December is here so if you still haven’t taken care of the festive decorations, food, and generally Christmas spirit in your house, now is the perfect time to do so. However, there are more things to consider before you get some Christmas bulbs and garlands for your house. Every day we are confronted with the fact that global warming is pretty much inevitable if we don’t do anything about it. Luckily, more and more people are looking for ways to make truly sustainable changes that would help us protect the environment. It’s important to understand that even the smallest changes make a huge difference. The question is: where do we start?
Mr. Stroodles thinks that there cannot be a better time than Christmas to introduce those little changes, and join the sustainability movement! Read down below to get to know about these 10 easy (and eassssssyyyy) ways to make your Christmas more sustainable this year 👇
Send Christmas e-cards
Start by not wasting an unnecessary amount of paper and send Christmas ecards this year, OR (zero waste alternative that can also do good) use plant-based and recycled paper Christmas cards. The Vida Natural recycled seed paper is one of those eco-friendly options! When the biodegradable paper is planted in a pot of soil it decomposes leaving the seeds to grow. Problem solved ✅.
Another perfect example of sustainable Christmas greeting cards could be The Boucle’s original and unique signed hand printed cards made from recycled paper. Each part of the process is carried out by hand from the initial design sketch, to carving the lino block and hand printing, mounting and signing each print.
Picture credits: @vidanaturaluk
Picture credits: @boucle_co
Eco friendly decorations
May this year your Christmas decorations be reusable, handcrafted or EDIBLE! Yup, you heard it correctly!
From gingerbread men bunting to a cupcake Christmas tree, there are many ways to decorate your home with something edible and delicious. At Stroodles HQ we are absolutely in love with this idea and have already decorated our Christmas tree with Stroodles biscuit spoons! Our chocolate and oat biscuit spoons can make a beautiful garland that can be wrapped around and later eaten with a cup of hot chocolate or tea!
Picture credits: @edible.spoon
Reusable bags for Christmas shopping
Having a reusable tote bag every time you are going Christmas shopping is one of the best ways to reduce waste and plastic pollution. Also, if you want to make it even better, you can get a tote bag that is made from organic reusable materials like cotton or bamboo. These bags can also be recycled when they are worn out unlike most of the plastic bags that later enter our oceans and pollute the environment.
If you haven’t got one yet, there is a huge variety of budget-friendly eco cotton tote bags at Eco Duka - the biggest UK’s wholesale suppliers of eco goodies.
Picture credits: @eco.duka
Shop seasonal products
When shopping for groceries, try to support the local farmers or farmers’ markets. Usually they sell what is currently growing rather than artificially ripe fruits or vegetables.
To offer you a huge variety of products throughout the seasons, supermarkets or convenience stores might be selling veggies & fruits full of pesticides which are harmful not only to our planet Earth, but also us human-beings. On the other hand, eco farmers use fewer chemicals making their products more natural and sustainable.
Picture credits: Markus Spiske
Choose organic drinks
Consider going for organic and sustainably-sourced brands when choosing the drinks for Christmas dinner - it’s a win-win. Opting for organic alcohol not only reduces the impact fertilizers and pesticides have on our environment, but also leaves drinkers with less of a hangover than non-organic options.
We’re obsessed with the organic Espresso Martini that you can make using the Aluna Coconut Rum! It is all-natural toasted coconut rum, made with premium rums from Guatemala and the Caribbean with pure and sustainably sourced coconut water. Their new Aluna coffee liqueur is made with the same mindful approach to sugar, made using our toasted coconut rum and multi-layered flavours of 100% Arabica cold brew coffee, cacao nibs and subtle black cardamom.
If you are not a huge drinks lover why not go for some organic mocktails? Fluere Drinks produces some game-changing non alcoholic spirits that are sugar-free and contain natural ingredients only. The brand name itself FLUÈRE (latin) means ‘Flow’ and it is the word that highlights the feeling of purpose, energy, ease of movement both physically and mentally.
Picture credits: @fluere_drinks
Picture credits: @alunacoconutrum
Edible tableware items
Go fully Sustainable during Christmas dinner by serving all the dishes in Stroodles edible plates and bowls, and consuming your festive food using our edible biscuit spoons!
Our vegan edible tableware will look after all of your dining needs! Easily disposable: you can either crunch and munch your way through, or allow your Mr. Stroodles product to biodegrade naturally. Stroodles is a win-win for everyone. It does not leave any footprint on the environment, you don’t need to do any washing up afterwards, and it’s fun!
With Stroodles you don't have to compromise your drinking or dining experience, you can actually make it even more exciting, and more importantly you can do good for our planet by stroodling your favourite drinks and enjoying your favourite dishes (yet alone, it saves you from all the washing up 👌)
We have some new special Christmas bundles this year to cover you up for good.
From our classic Party bundle to big boys - XL/XXL bundles we have everything you need for a unique, exciting and sustainable Christmas table setting !
If your Christmas party is slightly bigger than average why not go for our Events bundle that has even more of everything!
Picture credits: @kellyskitchen9
Go for sustainable gifts
Edible gifts can be an excellent way to surprise your friends and family.
If you think such treats are boring - hi from Stroodles 🙋 Our eco-tableware range consists of original products, which will surprise anyone. From our famous pasta straws to spoons that are made out of oat biscuits, from wheat bran plates to edible wafer cups - we are here to impress everyone! Our entire product range is 100% biodegradable, edible and vegan, which makes it the perfect alternative to plastic straws, plates, spoons & bowls.
Now we have new special party bundles to offer, and they will cover you fully! From plates to spoons, from cups to straws, the bundles have everything you may need for a sustainable dining experience both indoors or outdoors. It’s a perfect surprise that is not only eco-friendly, but also fun.
If you want to start leading a more sustainable lifestyle and cut down on your plastic use, then why not check out our Pasta Straws and eco-tableware range here!
Picture credits: @elenk65
Eco gift-wrap and decorations
This year we suggest you to go for a rather unique and sustainable gift wrap option: Wrap your Christmas presents and Christmas crackers with Furoshiki - a traditional Japanese wrapping!
The art of such wrapping is getting more and more popular all over the UK and there are no doubts why. Furoshiki is a versatile wrapping cloth that can be made of various materials such as cotton or silk meaning that it also comes in many different patterns. Not only they are useful for carrying things around but also make your gifts look much more attractive 😏. You can find a lot of various designs of Furoshiki at EcoJapan. They even show you how to use it!
Picture credits: @ecojapan.uk
No more plastic trees
Buying a real tree, which was cut down just for the period of Christmas, may feel bad. But many trees in the UK are grown specifically for Christmas, and are being farmed responsibly with the grower planting new trees to replace those that they’ve chopped down. In fact, The Woodland Trust says that up to 10 trees are being planted to replace every tree cut down.
In addition to this, Christmas trees are doing good for the planet while growing to the right size. Christmas trees take up to 12 years to reach six feet, and during this time they are removing carbon dioxide from the air and helping to sustain the ground they are on. If purchased and eventually disposed of correctly, a real Christmas tree has a smaller carbon footprint compared to artificial trees.
Picture credits: @mougrapher
Reusable vintage Christmas sweaters
Every household in the UK throws away 35kg of clothing a year 😲. Instead of buying a new Christmas sweater, why not use the same, or maybe even get a secondhand/vintage one? If we waste less and recycle more, we can make a lasting impact on the planet. Additionally, with so many beautiful vintage and secondhand clothes, you have plenty of options for a more sustainable wardrobe. You can make this Christmas slightly more eco-friendly by choosing some vintage sweaters from Beyond Retro. From jazzy vintage festive jumpers to cozy knitted cardigans, they have everything you may need to get dressed this and upcoming Christmas!
Picture credits: @beyondvintageboutique
