3 simple tips to a circular and more sustainable Christmas

With a little bit of circular thinking you can easily make your holiday more sustainable.

When first you get started you will discover that every time you are going to put things in the waste bin you will think twice – could this be used as compost or perhaps as a container for homemade jam?

Get inspired by these ideas related to the upcoming holidays:

1. Christmas tree

Buy a tree growing in a pot and plant it outdoor after Christmas or if possible, buy an organic grown Christmas tree.

Reuse your Christmas tree after Christmas. Here are some ideas:

• Use the branches to cover your Sprout herbs and other plants during wintertime – see our picture.
• Make birdfeeders from the stem – You can find inspiration here.
• Make a hanger from the stem. Find inspiration here.

2. Food

Plan what you are going to eat and don’t buy more than necessary – a lot of food is thrown out because we are afraid of running short – and we seldom do …

• Hang the skeleton from the turkey or duck high in a tree. The birds will love it
• Use your leftovers to new delicious dishes – there are lot of inspiration on the internet – and your dishes will look amazing if you top them with some herbs or micro greens
• Invite friends to a leftover party and ask them to bring food from their fridge and enjoy making new meals together

3. Presents and cards

A lot of gift-wrapping is used once and then thrown away – consider if it can be re-used to wrap other presents or if wrapping is needed at all? Some presents are already in a box, maybe they just need a bow?

• Check this fancy paper, with can be used again and again and again – you find link here. 
• Use a scarf, a bandana, a handkerchief or a kitchen towel as gift-wrap
• Make new items of the paper – get ideas from buffed.com here.
• Make your own presents, maybe a delicious salt seasoned with home grown herbs, a small bag of seeds or a potpourri with lavender?
• Give away Christmas cards that your dear ones can plant afterwards. In Sprout we have made a special Merry Christmas card that can grow into wild flowers.

Happy holidays, we hope it may be awesome and filled with circular thinking! Please share, if you have other great ideas to minimize waste and re-use items.

Sprouting Christmas card writing!

Green Thumb by

Helle Haugaard

Indlægget Sustainable Christmas blev vist første gang den Sproutworld.