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Eco Tips

In date order, most recent tip first:

2024 December 20th - Wishing everyone a very Merry Green Christmas!

We have been publishing Eco Tips for just over a year now.  We hope you have found them interesting & useful.  Above all we hope that they, along with Mike’s Eco challenges, have inspired you to take action & make changes. In January we will be publishing an online survey which we hope you will complete so we can assess their impact.

Stopping climate change & biodiversity loss in its tracks may seem daunting, even nye on impossible BUT every change or improvement we make helps, especially when magnified across the whole congregation, the whole town, the whole country, the whole world.

God has provided the world with the knowledge & the technology. Even as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us pray for the will to employ them, the will to make changes, the will to save the world that Jesus came to save and die for.

STOP PRESS: A couple of things you may not realise can be recycled in your council recycling bin:

  • Metal screw caps from empty bottles – screw them back onto the bottle; and
  • Aluminium tubes e.g. from hand cream or tomato puree.

2024 December 12th - Yet more from Green Your Xmas

- and apologies & well done to those who have accessed the link & read all the tips already

Check your Xmas lights & when buying new, ensure they are LED to minimise energy use.

Outdoor lights are cheerful & pretty but have them on a timer so that they are only on after dark & until bedtime. Should we really be using them at all? It’s not just the energy use – light pollution is a problem for night-time creatures.

If you give toiletries, make sure they are eco-friendly & contain no palm oil. Give shampoo bars & solid soaps to cut down on plastic & encourage others to make that change.

Plan your Xmas meals so that you avoid food waste. Aim for seasonal fruit & veg to minimise airmiles & your carbon footprint.  Look up recipes to make use of the leftovers.

2024 December 5th - Operation Noah

 – a Christian charity working with the Church to inspire action on the climate crisis 

We might care about the climate crisis for several valid and laudable reasons but the truth is that it is our Christian duty to care for God’s earth (Genesis 2v15).

Dr. Rowan Williams, in his address for Operation Noah's 20 Year Anniversary Service earlier this year, calls on the church to be a promise-keeping Covenant Community, committed to one another, to God, and to our shared world – deeply living out our calling to protect, restore and nourish God’s creation through all we do.

To read a transcript of his address go to www.operationnoah.org/address or search 'Youtube Operation Noah address' to watch the video.

2024 November 28th - More from Green Your Xmas

Make sure you use recyclable wrapping paper, preferably that which is sold without the plastic covering.

Use non-plastic Sellotape (try WHS, otherwise packs of 3 available from Amazon) and biodegradable parcel tape.

www.partyfox.co.uk sell eco parcel tape and also biodegradable coloured jute twine, www.andkeep.com even sell a festive biodegradable parcel tape.

If you want Xmas crackers look for plastic free ones without the plastic gifts or how about making your own? www.andkeep.com or www.keepthiscracker.com and fill with your own treat.

2024 November 21st - Green Your Xmas

A few brief tips from the Green Your Christmas link given last week. And don’t forget all our Xmas Eco Tips from last year can still be seen on this page.

Avoid balloons for this and all celebrations: they are a source of plastic pollution and very dangerous for small children and animals.

If you already have an artificial tree, then use it annually for as long as possible; its carbon footprint will eventually be less than having a live tree felled each year. But make sure that at the end of its life, it is disposed of carefully. If you are debating whether to go artificial or not, review last year’s Eco Tip from 23/11.

Shop local for gifts and look out for local crafts to minimise the carbon footprint of your presents.

Recycling update – A reminder that we have now closed our crisp packet recycling collection point. Going forwards, you can take your crisp packets (and other soft plastics) to a soft plastics recycling point. These are available at most larger supermarkets, including the Ilkley Tesco.

2024 November 14th - Pray, Read, Listen - 3 topical tips

Pray – COP29 opens this week. A key focus will be on finance, as trillions of dollars are required for countries to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect lives. The world desperately needs to accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis. Pray for unity, solidarity and, above all, ACTION!

Read - With 6 weeks until Christmas, read these tips for Greening Your Christmas.

Listen - to the BBC radio series ‘Rare Earth’. Only just picked up on this series which started on January 19th (plus an introductory trailer on January 16th). All 22 episodes are available on BBC Sounds. Series covers a wide range of environmental topics & looks interesting & informative.

2024 November 7th - No More Neonicotinoids

Neonicotinoids are a group of neurotoxic pesticides that are highly harmful to the environment and wildlife. They are particularly dangerous for bees. One teaspoon can kill 1.25 million bees.

The EU has banned these. Although the UK government has banned their use outdoors it has approved so-called “emergency authorisations” made by British Sugar to allow their use on sugar beet. This was against the recommendation of their own scientific advisors.

They are also present in flea powders used to treat domestic pets and the harmful toxins are getting into rivers and ponds in concentrations large enough to harm aquatic life. Studies in cerebrospinal fluid samples from children has shown traces of these potent neurotoxins to be present Their potential long term effects are unknown.

Choosing to grow sugar without neonics is the best way to a safer, wilder future. Many farmers are trying to do this, but they need more support. UK Wildlife Trusts have a petition to try to persuade British Sugar to support those farmers who choose not to use these chemicals. You can sign this petition at https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/say-no-neonics.

STOP PRESS! The Terracycle crisp packet recycling scheme is closing so we will be closing our collection point next Sunday November 17th. Going forwards, you can take your crisp packets (and other soft plastics) to a soft plastics recycling point. These are available at most larger supermarkets these days, including the Ilkley Tesco.

2024 October 24th - Talk about it! Spread the word

Some of us find it difficult to talk about our faith but what about talking about the All Saints’ Replacement Challenge? Tell others what you have changed, maybe also things you were already doing. Perhaps they will be inspired to copy you, to do their bit to protect the planet. Then maybe you could tell them why you are doing it – that you are helping to protect God’s world.

The COPs

Remember COP28? Next month it will be COP 29 but at the moment COP16 is taking place in Columbia! Confused? Understandable. COP stands for Conference of the Parties and this one is the conference on Biological Diversity. COP29 is the Climate Change conference.

“We hope that the COP16 in Colombia can help the world to make peace with nature, so that we can sustain and maintain life on the planet forever,” says Susana Muhamad, Colombia environment minister. Let’s pray for the conference, that this aim can be achieved.

2024 October 17th - Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

The average UK footprint is 4-6 tonnes of CO2. Is yours above or below average? It is hard to reduce your footprint if you do not know what it is.

Find out by completing your carbon footprint calculation. The following links are listed on the Diocesan website:

There are many websites offering CO2 calculations, some more complex than others. If you have already done a calculation using a different site and found it good to use, do let us know & we will publish the details. You can send the link to kathrynallen82@yahoo.co.uk.

Stop press: Keighley medicine blister pack collection is back!

2024 October 10th - Shorten Your Shower

Most of us know that taking a shower instead of a bath uses less water & saves on hot water costs. Cutting your daily shower from 8 to 4 minutes saves around 36L of water. You can buy timers to stick onto the side of the shower or maybe you’d prefer to sing along to one of Water Aid’s 4minute shower hits.

Adding a low flow shower head could cut your water usage by 50% while retaining the pressure. Look for one with a flow rate of less than 7L/minute. 

The Energy Saving trust estimates that the average UK home could reduce annual energy bills by £60 by using these measures, plus a further £75 if your water is metered.

Even more impressive savings come from using a steam shower, which uses just 7.5L of water for a 30min shower!

2024 October 3rd - Pray for change

This Sunday, Mike will challenge us all to make 1 change in our lifestyle to benefit God’s world. Let’s all rise to the challenge.

Change is happening but the pace is slow and insufficient. Let us all pray for willingness to change – in our own lives, in our church, town, country and throughout the world. Pray for an end to the selfishness and greed which pervades the secular world in which we live. Pray for an end to the fighting between nations. The world needs to unite to fight a bigger war. Pray that the whole world will embrace change to protect and save God’s world.

The Lord said “do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God” Philippians 4:6-7. Let’s do it!!

2024 September 26th - Some statistics which illustrate the importance of thinking about the food we buy & eat

If we changed the world’s consumption patterns to focus more on plants & less on meat, it is estimated that we could reduce global emissions by almost 20% according to a recent study published in Nature Climate Change. Meat & dairy provide only 18% of calories consumed but use 83% of global farmland & produce 60% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

At the same time, reducing food waste is key. Almost 17% of all food available to consumers worldwide is wasted. Producing, transporting and letting food rot contributes over 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

So – save money, reduce emissions and save the resources used (land, water, energy) by eating more plant-based foods and ensuring that you only buy what you need & use what you buy.

2024 September 19th - Silsden Repair Café

Launched a year ago by Climate Action Silsden, this initiative has saved over 500 items from going to landfill.

It is held on the 3rd Saturday of the month at Silsden Methodist Church between 9.30-noon.

Take along your broken items - from toasters, lamps, hair dryers & electrical tools to toys, bikes & jewellery – for the attention of volunteer repair experts. There is also a knife & tool sharpening service. No set charges for repair but people are asked for a donation.

There is also a Pop-Up Refill shop, selling products at wholesale prices and an Energy Helpdesk plus a café where you can have coffee & cake whilst waiting for your repair.

For more details, visit their Facebook page.

NB Don’t forget – this Sunday is the Climate Action Ilkley Car Free festival on The Grove.

2024 September 12th - Passing on a love of nature

Climate change & loss of biodiversity continues to progress and the UK is one of the least biodiverse places in the world. Each generation has a lower expectation of wildlife & wild places than the previous generation – the Shifting Baseline Syndrome e.g. remember the days when the car windscreen would be splattered with squashed insects? Nowadays there may be 1 or 2 or none at all.

It is vital to engender a love of nature in the next generation. A recent article in BBC Countryfile urges us to do this by:

  • Pointing out the beauty, wonder & awe of nature;
  • Getting out and walking, in all weathers, long or short (maybe just the garden);
  • Teaching them that they can do something – empower them to stand up for nature.

2024 September 5th - CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, PC & console games, Box sets & CDR’s

All these can be sent to www.recycladisk.co.uk for recycling though you will have to bear the postage cost. You can send 2-5kg for £5.18 with Evri. Why not get together with a friend or 2 & share the postage?

N.B. Don’t get caught out - the e has been left off “recycle” in the web address!

2024 August 22nd - Try waterless skin care, beauty products & more

Experts predict that water scarcity could affect two-thirds of the world’s population by 2025.

Water makes up at least two-thirds of most toiletries but there is a steady stream of water-free products coming onto the market in both the beauty industry & cleaning products. As well as less water, there is less packaging, fewer ingredients and a decreased CO2 footprint.

Just Google (or Ecosia-search!) water free beauty etc (even water free washing) to find a wealth of suggestions.

2024 July 18th - Simon Reeve The Americas - recommended viewing on BBC iPlayer

Sympathetic commentary as Reeve travels the 4000 mile length of the Americas producing 2 series of 5 episodes. Dramatic scenery, wildlife & insight into the lives of the indigenous people. He pulls no punches as he sees first-hand, & is visibly moved by: the effects of climate change, deforestation, mineral exploitation & the desperate situation of indigenous people. This fascinating series is an eye-opener, particularly the South Americas series. It makes sobering viewing ending with “desperate the hope that we can get better at looking after Planet Earth”.

2024 July 11th - Use Your LOAF

The food we buy & consume contributes to our carbon footprint so use your LOAF & where possible buy:

L – Locally produced
O – Organic
A – Animal friendly
F – Fairtrade

For more information on the impact of the food we buy & consume, go to https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/resources. Select Lifestyle to find “You & Your Food” and other information leaflets.

2024 July 4th - Cut Your Car Use, Cut Your Carbon Footprint

Road transport accounts for a fifth of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. 

The average CO2 emission for cars is 211g/mile & apparently 50% of car trips are less than 2 miles. Why not walk or cycle for these short trips – better for you & better for the planet.

For longer trips or if walking or cycling is not feasible, consider public transport where possible.

Could you consider car-sharing for regular trips such as coming to church? We are wondering if we could facilitate a car sharing scheme. If anyone has any suggestions or would be interested in setting something up, please let the Church Office know.

2024 June 27th - Recycled fishing nets

To go with your plastic swimsuit (Eco Tip June 13th), you may like to buy sunglasses made from recycled fishing nets! Made in Cornwall by a company called Waterhaul. There are 2 designs, both with polarised glass lenses with UVA/UVB protection and they come with a lifetime warranty. The glasses cost £65 and prescription lenses are available for an additional £20.

Hide & Squeak – Eco Facts for the younger members of the congregation – rats can be taught to play hide-and-seek!  Furthermore, they enjoy being tickled by humans & respond with a high-pitched laugh that is beyond the human hearing range.

2024 June 20th - Speak up for nature - A message from the UK's Wildlife Trusts

This General Election is incredibly important for wildlife & wild spaces across the UK and beyond. The UK is already classified as one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries. The incoming Government will be responsible for turning this around, yet there seems to be little mention of it in manifestos or debates.

You can help ensure nature is given the priority it deserves. Go to www.wildlifetrusts.org and click on the “Make your voice heard” link to find out how you can act with nature in mind.

2024 June 13th - Looking for a new swimsuit for the summer?

Look at www.batoko.com for swimwear made from recycled plastic rubbish. Ethically manufactured, digitally printed (saving water & energy), and delivered in compostable paper bags.

2024 June 6th - Eating fish sustainably

Many of us turn to increasing our fish intake as part of a sustainable plant-based diet or to reduce our meat consumption. As the stocks of fish in our seas diminishes, it is important that we make sustainable choices for the fish we eat. As fishing increases so too does the loss of other species that are hauled in as unwanted bycatch. A staggering amount of marine life is simply discarded overboard, often dead or dying.

Turning to farmed fish such as salmon, sea bass, tilapia is not necessarily the best solution as these are often intensively farmed in over-crowded conditions, treated with undesirable chemicals to control pests & dead and decaying fish line the sea bed of the pens causing pollution. 

Visit www.wwf.org.uk/seafood-top-tips for tips on making sustainable choices for the fish you eat.

2024 May 23rd - Waiting to be discovered

There is still so much to be discovered about God’s amazing world. It is estimated there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals, of which 1.2 million have been identified. 86% of species on earth and 91% in the oceans have still to be Around 18,000 new species are discovered each year.

And it's not just tiny creatures.  In 2017 the Tapanuli orangutan was recognised as a new species in Sumatra. Within 2 years was its existence was under threat from a hydroelectric dam project and it is the most threatened of all the ape species due to habitat loss, mining, building encroachment and illegal logging.

The sad thing is that many of the undiscovered species will remain just that, as they will become extinct before that happens.

2024 May 16th - Ilkley Thingery

Why Buy when you can Borrow?

Why Rend Asunder or Replace when you can Repair Anew?

Why Waste when you can Not?

Make use of Ilkley’s sustainability initiatives. The Ilkley Thingery is a resource sharing hub established by Ilkley Climate Action. For a modest fee you can borrow a wide variety of items which might not be worth buying for amount of use they may get.

They also now offer a repair service for textiles & portable small electrical items. Bike & furniture repairs may be added in the near future.

If you have Things you are getting rid of consider donating them to the Thingery. There is a wish list on their site.

www.ilkleythingery.org

Take your own containers to The Waste Not shop on Wells Road where they sell many food & cleaning products loose as well as other environmentally friendly & sustainable products.

2024 May 2nd - Garden pond

If you want to set up a pond in your garden, as per last week’s suggestions for homes for wildlife, there are no doubt plenty of articles to be found online but the RSPB site has excellent instructions and advice.

Go to rspb.org.uk. Type “garden pond” into the search box to bring up the article.

2024 April 25th - Wildlife gardening

Give a thought to creating wildlife-friendly spaces in your garden. In BBC Wildlife 2019 an article stated that our gardens take up more space than all our nature reserves put together. Imagine how much more garden area there must be now. With new housing developments going up all over the country, wildlife gardening is more important than ever.  If we all gardened with wildlife in mind we could help reduce or even reverse many declines of much loved species.

  • Make a pond however small – the best thing to attract wildlife. If you have little space, use a small container such as a sink or even a bucket. It will still attract wildlife.
  • Provide nest boxes for birds and bats.
  • Make or buy a home for solitary bees
  • Provide food and water
  • Plant wildlife friendly shrubs and plants
  • Cut holes in fences to create corridors for wildlife to travel between gardens
  • Make your own compost if possible and, of course, use peat free potting compost. 

2024 April 18th - Shrews shrink their brains in winter!

Not an Eco Tip but a fascinating fact I couldn’t resist sharing.  God’s world is phenomenal!

Shrews don’t hoard food and can’t hibernate in winter when food is scarce- so they do something drastic to survive. A large proportion of a shrew’s energy is expended on its brain so it re-absorbs part of that organ for winter, decreasing its head volume by 20%. This is known as Dehnel’s phenomonen.  If the shrew survives the winter its brain re-grows!

2024 April 11th - Laundry 

Reduce the wash temperature on your machine to 30 or 20. Clothes retain colour, size & shape if washed at lower temperatures too. Ensure that you always have a full load.

Try to avoid using the tumble dryer. Dry outdoors or inside on an airer in a room you can ventilate or in an airing cupboard. If you are tumble drying, don't transfer the whole load to the drier - there will surely be some that can just be aired.

Keep your washing machine going as long as possible. Replacing after 5 years produces 1.1 tonnes more CO2 than keeping it going for 2 decades (though that does seem an optimistic timescale).  Descale regularly using a large cup of white vinegar or lemon juice instead of detergent & run the machine empty.

When buying a new machine, go for a water & energy efficient model.

Switch to an eco-friendly detergent such as Ecover or Smol Non Bio Capsules

2024 March 21st - Ecosia: the search engine that plants trees

A better planet with every search - a simple way to plant trees and be climate active every day. Over 200 million trees planted in 35+ countries using appropriate native trees through 70+ projects.

“Ecosia is a not-for-profit company that plants and protects trees. We dedicate 100% of our profits to the planet and create simple ways for people to be climate active every day, collaborating with local communities”

Visit www.ecosia.org for more information.

To set up Ecosia as your search engine go to Ecosia>Menu>help>using Ecosia & then select the instructions for adding Ecosia to your browser.  You can also add the app to your phone and/or tablet. NB Just a warning that adding Ecosia to Safari on our Mac did not seem to work so we are using it through Chrome.

2024 March 14th - Eating our way to extinction

 With our current Meat-freer March challenge underway, this seems am appropriate tine to draw attention to this film.  A documentary highlighting the most pressing environmental & health issues of our time, this film has been described as “the film future generations will be wishing everybody watched today”

Be warned – this is a hard-hitting film “which contains images you may find upsetting” – personal quote not an official statement.

You can watch this free on You Tube: https://youtu.be/LaPge01NQTQ

 2024 March 7th - Could Ilkley become a single-use coffee cup free zone?

Last year Killarney, a town in S Ireland similar in population size to Ilkley did just that, saving 23.000 coffee cups/week from going to landfill.

25 businesses & 21 hotels signed up and the town teamed with 2gocup.ie to run the scheme.  Visitors & locals either use their own cups or pay €2 to rent a re-usable cup which can be returned to any establishment in the town or its surrounding area or even at Dublin Airport.

Is there anyone who would be interested in forming a group to work with other local organisations to explore the possibility or find other alternatives please let Geri know.

 2024 February 22nd - It’s a Bug’s Life - or is it? Saving the small things that run the planet.

 “If we and the rest of the back-boned animals were to disappear overnight the rest of the world would get on pretty well.  BUT – if the invertebrates were to disappear the world’s ecosystems would collapse” according to Sir David Attenborough.

Beauty is a factor when it comes to deciding which species we decide to make the effort to protect & conserve. Buglife has just a few thousand members and is conserving far more species than, for example, the RSPB with it’s million plus members. That is no criticism of the RSPB, just an illustration that unfortunately people don’t care so much about earwigs or woodlice etc and often do not appreciate how crucial these creepy crawlies are.

 If you would like to support Buglife, saving the small things that run the planet, go to buglife.org.uk and become a member for as little as £3/month.

 2024 February 8th - Standby electricals

 Switched-off device uses less energy than something left on, so be vigilant at home and at work to turn off appliances you’re not using.

But what if something’s plugged in? The issue of whether appliances use electricity when plugged in but turned off is a little bit more complicated. That’s because many electrical items aren’t actually turned all the way off but are in standby mode, waiting to spring to life when you press the button again. Or perhaps, like Alexa or Siri they are listening for verbal commands.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that appliances left on standby cost the home £55 per year. This equates to 45kg CO2e in emissions

In addition there are the appliances which have a clock flashing away. They may not be turned on, but the flashing clock shows they’re still drawing power.

A similar rule applies to chargers for devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops. In every case, if the charger is still plugged in but not attached to the device, it’s still drawing some power from the system. The same applies if you plug a phone in to charge and the battery is full in two hours. Leave it plugged in and charging while you sleep through the night and you’ll be paying for electricity that’s literally doing nothing.

So, we should all just think whether an appliance really does need to be left plugged in with the socket switched on when it’s not actually in use.

2024 February 1st - Hard to recycle items

A quick update on 3 items that you may not know can be recycled:

  • Pringles tubes & lids at The Hive, Silsden. Take a look at their website for other items you can recycle there thehivesilsden.co.uk.
  • Wine corks at Majestic Wines on Skipton Road, Ilkley. Real corks only, not plastic corks.
  • Plastic netting & labels from packs of satsumas & other fruits can be recycled with soft plastic at supermarkets. If the netting is sealed with metal clips, these must be cut off.

Also, a reminder to please stay on after this Sunday's 10.15am service for Pack and Chat. We have lots of crisp packets, bread bags and such to pack away so that they can be sent off to Terracycle for recycling. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

2024 January 25th - Eco-Bulletin 10

This is now available on the church website – scroll towards the bottom of the 'Environment' page at www.allsaintsilkley.org/environment. This month we have looked at The Sixth Extinction and its impact. Please do read it.

The statistics are quite shocking and the world is very close to the tipping point. The tri-spine horseshoe crab, found in the mud off Pangatalan Island in the Philippines has survived for over 300 million years but now even this creature faces habitat destruction and overfishing for food and for its blood, used in the development of vaccines (BBC Wildlife Magazine Nov 2023).

2024 January 11th - E-waste

 China is the largest producer of e-waste overall (> 10mllion metric tons in 2019) with the USA 2nd at roughly 7million metric tons. Feb 2023

 However, looking at per capita figures, globally, the UK is currently the second largest contributor of e-waste at 23.9kg per capita. Norway is the largest contributor per capita, responsible for 26kg of e-waste per capita each year. Aug 2023

Make your mobile phone last. Don’t be sucked in to constant upgrades. Mobile phone manufacturing is putting a huge strain on the planet’s resources. People work in awful conditions mining the minerals and precious metals needed to keep up with demand. So try and make your phone last. If you do need to replace yours, why not buy a refurbished model from sites such as www.backmarket.co.uk.

Most charities accept old mobile phones, whether they are working or not. They can raise valuable funds by passing them on to mobile phone recycling companies. Broken mobile phones can be disposed of at most Recycling Centres in the container for small electricals. Some retailers will accept old mobiles if you are purchasing from them.

 2024 January 7th - Eco Tip for the New Year

 A sober reminder that the impact of humans on our planet – overpopulation, pollution, fossil fuels, deforestation – has led to climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, undrinkable water (Quoted by the National Geographic Society) as well as a huge decline in biodiversity worldwide.

 We will continue to publish a weekly Eco-Tip this year as part of our effort to achieve the A Rocha Bronze Eco-church award.  The Eco tips (many of which are taken from St Paul’s Church, Marylebone which has reached the Gold Eco-church status) are aimed at providing facts, figures, information & suggestions for ways to reduce our carbon footprints & generally make our lives more sustainable.

 Every action helps, no matter how small. A poster in The Deep Aquarium says:

 “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly.  We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”,

 Could your NY resolution be to protect God’s creation and reduce your footprint?

 2023 December 14th - Christmas decorations

 Lots of suggestions on the internet for making your own Eco Decorations or buying eco-friendly ones. Simply Google eco-decorations. Great to do with children.

A couple to start off with-

 As this is the last weekly bulletin until the New Year, we wish everybody a very merry green & sustainable Eco Christmas.

 2023 December 7th - Sustainable Christmas Giving

 Wrapping paper is one of the biggest contributors to the 30% increase in waste that the festive holiday season generates, which amounts to around 3million tones of waste.

  •  Use recyclable or compostable wrapping paper (no glitter or foil coated paper) or brown paper which has a much lower ecological footprint.
  • Use non-plastic sellotape and parcel tape
  • Use gift bags which can be re-used
  • Keep paper to re-use next year.
  • Gives gifts of experiences or services rather than material goods
  • Give a charity gift card eg Oxfam Unwrapped
  • Use Secret Santa so everyone buys just 1 gift
  • The more adventurous or crafty (as in arts & crafts) could try the Japanese art of Fukoshiki, where presents are wrapped in re-usable material without any tape or ribbons – you can buy packs of Fukoshiki sheets or better still, use recycled material.

 2023 November 30th - Don’tSendMeACard.com

 An estimated 1 billion (!,000,000,000) Xmas cards are sent in the UK every year.

1 tree yields 3000 cards so that’s over 333,000 trees cut down to support our festive greetings plus the carbon footprint for delivery.

 Here at All Saints’ we have been operating our communal card display board for many years. If you send cards to your work colleagues, why not have a similar system.

Why not ring, email or text your greetings to relatives, friends & neighbours?

Or use www.dontsendmeacard.com to send charity e-cards. Select a charity, compose an e card, send your personalised greetings to upto 100 recipients and donate the cost of your cards plus postage to the selected charity.

It’s a win-win situation benefiting both charities and the environment & salving your conscience of not sending cards!

 So let’s eliminate paper cards this year. Start the ball rolling and hopefully it will snowball with your friends & relatives following suit and then their friends & relatives and so on & so forth.

 PS why not use any cards you do receive to make your own Xmas tags.

 2023 November 23rd - Real or fake - which Xmas tree is better for the environment?

 Plastic Xmas trees may seem like the sustainable option because they can be used year after year but according to the Carbon Trust, a 2m artificial trees has a carbon footprint of around 40g - over 10x that of a real tree that is burned after Xmas. Many fake trees are actually only re-used 4-6 times, some even less.

  •  Real trees don’t require the intensive carbon emissions that it takes to produce and ship artificial trees, the majority of come from China
  • Even though your Christmas tree is cut down, you’re supporting forests. When these natural trees are harvested for sale, there are more than ten times as many left standing! Buying real trees will help keep tree farms in business—and in turn keep their lands covered in the healthy forest habitat that wildlife depends on to survive.
  • While your tree is growing it is storing carbon (a 2m tree grows for 10-12 years).
  • Once the festivities are over, the trees can be recycled & made into a mulch

 If you have a fake tree, the consensus seems to be you need to keep it for at least 10 years for it to have the same carbon impact- but that doesn’t take account of the environmental damage a fake tree causes by slowly breaking down in landfill.

 So, buy real tree and enjoy the lovely pine scent knowing you are benefitting the environment but if you already have an artificial tree you probably should continue to use it for as long as possible.

 2023 November 16th - Introduction and 1st Eco Tip

It is our aim to have a weekly Eco Tip which will be snippets of information, suggestions of things you can do or changes you can make to help mitigate climate change or a prayer thought etc. This week's tip demonstrates quite powerfully the impact of a small action when done by many people. If you would like to share a tip or tell us of something you do please send it to kathrynallen82@yahoo.co.uk.

During a recent climate event in Surrey, Lord Deben, who chaired the Climate Change Committee for 11 years, mentioned that "if everyone in the UK only boiled enough water in their kettle for the hot drinks they are making, the UK could shut down two power stations." If your kettle lacks a visible measure, simply add one or two mugs of water to ensure you take this small yet collectively significant step. It's as straightforward as that. Please share this message with friends and family and as widely as you can.

 Add to this making sure you only boil the water once – don’t go away and “just do….” something while waiting for it to boil. There isn’t enough time anyway!

  This week’s tip comes from sussexgreenliving monthly newsletter.  Their website is well worth looking at.