Top tips for Christmas

Hello everyone,

This post is all about how to help the environment over Christmas.

1. Try not to travel massive distances by plane

Christmas is the time of the year to get the whole family together, not go on holiday. Enjoy the environment around you, talk to the friends and neighbours that you normally talk to, you don't need to fly half way aroudn the globe for just one week. Of course, if you are travelling to visit family this doesn't really count.

2. Christmas trees;

Most people buy a new Christmas tree every year and then throw it away in January. The more environmentally friendly option is to buy a small Christmas tree in a pot and put it out in the garden and let it grow for the rest of the year and then bring it in again next Christmas. There are quite a few advantages when doing this.

1. Planted trees don't drop loads of needles.

2. It saves money because you don't have to pay for a new tree every year.

3. It saves the hassle of trying to get a massive tree from the shop to your home.

The downside is that you need a garden or a plot of land where you can plant the tree from January until December.

3. Wrapping paper

When you're wrapping up gifts for friends and family, try and think about how you're wrapping them. There are several ways to be more environmentally friendly when it comes to wrapping paper.

3.1. Wrap it up in a newspaper

Advantages:

1. Saves money because you don't have to buy wrapping paper.

2. Wrapping paper is often wrapped in plastic in the shop, so using newspapers saves plastic.

3. Reuse the newspaper, and reusing stuff is always good.

3.2. Be careful of how you wrap and unwrap presents

So if you don't want to use newspaper, then you can still use wrapping paper. Here's how it works:

1. Try to choose nice wrapping paper

2. Don't use sellotape or anything that will rip the paper. Use string instead.

3. Try and wrap it with as fewer folds as possible.

4. When you're on the receiving end:

4.1. Unwrap it carefully to avoid ripping the paper

4.2. Use the wrapping paper for something else. For instance:

4.2.1. Make a bookmark out of it

4.2.2. Save it for next Christmas

4.2.3. Find another use for it that avoids chucking it away

4. No tinsel

So tinsel is be quite popular. It can also make the holiday feel even better. But what happens to tinsel after Christmas? It gets thrown away. Tinsel also drops little plastic strands that often end up inside a sea animal's stomach! So this year, try and avoid tinsel. It isn't that hard.

5. Presents

When you walk down a supermarket alley at Christmas, you see tons of presents. The majority of them are either wrapped in plastic or made of it. Trying to find a present that doesn't contain plastic can be hard. Normally the only things that don't contain plastic are books. (Not that any of us would ever say no to a book!) But if you know someone who doesn't like books, it can be hard to find them a present.

However, there's another option: homemade presents. Ok, so these take longer, but they're cheaper. Sometimes they don't cost a penny because they're made from things you've already got around the house. Also, homemade presents are lovely to receive because you know that the other person put time and effort into them.

So those were our five top tips for Christmas. If you can think of any more, write them in the comments or send us an email at contact.greenworldblog@gmail.com

In case we don't publish another post before then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Image: This image is owned by Skylar Kang on pexels.com.

Comments

Deforestation and why it’s a problem

Hi everyone, Welcome back to another post. Today we’ll be talking about deforestation and its impacts on our earth. Deforestation, the widespread clearance of natural forests, has been happening for thousands of years. One example is Western Europe, where, two millennia ago, 80% of the land was cloaked in dense forest cover. However, over time, a significant portion of this green expanse was sacrificed to create room for crops, livestock grazing, and as a source of fuel and building materials. Presently, a mere 34% of Western Europe retains its woodland. Today, the tropics deal with the brunt of deforestation. Activities such as mining, agriculture, road construction, and the establishment of vast cattle ranches drive the mass clearance of tropical rainforests. This results in the release of huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, exacerbating the global climate crisis. The consequences come in two waves: first, the reduced number of...

Climate change: what is it and what's the problem

Hello, I've noticed that we are always mentioning climate change. Not only us blog editors but also politicians, activists and so on. The words climate change are bounced around in the media and probably in your households, but do you actually know what it is or how it works? I know that for a long time, I didn't know what it really meant. I hope that this post changes that. What is climate change and how does it work? The words climate change describe a slow shift in the earth's temperature and changes in the weather patterns. Having a single warm winter does not instantly mean climate change. Climate change happens over a long period of time. If you look at a temperature graph over the years, it doesn't go up in one day and then stay the same for another hundred years. It curves up slowly but steadily. This is a average temperature graph from 1880 to just after 2000. You can see how the temperature gradually gets warmer....

The Responsible Traveller by Karen Edwards || a practical guide to reducing your environmental and social impact // BOOK REVIEW

HI Everyone! Our January monthly post was a zero-waste challenge, but as we explained in our 2023 wrap up , this year we will be alternating a monthly challenge with a book review, of course related to the environment. This week, I'm going to share a recommendation for a fantastic book, all about how you can travel more sustainably and responsibly. I absolutely love travelling, but I'm also very aware of the impact it has on the world, and I am very keen to learn more about how I can further reduce my impact. That's why I bought this book around a year ago, and I've really enjoyed reading it and learning from it. This is a practical, small-format guide, sharing both basic information about the climate crisis and the impact of various travel activities, and how you can do your bit. It shares specific journeys that are more environmentally friendly options, for example long distance train journeys such as The Alaskan Railroad with its stunning alpine forests and wide ar...

March Top Tips // 10 little things you can avoid in daily life

Welcome to the Top Tips this month! We'll be talking about 10 things you can avoid using in everyday life. We know it's a really simple topic, but it can actually make quite a difference. The avoidable stuff will be things many use because they look nice or taste nice or similar, but aren't actually necessary. We will also write a couple of facts on these things, and give ideas on how you could substitute them if possible. Many might be very obvious, but think about it, do you actually not use them? Have fun! Chewing Gum Most people would not be surprised when told that lots of chewing gum have synthetic colouring and flavouring. However, most people would be surprised when told that chewing gum is largely made of plastic. What the companies call the "gum base" is plastic and partly made of the same stuff plastic bags are made of. The gum contains microplastics that, if you spit your gum on the ground often tend to get into the oce...

Green Pets: so i almost killed mr darcy... | how to keep the faith when caring for your plants

Hi Everyone! I hope this post finds you all well, I'm just coming on the blog today to chat with you about how I almost killed Mr Darcy and how you should keep the faith when looking after your own plants. So...It's true. I almost killed Mr Darcy. Before you imagine my diving into Pride and Prejudice and brandishing a knife to Mr Darcy's throat, let me clarify that Mr Darcy is indeed one of my house plants. Mr Darcy looked healthy a few months back... He is a Soleirolia, more commonly called 'mind your own business'. He requires a lot of water, as I have now learnt and I, unfortunately, let him become too dry, which caused him to shrivel up. It felt very bad and we were on the verge of chucking him out when we thought we could give him a second chance. Thank goodness we did because although he still looks a bit like like a dry, shrivelled mess, he has som...

Animals 11-15 in our '50 incredible animals' series

Hello, We have another five amazing animals for you today. Enjoy! 11. Dhole This is a dog species which looks rather like a red fox . They are difficult to put into any of the dog subfamilies. They aren't foxes, nor wolves, nor domestic dogs. Dholes are fast runners and live in packs of 5-12 individuals. Although sometimes, different packs will join forces to become a pack of 30 or more individuals! However, these super packs are broken up after a successful hunt. The different packs rarely attack each other as neighbouring packs are often closely related. Dhole packs live in burrows with multiple entrances. They can be found in eastern and southern Asia. They eat wild berries, insects and lizards and as a pack hunt deer, rodents and other wild mammals. Interestingly, unlike other dogs, they rarely kill by biting at the throat. They are also good swimmers! 12. Irrawaddy dolphin The Irrawaddy dolphin can be found in coastal areas of south a...

10 animals on the edge of extinction you didn't know about no. 9 - South Island takahē

Hello Today we’re talking about the South Island takahē, porphyrio hochstetteri . They are flightless birds, endemic to New Zealand. Takahē are brightly coloured and weigh 2.3-3.8 kg. They have red legs and a large red beak. Their feathers are coloured blue and green. They have wings, but these are only used during courtship or rivalry displays. They are territorial, with one family’s territory reaching anywhere from 4 ha to 100 ha (0,04-1km^2). Pairs will live in the same territory each year. They breed once a year and will raise 1-3 chicks (normally 2) each year. Both parents raise the chicks together. In the wild, takahē live in native grasslands and have a lifespan of 16-18 years. If snow covers the ground then they will move into nearby forests. They eat tussock grasses, sedges and sometimes rushes. But they are opportunists, so they will occasionally go for insects or even ducklings and...

Coral reefs

Hello! We would love to introduce you to the topic of coral reefs and especially coral reef bleaching, as it is a greatly ignored but certainly significant topic. Have fun! 5 coral reef facts 1. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet and is 2300 km long! 2. Less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface is covered in coral reefs. 3. At least 25% of all marine animals live there. 4. Coral reefs are often known as the rainforests of the ocean. 5. In 1 square kilometre of coral reef, up to 35 tons of fish can be 'produced'. The 5 biggest coral reefs in the world 1. Great Barrier Reef (near Australia) 2. Red Sea Coral Reef (near Egypt, Israel and Djibouti) 3. New Caledonia Reef (Pacific Ocean near New Caledonia) 4. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (near Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras) 5. Florida Reef (Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico near Florida) What is coral? Coral is actually made up of small anim...

How much do you know about trees? - Quiz

Hello, This month's quiz is all about trees. Questions: What is the name of the network that trees use to communicate? a) the mycorrhizal network b) the mythcorhinia network c) the symbocommunial network How much of the amazon rainforest has been lost due to deforestation in the last 50 years? a) 12% b) 17% c) 23% True or False? Over 75% of land-based species are found in forests? How much carbon do tropical forest contain? a) 230 gigatons b) 280 gigatons c) 330 gigatons In California, there is a rather strange tree that has survived 13 000 years by cloning itself. What species? a) Pin oak ;b) English oak c) Palmer's oak True or False? The oldest surviving tree species, Gingko trees, have been around since just after the meteor that killed off the dinosaurs struck. Where do acacia trees grow? a) cold and ha...

The Amazon Rainforest series-part 4: The diligent population checker: The killer fungus

Hi everyone, Today we have a very special post for you. This is our very first guest blogging post. Casandra Chikanele has written an amazing post about the Amazon rainforest. This post is therefore the 4th part in the Amazon rainforest series. Enjoy! Your Green World Team💚 The Amazon rainforest is a diverse and wildlife intense site. Home to thousands of species of animals, insects, reptiles, and all living forms including plants and microbial entities. 1/3 of all species live in this cradle of life. About 2.5 million species of ants, one thousand three hundred species of birds, four hundred and thirty species of mammals, and many more. This environment houses quite a numerous amount of living things, predators and prey, families, and bachelors. A place with such a diverse ecosystem, where new offspring is constantly brought forth. Some species reproduce in little numbers, while others reproduce in hundreds or thousands every few ...

Green World

Search This Blog