Eco Christmas
Resources related to Eco Christmas
Guardian: Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree
In these eco-aware times, what sort of Christmas tree can be justified? Leo Hickman from the Guardian discusses this.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2008/dec/04/christmas
What are the food miles in my Christmas Dinner?
The topic of food can provide a great starting point for exploring the global dimension.
Global Dimension studied globalisation and global fashion with a Year 9 group, the class discussed how global trade affects the food we eat and how this links with interdependence of trade. As it was coming up to Christmas, Global Dimension decided to look at the issue of food miles.
http://www.globaldimension.org.uk/pages/?p=8726
Festive inspiration
Festivals are times for celebration, giving gifts, reflecting on our common humanity and being grateful for the good things that life has to offer.
Global Dimension have brought together a range of teaching resources that you can use to explore issues of sustainability and interdependence over the festive season. Some are serious, some are fun.
http://www.globaldimension.org.uk/news/item/?n=14189
Recycle Now Advent Calendar
Recycle Now have created an interactive advent calendar.
http://www.recyclenow.com/christmas_10/advent_calendar.html
Woodland Trust Nature Detectives - Online advent calendars
Get a different activity every day up to Christmas when you download one of our free advent calendars.
Packed with outdoor play ideas, warming winter recipes, natural Christmas decorations and more...
Choose your advent calendar, then discover them all!
http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/ideas/advent
Everything you need for a green Christmas
From minimising your waste to DIY decorations, here is environmentguardian.co.uk's ultimate guide to a greener Christmas.
We know Christmas is bad news for the environment: our annual indigestion-inducing consumption devours thousands of tonnes of wrapping paper, millions of trees and turkeys, and hundreds of millions of cards. But there are ways to reduce your festive impact without becoming Scrooge, scrimping on food or switching off lights.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/dec/01/green-christmas
How to Have an Eco Friendly Christmas
It is almost red and green time; this year, lets put the emphasis on green. Here are some
tips on how to have an eco Christmas:
1. Use energy-saving light bulbs
2. Buy recycled Christmas cards
3. Use eco-friendly wrapping paper
4. Buy an organic turkey
5. Get real with your Christmas tree
http://www.environment911.org/198.How_to_Have_an_Eco_Christmas
Simple steps for eco-festive fun
Dont let your good intentions go out the window as Santa comes down the chimney. There are plenty of ways to have a traditional yet environmentally friendly Christmas that doesnt cost the earth.
- Gift buying goodwill
- Festive food for thought
- Sustainable seasons greetings
- Car share where possible
- Walk off the Christmas lunch
- Useful yuletide links
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Take-action/Money-saving-tips/Seasonal-suggestions/Sim
TES Resources - Recycled Christmas Cards - Ideas Sheet
Christmas is a time of year when the amount of waste we throw away can increase considerably & its especially important to think about the 3Rs Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.
This fact sheet contains ideas about how materials that would otherwise have been thrown away can be used to make Christmas cards.
http://www.TeachShare.org.uk/ExtFiles/christmascards.pdf
RecycleNow Resources - Instructions for making Christmas Decorations
Home‐made Christmas Decorations - instructions and some top tips to help guide you through the process of making your own attractive, chic and unique Christmas decorations.
http://www.TeachShare.org.uk/ExtFiles/Instructions_for_making_Christmas_decorations.pdf
Creative Christmas Projects
With Christmas approaching many teachers are looking for the ways and ideas to keep their students occupied and creative! If you're one of them, this website contains a collection of links for Christmas crafts with one common characteristic: to make this Christmas greener reusing different items from your household and turning them into crafts! Here you can find different ideas for your toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes, even puzzles and lightbulbs!
http://www.squidoo.com/creative-christmas-projects
The Guardian - Green Christmas related resources
Resources include:
- Can I buy wrapping paper and be green?
- Can I buy a Christmas tree and be green?
- How to make a Christmas wreath
- Everything you need for a green Christmas
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/environment+lifeandstyle/christmas
How Can I Recycle This?
Mid-afternoon, 25th December. You're slumped on the sofa surrounded by kith, kin and a mountain of rubbish. Even if you could see past your pudding-filled belly, you still wouldn't be able to see your feet because everything below knee level is submerged in a sea of wrapping paper, toy packaging and Christmas card that were knocked off the mantelpiece when someone, not naming names, thought it would be a good idea to try out their new remote control helicopter in the house. So what can you do with all that rubbish? You can recycle and reuse it, that's what!
http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/recycling-at-christmas
Things to do at Christmas
The Christmas excitement is well and truly upon us - like it or not. If you're worried that you don't have enough ideas - or money - to keep your kids or young people entertained over the holidays, these links should help you out.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/breakout/christmas.html
Greener Living's Guide to a Lower Carbon Christmas
From energy saving festive lighting to low carbon shopping, from eco friendly decorations to our choice of great green gifts, Greener Living's guide is packed full of tips and advice on how to enjoy a greener Christmas this year without missing out on any of the fun!
http://www.tesco.com/greenerliving/at_home/articles/christmas/default.page
Perfrect Portions: The Christmas dinner portion planner
Elimate waste food this Christmas by using the Christmas dinner portion planner which removes the guesswork by suggesting how much to cook.
http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/perfect_portions
Twelve tips for a green Christmas
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Aberdeen City Council's Waste Aware team has come up with a list of simple steps you can take to help you have a happy and green Christmas.
1. Avoid temptation when shopping for all things Christmas – make sure you have planned in advance so that you are not tempted to buy things you don't need or won't use up
2. Say no to unwanted bags! Always reuse your plastic bags, or better still use a reusable shopping bag. Take them on every shopping trip, not just to the supermarket.
3. Avoid over-packaged gifts and instead look out for gifts with a high recycled content or made form recycled materials
4. Give them a new home – take old unwanted toys, games and clothes to a charity shop rather than throwing them away after Christmas
5. Be considerate when purchasing cards and wrapping paper. Most cards and paper can be recycled in your white kerbside collection bag or at your local recycling point. However, cards and paper that are made of foil or have excess glitter should not be recycled.
6. Use your brown bin – remember that your brown bin is for garden and food waste, so there's no excuse not to recycle the potato peelings and turkey carcass. Paper napkins and kitchen towel can be also placed in your brown bin, as well as wooden cocktail sticks and skewers. Even better than this would be placing any leftover vegetable peelings in a home compost bin
7. Love your leftovers – plan your meals so that you can reuse leftovers as much as possible. If you can't use the leftovers immediately take the time to put them in your freezer so you can use them later. The Love Food Hate Waste contains loads of tips on making the best use of your food.
8. Excess cardboard which won't fit in your white kerbside collection bag can be flattened and taken to the household waste recycling centres at: Greenbank Crescent, East Tullos; Pitmedden Road, Dyce; or Sclattie disposal works, Bankhead Avenue.
9. Power up for recycling – take any old unwanted electrical items such as toasters, kettles, TVs and mobile phones to the household waste recycling centres.
10. Remember to recycle! Don't forget to sort out items that can be recycled. Paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, tins, cans and glass bottles and jars can all be recycled either using your kerbside recycling service or at your local recycling point.
11. Be gift smart – are you sure the person you are buying for would really want that gift?
12. Remember to recycle your Christmas tree once the festive period is over.
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/CouncilNews/ci_cns/pr_xmaswaste_131210.asp
Christmas Tree Playdough Mats
Making a number of decorations to match the number on the bottom of the tree
http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/christmas-tree-playdough-mats-3009658/
Recycled Orange Peel Christmas Ornaments
Talented artists turn ordinary orange peels (which are usually thrown away, of course) into artistic creations for your holiday celebrations.
http://www.greatgreengoods.com/2008/11/26/recycled-orange-peel-christmas-ornaments/
RecycleNow - Wrapping The Eco Way
Recycle Now discovers the art of gift wrapping - Japanese style.
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2321507
How Can I Recycle This? - Advent Calendars
It's that special day when children (and big kids) up and down the land will open their Tweenies/Hannah Montana/High School Musical/perhaps even Christmas-themed advent calendar and “enjoy” the piece of grey-ish lump claiming to be chocolate. Only 24 more greyish lumps until Christmas, hurrah! say the children. So any ideas for reuses? This website lists an few different ideas.
http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/20081201/how-can-i-reuse-or-recycle-advent-calendars
YouTube - Green Christmas, A Global Warning (Song)
Green Chrismas is a new Christmas song with an environmental theme. The Elf Cottage Elves spread Green Christmas cheer! Go Green!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2e1MGStdPtc
Earth911 - Recycling Songs
Another list of various festive songs that can be taught which relate towards recycling.
http://earth911.com/teachers/conservation-songs/recycling-songs/
Handmade Holiday: Origami Christmas Card Box
A great way to recycle all of those Christmas cards that you're not sure what to do with.They can be used to hold little Christmas gifts (or anytime trinkets for that matter) or also be hung on the tree for decoration.
http://katydidandkid.blogspot.com/2008/12/handmade-holiday-origami-christmas-card.html
How to recycle your clothes this Christmas
Bryony Gordon explains how to update your tired wardrobe in minutes...
Paula can turn a coat into a bag and an ageing dress into an asymmetric top. Having appeared on BBC2's Twiggy's Fashion Exchange, she now works for the charity TRAID, restyling clothes that have been donated into wearable items.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/3691333/How-to-recycle-your-clothes-this-Christmas.html
Pupil power lights up Christmas
A village primary school has adopted an eco-friendly approach to lighting up its Christmas trees - pedal power. Kirkcolm School near Stranraer in south west Scotland is taking part in a pilot project developed by inventor Antony Berretti from near Newton Stewart.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7771863.stm
Homemade Christmas Ornaments
Create your own Christmas ornaments and gifts with this easy A-Z instructions list. Right image is an angel made from pasta shells.
http://www.betterbudgeting.com/homemadechristmasornaments.htm
