News on Surrey's Greener Future

Christmas is a time of great celebration where friends and family all get together and a time where there are plenty of presents, food and decorations that have the potential to impact upon the environment. To help minimise this impact and allow us to still enjoy the festive season to the full, we’ve pulled together are some tips for a greener Christmas.

Presents

It can be easy to get in the mindset of buying as many smaller gifts as possible fill the space under the tree. However, these smaller gifts can sometimes they can go to waste if they are unwanted or are of poor quality. When making or buying a gift for someone, it would be a good idea to think about a quality gift that will last year after year.

Another thing to think about with your gifts is the material that is being used and what impact it could have if gone to waste. Try and think of using wood and paper gifts instead of single plastic items especially if they aren’t recyclable.

Something to also think about is where you are buying the gifts from. A lot of gifts that we buy for Christmas will have a large carbon footprint, especially if the gift has travelled a long way, so try buying gifts locally, if possible, from shops that are near you.

Food

It wouldn’t be the festive season without the food; however, it can be easy to overindulge and generate food waste. One way to cut down on this is to plan ahead in terms of how much food you need when doing the Christmas shop.

Buying seasonal products that have been locally produced is another great way to reduce environmental impact as this will reduce the energy spent growing foods out of season and will also help UK farmers.

Decorations

Amongst all the festive fun and socialising with family and friends try to make Christmas as sustainable as possible. It might not be easy to do but small changes are possible, we hope you enjoy the festive period and have a wonderful Christmas.