Our staff sustainability group offer their top tips and tricks for a more sustainable festive season. 

Being more sustainable in our every day lives is all good news for wildlife, whether that's because we're reducing our impact on the environment overall by using less energy, or preventing more plastic from being inadvertently released into our green spaces. You can make a difference by changing just a few things this festive season, and many of them will also save you money, and, hopefully, inject a bit more fun (or at least a conversation starter) into your yuletide celebrations.

Christmas decorations and crackers  

Rather than buying new decorations this year, having a go at making your own can be very satisfying - especially if it makes use of something that would otherwise go straight in the recycling bin. Get friends and family involved in the run up to Christmas and see how much you can repurpose.

We have run Christmas challenges for our staff and the pictures below show just a few of the things they came up with! Why not hold a competition yourself, at your own workplace, or among your friends and family?

Christmas jumpers 

We all love to dress up for yuletide, and wearing a Christmas jumper gets many of us in the festive spirit. Rather than buying a new one this year why not either decorate an existing jumper or see if you can source items in your local second-hand shops? Or, better still, if you’ve got some spare wool in the house (and can knit or crochet), then have a go at making your own, either in full, or as an adornment for an existing jumper. Why not have a special wildlife theme this year? Take your inspiration from your garden and knit a red robin to adorn your jumper. 

Low cost giving  

This year why not think about making a few unique gifts rather than clicking 'buy' online. It might save you money, bring out the creative in you and save some carbon emissions at the same time. Here are a few ideas of things we'd love to receive this year...

• A jar of chocolate truffles (using palm oil free, fairtrade cocoa of course!), decorated yourself

• A festive wreath made from cuttings from your own garden. Our Trust runs workshops: Events | Wildlife Trust for Beds Cambs & Northants   

• A bath bomb, made with household items, makes a thoughtful, relaxing and low cost present! Especially if paired with a good secondhand book to read in the bath...  How to make a bath bomb | Good Food 

• Beeswax wraps are great for the planet but can sometimes be costly. They are actually very easy to make and better yet, you can use up scraps of cotton fabric or choose your own designs. Gift a bundle of different sizes for a more substantial pressie. How to make beeswax wraps | Natural History Museum 

• An upcycled vase. Charity shops are usually brimful with vases and decorative vessels - not all of them in a style you might choose if buying new. But you can upcycle and personalise them with a simple paint job using acrylic paints, or paste dried leaves and flowers on to them with glue and paper over a layer or two of translucent tissue paper for a lovely effect,

Of course, not everyone has time or the ready-made supplies to get crafting. In which case, we recommend purchasing from sustainable companies and really making sure what you're buying is recycled and recyclable.

Why not try our own online shop for some great sustainable t-shirt ideas? Shop for Wildlife – Wildlife Trust BCN Shop. Every penny you spend there also goes toward supporting our work, so it has a double impact.

Gift experiences

If you’re stuck for a gift idea, rather than resorting to buying something you’re not sure they’ll like or use, why not consider gifting an experience instead? A cinema trip or a voucher for theatre tickets, an afternoon tea in their local town... there are lots of options. Gifting a 'promise' of a trip together to a museum, say, or lunch at their local pub is also a nice way to do this - as long as you follow through!

Many of our events would make a wonderful gift – maybe you could book a loved one onto one of our guided walks at a local reserve, teach them something new through a Wildlife Training Workshop, or buy tickets to go with them on a bat punt in the spring! 

Gift wrapping with a difference  

At our AGM and Members' Day this year we held a crafting activity showing how easy it is to wrap gifts using the traditional Japanese ‘furoshiki’ square (which is a piece of material around 70 x 70cm). This involves making a few folds and knots in strategic and simple ways to wrap items securely, and it also means that these wrappings can be saved and regifted. People who took part in the event were always pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy it really is to make things look special with this technique. You could decorate with leftover ribbons or bows, or even a sprig of wintry foliage from your garden, to make your gift really stand out.

In the UK we use a staggering 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year (mainly at Christmas)*

If you can't find 'official' Furoshiki squares, ladies' sarongs or decorative scarves (the type made from slippery, pretty material) are a brilliant option, and you can often find these in 'bargain bins' in charity shops. Failing that, any fabric scraps you can find would work, though it does help if you hem the edges with a simple stitch. We found that thinner fabric works better and smaller sizes, like fat quarters, can also do the job, depending on what you're wrapping.

For more information on this technique, see How to Christmas Gift-wrap with Furoshiki! (zusetsu.com)  and How to wrap gifts with fabric (countryliving.com) 

As you probably know already not all Christmas wrapping paper is recycleable, another reason why fabrics make a great alternative!  

Go plastic free - storing leftover food 

Give yourself a challenge and try not to use cling film for the Christmas food this year. Beeswax wraps make a great option for those things that need an outer wrapping - they’re reusable many times and can be composted once they’re no longer usable. But do also make use of the humble tupperware, and a simple bowl with a plate over the top might do for short-term storage in the fridge.

Reducing food waste  

Finally, don’t forget to try to think about how to use food up rather than wasting it. We know that one of the joys of the season is eating heartily and providing for others, but do try and plan some meals after the big day to use up those inevitable leftovers. Hubbub have some recipe tips, simple and tasty, and not just for the turkey! Remix your roast dinner - Hubbub  

* For more interesting stats on waste, especially around Christmas see Christmas packaging facts and waste statistics (2024 update) (gwp.co.uk)