13.12.2011

Let's make it an Eco Christmas!!! 

Let’s make it a greener Christmas this year with more thought into what to buy - so here are a few of my favourites this year.
 

This year I am making a very conscious effort to present my loved ones with truly recycled presents. Many will be home made and I will scrutinise labels much more.
 

Eco marketing has gone overboard in terms of labeling anything that looks green – it's not always really .... well Green! I even saw a product that was made out fossil oil labeled green since it was recyclable. Still using valuable resources I think, so is it really green?
 

This year instead of throwing away some old crockery I have – having tried to give it to the charity shops (apparently they have too much stuff!), I am going to re-use them in a more innovative ways.  

It’s little things too – using tape to secure the wrapping paper is of course petroleum based – so this year I am using garden twine and will try to make tight creases in my folds and securely tie both ways across the present to secure my gift in its wrapping. Simple but also thoughtful.

I will be using the front of last year’s Christmas cards which I saved to cut out stick onto my wrapping paper as decorations. Using Eco Green Glue instead of the normal stuff we all use. This glue has no VOC ‘s apparently. It’s the only one I could find, but perhaps you might have a good one to recommend? http://www.thecraftbarn.co.uk/product.php/19370/eco-green-crafts-glue

I always have lots of seeds left over every year from the planting, and seed companies send me huge amount to test, so with the remainders, this year I am going to make little parcels with planting instructions and small drawings of the plant to give to friends. I am especially keen on grow your own since we offer classes here and so it’s important for me to share out the goodness of organic home grown fruit and veg.
 
I bought some small brown paper bags that I filled with smaller brown envelopes and made a collection of vegetables to grow such as tomatoes, courgettes, herbs and squash seeds. I will use some of my coloured markers to write on the large bag and call it the Potager collection to grow for 2012! I will also include growing instruction printed on recycled paper. Fab gift don’t you think?

But if you are short on time, not exactly the crafty-type person, then you can always buy gifts that have good eco credentials from a variety of sites. Of course buying from one site means less mileage and packaging, so think about what you want to give and to whom, make a list and look at the website carefully to aggregate as much as possible.

Anyway here is a round-up of my best buys for your home and garden and feel good about shopping sustainably.
 

Nigel’s Eco Store is fabulous! Full of quirky, interesting things that are really different to the usual dross. 

I am particularly taken with the paperweight Desk made of 100% recyclable cardboard. 

Endorsed by Elle Decoration “The Paperweight desk looks like expensive design furniture: It's hard to believe, we know, that this elegant white desk is actually made from corrugated cardboard."
Check it out HERE. Picture taken from Nigel's Eco store

 

Oh! An I bought these too for New Year's! Biodegradable Sky Lanterns - no threat to animals and wildlife.
Check them out below - Picture taken from Nigel's Eco store

I also love these scatter cushions made by Polly Hope  . She uses 100% certified organic cotton and the fabrics are coloured naturally, using medicinally rich plants, natural mordents (no heavy metals) and all bleaching is carried out using sunlight. Her designs are subtle and elegant and I think a real winner.
 

Picture taken from Polly Hope website

Another quirky but stylish object I found was this Wool felt wrap lampshades – they come in baby blue, red and pink. A piece of felt is wrapped and secured by a wooden  button and only accommodate an energy saving light bulb. If you buy several you can cluster them above a dining table or the kitchen table to make a real statement piece. Available from Love Eco! Gorgeous!

 

Picture taken from Love Eco
 

Something not strictly “design” but still worthy of investigation is bamboo bed sheets. My Aunt bought some a couple of years ago and swears by them. Anti-allergenic, sturdy, softer than soft , it wicks moisture away doubly fast and made in the UK, it’s a real treat. Ok so you need to get the bamboo shipped over as no-one as far as I know grows them commercially here, but they do last 10 x the length of normal sheets.  I have had mine for 5 years and they are changed weekly and they are as new and my Aunt has had hers for over 10 years and still has no complaints. Beware of bamboo sheets made with some cotton as they do shrink, buy 100% bamboo for best results. Try Between the Sheets for luxurious eco sheets.

And for the garden!

I do like Gardenbeet as an online shop – lots of thought goes into the eco products bought in and I particularly like the Cambodian rice bags used as pots.

Picture taken from Gardenbeet

But my top Christmas tip here is the green wall for internal space. Made out of a woolly pocket, lined to ensure it does not drip and made from recycled plastic bottles!
 

Picture copyright Gardenbeet

Gorgeous and lush!

Enjoy the Christmas shopping or making - there is no excuse this year to make it a green and eco one!