas actually goes back to Egyptian times and relates to a time when the  people brought branches from evergreen trees inside to celebrate the winter solstice on December 21st. This practice was also commonplace amongst the Druids, Romans and Vikings.  From the 16th century families began to add simple natural decorations such as candles and nuts but it was in the 1840's when a magazine showed an image of Queen Victoria and her family celebrating around a decorated Christmas tree that the era of brightly decorated trees and houses was born.  Everyone wanted to do the same and manufacturers quickly realised there was money to be made from this new craze.

Today Christmas decorations continue to big money as families vie to have the best display.  Lendedu calculated that the average American will spend just over 12% of their Christmas outlay on decorations at a cost of almost 90$.  In Britain this is lower but Statista calculated that in 2017 it still averaged just over £30. 

Tree decorations were traditionally made from glass, wood, metal or ceramics but more and more are now made from plastic.  Tinsel and glitter are also made from plastic as are lights, wall hangings, table decorations etc.  And you can be sure that many will come in plastic packaging and almost none will be recyclable.

So how can you have a decorated house at Christmas without all the plastic and waste?  The simplest solution is to turn back the clock and have decorations made from natural materials which you will be able to gather and make yourself.  If you need some inspiration have a look at what these bloggers have made.

Christmas Decorations made from Natural Materials

Amy who blogs at The Good Life with Amy French makes adorable pine cone trees that her daughter loves also uses in her doll's house:


Lucy from Kids of the Wild has gone bigger with this driftwood tree:


When it comes to decorating trees why not go for something you can eat! Eva from Captain Bobcat shows you how to make Lebkuchen Christmas tree decorations:


If you are not keen on cooking what about these ther ideas for natural Christmas decorations:

Addie from Old World New shows you how to make a DIY burlap (hessian) bow:


Whilst Sarah from Kippers and Rhubarb likes dried orange slices:


 and Claire from Pillar Box Blue uses wooden slices to make adorable Christmas pudding ornaments:


Christmas wreaths are super easy to make and have the added advantage of smelling gorgeous. Why not have a go at this one from Sarah at Kippers and Curtains:


Finally, who fancies making these decorative pine cone tiles From Claire at Pillar Box Blue?



I hope you might have a go making one of these 8 ideas for natural Christmas decorations.  Searching online will give you even more natural decoration ideas.

5 bonus green decoration tips:

• Search out plastic free glitter or better still make your own from salt, sugar or sand.
• Use the decorations you already have or upcycle old ones into new.
• Fancy something new? Do a decoration swap with friends.
• Or make decorations from trash you have around the house/garden
• If you do buy new, search out small businesses who make plastic free decorations eg on Etsy

There is no need to be a Scrooge at Christmas but you don't need to go plastic mad either!  Have you any more ideas on how you can decorate your house with natural materials this Christmas?

I am sure we have all heard the term Climate Change but do you really know what it means and what effect it will have on the earth?  Are each of us really responsible and is there anything, as individuals, we can do to minimise its negative effects?


If you search for a definition of Climate Change you will find various ways to describe what it is and this one is typical:

Climate Change

A change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.

Our atmosphere contains carbon dioxide (CO₂) which is a so-called greenhouse gas.  It allows sunlight to pass into the atmosphere but traps it on the way out. Therefore the more CO₂ there is in the atmosphere, the more heat will be trapped and the hotter global temperatures will be.



CO₂ levels have been increasing at a fast rate since the start of the Industrial Revolution when man first started to burn large amounts of fossil fuels.  Fossil fuels are formed from the remains of animals and plants that died millions of years ago.  These remains built up and under heat and pressure from the earth were transformed into natural gas, oil and coal.  All living creatures contain large amounts of carbon and thus gas, oil and coal also contain high levels of carbon and when these are burned they release CO₂.

Other causes of Climate Change

Burning fossil fuels is not the only way Climate Change is being accelerated.  Most plastics are made from fossil fuels and large amounts of CO₂ is released in their production.  CO₂ is also produced by all animals through the process of respiration but the reverse happens with plants who take up CO₂ and give off oxygen.  The Amazon rainforest is known as The Lungs of the Earth as it (and other large areas of rainforest) provide much of the oxygen needed by both man and the earth's animals. With large areas of forest being clearly the result will be less oxygen being produced and less CO₂ being absorbed by plants.

CO₂ is also not the only greenhouse gas.  Others include water vapour,  methane (CH₄ ) and Nitrous oxide (N₂O).  With higher air temperatures the atmosphere will be able to hold more water vapour further adding to its heat trapping capacity.  Methane and N₂O are both many times more powerful as greenhouse gases than CO₂ although, thankfully, both are found in lower concentrations in the atmosphere (but still far higher than is desirable).  Methane is around 30 times more powerful and as a greenhouse gas than CO₂ and N₂O is 300 times more powerful.  Methane is produced both naturally and by man through processes including the decomposition that takes place in landfill, in rice production and from ruminants (cows and sheep).  It means that where rainforests are cleared for animal farming (most likely cattle) the effect on increasing Climate Change is even greater than the forest clearing alone.  N₂O is produced by soil cultivation, commercial fertiliser production, burning of fossil fuels and burning of biomass.

Negative effects of Climate Change

Whilst some people may love the idea of longer, hotter summers the overall repercussions of Climate Change are much greater than the odd summer heatwave.  Increased global temperatures will have many and far reaching effects:

• The elderly, young and infirm are at risk of increased illnesses and even death in periods of hotter temperatures.
• Diseases of hotter climates will spread, especially those that are water-borne such as malaria.  
• Warmer temperatures will cause the polar icecaps and mountain glaciers to melt leading to higher sea levels. Coastal areas will flood.  Millions of people live in low lying areas close to coasts and vast areas of fertile agricultural land will be lost.
• With coastal areas lost to the water, millions will be forced to flee seeing mass migration of displaced communities.
• Oceans temperatures will also rise and warmer waters will expand further increasing the risk of coastal flooding.
• Higher temperatures will lead to more droughts resulting in desertification ie more areas becoming deserts and thus unable to be worked as agricultural land.
• In other areas higher temperatures will leads to more severe storms, hurricanes and tornadoes with associated flooding and damage.
• The number of  lethal wildfires will increase destroying land, wildlife and habitation.
• Higher temperatures both on land and in the oceans will adversely affect natural ecosystems and the wildlife that lives in them. Some species will be unable to adapt or move and will become extinct.  
• Drought, flooding and changes in seasonal temperatures will mean farmers having to cope with either too much or too little water and increased levels of pests and diseases.  These negative effects on agriculture will result in increased food prices globally, food shortages and more famines.
• Flash floods and more severe storms will damage infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings etc.
• Ironically in some areas, including northern Europe, Climate Change could well see much colder winters.  Here winter temperatures are kept warmer than expected as The Gulf Stream draws warmer water across The Atlantic from The Gulf of Mexico. Climate Change could disrupt The Gulf Stream and even stop it completely so western and northern Europe would get much colder winters.  When you realise that New York is on on the same latitude as Madrid you can understand the warming effect of The Gulf Stream. London is actually 11° further north than New York and only 4° further south than Moscow.  Without The Gulf Stream winters would be MUCH colder.  
• Even if The Gulf Stream does not switch off, the warmer air will mean the air above it can carry more moisture to be released when it hits land resulting in wetter winters.

Summary

Climate Change used to be termed Global Warming but because some of the effects on increasing greenhouse gases could actually lead to colder winter weather in some places, the term Climate Change is now used.  Many man-made factors contribute to the increase in greenhouse gases that trap the incoming sunlight including burning fossil fuels, making plastic, clearing forests and agricultural practices.  As individuals we may seem powerless to do anything about Climate Change but this is not true.  There is one thing simple act that will help and that is to buy less.  Less of everything:  Buy less food so we do not waste what we have, buy less stuff overall from clothes to cars and everything in between especially if it is made from or packaged in plastic and use less energy for heating, cooking and transport.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Re-purpose, Refuse, Repair, Reject and ... Remember:

Just because we can buy something does not mean we should.  Think before you buy and ask yourself if you really need it.

If we all re-evaluate how we live and how much we consume it is within our power to reduce Climate Change.  But it needs everyone to do this.  Climate Change is a problem for all of us and a problem that together we can all solve.

Are you with us?

Supermarkets ore often synonymous with large amounts of plastic. Not only are many of the products on their shelves sold in single use plastic but much of this produce will also arrive at the supermarket on trays wrapped in plastic that are on pallets that are further wrapped in plastic.  Now in an ideal world all consumers would turn their back on these plastic producing supermarkets who would then be forced to change their ways if they were to survive.  But we do not live in an ideal world so what can we do right now to reduce how much plastic we buy?  How can we wean ourselves off supermarket plastic?

12 ways to wean yourself off supermarket plastic

1.  Use your own shopping bags and not just at the till. Invest in some reusable produce bags and use those in the fresh produce section.

2.  Do not shop online where you cannot see how much plastic you are buying.  If you do shop online does your supermarket offer a "no plastic shopping bags" option?

3.  If you do end up using or getting plastic bags, reuse them as many times as you can e.g. to freeze food, as bin liners etc - anything where you might otherwise have used a new plastic bag.

4.  Ask if the butcher/deli will put food in your own containers - many can tare the weight of your pot easily.  Morrisons are now promoting this but if your supermarket butcher says no then go higher and speak to the manager.

5.  Make your own meals rather than buying ready made - it is often easier to get ingredients without plastic than ready made meals, especially if your supermarket has a bulk buy section:

6.  Some supermarkets now have products in bulk buy free flow containers so use these and if the bags they supply have a plastic strip in them then take your own.

7.  Switch to brands that not wrapped in plastic - I now but crème fraîche in glass jars, pasta in cardboard boxes etc.

8.  If a multi pack is wrapped in plastic either search out a brand wrapped in cardboard or buy the product individually without the plastic wrapping.

9.  Look for alternatives that have less plastic - for example many tea bags contain plastic but loose tea does not so even if both come in a box over wrapped in plastic loose tea will have less overall plastic.  Switch from frozen veg etc to fresh.  Some biscuits have a lot less plastic packaging than others.  You might already be good at checking product prices or ingredients - now become a savvy anti-plastic shopper too!

10.  Switch to the milkman - even if you only do this for just one delivery a week you are reducing your plastic intake.

11.  If you can only get a product in plastic go for largest possible packet to reduce amount of plastic per kg or litre of product.

12.  Alternatively if you cannot find a plastic free alternative then try to buy that product less.  If you normally get it every week try every other week and go for something totally different in between.  I love cream cheese but can only get that in a plastic tub so I instead of buying one small tub every week I buy one bigger tub every few weeks and in between eat other cheese products that are plastic free.

But what about when there really are no alternatives?

Then this is time to put some pressure on supermarkets to find and offer alternatives:

Contact the supermarket and say why you are no longer buying products in plastic or buying less of them.  You can both email and write to them and ask them on social media.  Name and shame supermarkets on social media when they excessively use plastic. The more people who do this the greater the pressure we can exert to see the change we desire and that our planet needs.  But on the other hand we also need to applaud supermarkets when they make genuine positive steps to reduce plastic. 

Reducing how much plastic is on supermarket shelves must be led by both the supermarkets and the consumer.   Consumers need to keep up the pressure on supermarkets to bring about change and at the same time they need to buy these plastic free products.  Sometimes they may be more expensive and for some people this will genuinely be hard.  For many, though, it is not impossible and can be offset by other green steps such as reducing food waste, growing a few of your own vegetables, not buying so many other unnecessary consumer goods, lowering energy bills, reducing unnecessary car journeys etc etc.

Have you managed to reduce how much plastic you bring home form the supermarket.  Do you have any good tips you'd like to share?

I have previously blogged about the negative impact supermarkets have on the environment - from excess packaging to selling out of season imported produce and a lot more besides, I am the first to admit I am not a lover of supermarkets.  But I am also a realist. I use supermarkets and I also know that they are not going to go away in the foreseeable future and so when this image popped up on Facebook I was really pleased.  As far as I am aware Morrisons are the first supermarket to actively encourage customers to bring their own containers when buying meat from the butcher counter.  Brilliant news.

Image from The Rubbish Diet Facebook Page

When I added a comment saying how great this was someone else commented saying that we should not be applauding Morrisons as they (and other supermarkets) are the cause of the problem.  Yes, they are a cause of many environmental problems which is exactly why they need to start to do something about it - and this is a great green step.  They may have their own business agenda behind the move but the fact is, once a scheme like this becomes mainstream it has a much greater chance of succeeding.  Look how that one episode of Blue Planet 2 brought the issue of plastic pollution into the public domain and it probably did more to raise awareness of the problem in one episode than thousands of hours of environmental campaigning from green groups could ever achieve.  Supermarkets have the same power to reach a huge audience.

Eva Katona from Captain Bobcat Blog also commenting on my own Facebook page with this comment:

I’m with you Rosie. Most people shops in supermarkets and most of them - unfortunately - don’t think about plastic wrapping or ethical sourcing and prices etc. Some people sadly have to be forced to make a change. If supermarkets join in to make a change which is in everyone’s favour on long term, everyone wins.
Also, the plastic free movement IS consumer led. It is actually a huge success story because it is working: Morrison’s is following the demand in this case. Which is fantastic I think!

Which leads me to ask, is the plastic free movement consumer led?  Looking at what people buy here in French supermarkets I could easily doubt that and it is rare to see a shopping cart without a mountain of plastic inside.  BUT, is this because they are unaware/don't care or is it because alternatives are not available?  The plastic I bring home is because I cannot buy an alternative but am I in the majority or the minority by trying to avoid plastic?

In an ideal world we would all shop locally buying local produce in plastic free packaging. But that world does not exist and in the meantime we need to get the main problem creators on board and offering viable green alternatives.

So should Morrisons be applauded for promoting a scheme to bring your own containers to the meat counter?  What do you think?

I picked this loaf of organic bread up at our local supermarket recently.  I don't normally buy what my boys call "Plastic bread" but this was in the reduced to sell basket and with an excess of eggs and milk I knew I could make it into a bread and butter pudding. But I also wanted to pose the question to you as to whether this was a good green choice or a fine example of greenwashing?

Greenwashing:

Greenwashing (a compound word modelled on "whitewash"), also called "green sheen", is a form of spin in which green PR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that an organization's products, aims or policies are environmentally friendly.*

The bread uses organic (Bio) ingredients but that is where, in my opinion, any green advantage stops. 

It might be organic but ... 

• It is highly processed and bears little resemblance to bakery or home-made bread.
• Both end crusts have been cut off - I would hope they have been used elsewhere but why remove them?
• The bread is wrapped in a non recyclable plastic bag which will end up in the bin.
• It will no doubt have travelled many miles before ending up in the supermarket.
• It proclaims proudly that it doesn't contain palm oil.  Since when was palm oil an ingredient in bread anyway?

So it is shouting loudly about being organic and palm oil free but I would think a loaf of home-made bread or one from a local bakery (which can be found in most villages and all towns in France) would have far less impact on the environment even it it wasn't made from organic ingredients.

What do you think?  A good green product or a plastic bag of greenwash?

Many of us will have seen the episode of Blue Planet 2 which showed the disastrous effect plastic is having on our oceans.  It brought home to many people that the plastic we all handle every day is a HUGE problem and we really need to do something about it.  But for consumers it can be so hard when manufacturers seem to be INCREASING not decreasing the plastic packaging.  Take these examples I have found this week:

A Plastic Wrapped Sink Plunger

Why on earth does this rubber part of the plunger need to have a plastic sleeve around it? It is not a product that needs to be kept extra clean or protected from damage.  The packaging doesn't hold any product details or prices (the price was a small label stuck on the handle) nor enable the plunger to be hung from a rack.  But the worst thing about it all was I bought a plunger just a couple of months ago from the same supermarket and then, IT WAS NOT WRAPPED IN PLASTIC.  Sorry, I had to shout that.  This is NEW packaging. Why Why Why????

Apples or Tennis Balls?

When I was young tennis balls came loose from a big basket in the shop and so did apples.  Now you buy tennis balls in tubes - AND APPLES???  For goodness sake. Four apples in a semi-hard plastic tube.  REALLY???  Another terrible example of NEW and UNNECESSARY plastic packaging.



I have always been pleased to see that France uses much less plastic packaging than the UK but these are 2 examples of totally ridiculous and unnecessary plastic that have recently arrived on the shelves.  Come on France - you can do better than this.  I have posted the plunger on Instagram and tagged the shop where I saw them (Intermarché) but to date they have not responded.  I will now send an email.

It is also worth noting though that it is quite possible to greatly reduce plastic.  Easter eggs are traditionally one of the worst products for excessive packaging but look what I found in Lidl - 6 chocolate eggs, wrapped in foil in a cardboard box and seal.  And the sweets inside the eggs were loose.  ZERO plastic!



Have you any examples of excessive or "new" plastic packaging?   Do let me know in a comment.  You may also want to follow this Instagram account:  Pointless Packaging highlights the worst examples of totally unnecessary plastic packaging and works on shaming supermarkets into eliminating it.  Be prepared to be shocked.

You can do the same - take pictures of unnecessary plastic packaging and post it in social media, tagging the shop where you saw it.  Also email them.  There is only so much we as consumers can avoid if manufactures keep creating more plastic packaging and we need to show supermarkets that enough is enough.

If the advertisers and big manufacturers were to have their way we would buy so much stuff for Christmas we'd have to starve for the rest of the year.  Well I have a message for big business.  There is another way.  A green way that does not mean Christmas is stuffed full of plastic, packaging, waste and debt.  Christmas can be just as fun, and above all better for the planet if we step off the treadmill of rampant commercialism and make Christmas altogether more sustainable.  In my previous blog post I wrote about general ways to celebrate a green Christmas and now I give you the low down on eco-present giving.

Green Christmas Present Ideas

 

Home-made stuff

• Bath bombs and other home-made toiletries
• Sloe Gin etc
• Preserves - jam, chutney etc
• Cake mix in a large jar
• Hand-made/knitted/crocheted clothes
• Any craft item you are a dab hand at making

Mason/large jar gifts

Large jars make a great receptacle for gifts such as:

• Biscuit mixes
• Bird seed
• Bath salts
• Sweets
• Home-made muesli
• Vanilla sugar
• Home made mulled wine sachets
• Home-made herb sachets 
• Selection of saved seeds
• Selection of promises or tokens 

Generally

• Before buying new see what you can buy in second hand shops
• Give experiences not gifts - what about some horse riding lessons or tickets to the local theatre?
• Offer your time to busy people - prepare dinner for them or babysit parents so they can have a night out
• Offer to teach some-one a new skill
• Buy useful presents - what about a bag for life or a safety razor? 
• Ask people what they want rather than trying to second guess and getting them something they don't need or want
• Buy a board game that the whole family can play together
• Give gift tokens 
• Give subscriptions to a local garden, library etc
• If you do buy new make it as local, organic, ethical, fair trade, sustainable, non-polluting as possible.  Oh and keep it palm oil free - check those labels.

The examples above have been fairly generic - but these 2 examples from Instagram and Facebook are more specific: 

Buy some poo!  

This one came from Lorraine (@the_uncheshire_wife on Instagram)

"The most talked about present we got our teen was the Oxfam Unwrapped gift of a ‘pile of poo’ which helps a family invest in eco friendly farming with manure & organic fertiliser 👍 He told all his friends he got a ‘pile of poo’. For Christmas 😂"

Organise a present share

I love this idea from Carol Morhman on the Make do and Mend Facebook Group

"We have a large family. We buy gifts for the children under ten (no more than $10). The rest of us give recycled presents. Wrap them in used paper or gift bags, put them all in a pile, draw numbers and have a ball laughing over what we get. (Grandma who's 80 gets a 16 lb. Bowling ball). People can then trade with each other."

Wrapping those presents

You don't need to buy oodles of new wrapping paper etc when there are plenty of green alternatives available:

• Use old cards to make gift tags
• Open presents carefully and re-use the paper next year
• Use brown paper or newspaper
• See if your local second hand shop has old maps and use these
• You can always decorate brown paper with potato prints 
• Use small pieces of greenery or dried herb branches to decorate presents
• Wrap presents in part of the present itself ie a tea towel or scarf and tie with a bungee cord
• Reuse boxes you have and save up small items for decoration through the year
• If giving several smaller gifts you can put them in a hamper.  Search for suitable baskets in second hand shops and use shredded paper for packing.

The truth is we will nearly all end up buying some new things at Christmas.  However if we all took the message below on board our buying power could help a lot of local families rather than simply lining the pockets of big business:




For even more inspiration on presents you can give that the planet will thank you for have a look at these blog posts:

 From Monsoon of Random

Facebook Groups
Zero Waste Heroes!
A Make Do and Mend Life

From Feathers in the Wood
Adorable Mini Christmas Garden Gifts

I hope you can find some green inspiration from here - perhaps you have some ideas I could add.  Do let me know in a comment and above all have a