'Greening’ Your Christmas – It Ain’t Hard
In a consumer-laden, letterbox-stuffed-full-of-circulars, eat more, buy now, easy credit seasonal atmosphere eco advocate Linda Shaw delivers a message of startling clarity when it comes to Christmas: it’s time to invent new rituals.
Who cares if in Christmas past you ran yourself ragged buying presents, glazing the ham and decorating the house with tinsel and flashing lights? This former corporate executive turned green issues speaker says you can change your mind and change your Christmas style.
Among Linda’s ideas for greening your Christmas:
- Buy a Xmas tree from a company who will pick it up and mulch it when finished
- Or, rather than a tree, arrange old tree branches and twigs, paint them, hang decorations from them – including names of loved ones who won’t be with you
- Don’t buy non-paper gift wrap – and keep paper or gift bags to reuse in coming years
- Keep Christmas food delicious but simple – buy what you need with a few luxurious items rather than going for the whole overindulgent mess that normally happens – and your new years resolution to lose weight will be easier!
- Don’t be seduced into the idea that you need to prove you love people with an expensive gift – the person you least love when you do that is yourself
“It’s time we got creative with Christmas and invented a new set of rituals that best suits us – and the planet,” says Linda, who holds environmental/conservation workshops around New Zealand (www.mecology.com).
“We need to think about and become more aligned with our real values, rather than allowing those who benefit financially from Christmas to subtly direct our actions.”
Linda says to her Christmas is a time of appreciation – for the people who love her, for her health, nature and the wildlife she loves so much.
Some of her `green’ Christmas gift ideas include
- Cook something delicious with chocolate
- Offer to build something or work in someone’s garden – especially for those who don’t have the time or health for such work
- Plan an outing for a friend or relative – a picnic, a meal, a visit to the beach or park
- Recycle old gifts “that you have never used”
- Find a special or antique book in a second hand book shop and write a note that explains why you have chosen this gift for them
- Write a poem, paint a picture, take a photo, sculpt something or sing a song for someone
- Send anonymous gifts to people who may not have family around them at Xmas
- Volunteer for Christmas lunches or dinners at places where people provide cheer
And what does Linda want for Christmas? Well, aside from the whole world working together to counteract the issues we will face in the future from global warming, peak oil to insufficient food production and limited fresh water for all - she says that its moments rather than gifts that make her feel loved.
“Today, with the pressure and distraction inherent in modern life, we often miss opportunities to tell people that we love, admire or appreciate them. Christmas is the time to make those authentic connections with the special people in our lives ... to share our humanity. Love is not about money, it’s simply about the heart.”
Contact Linda directly on 09 419 9934 or 027 686 7655.
Would you like to interview Linda? Need more information or a photo? Please contact Kimberley Paterson at Soul PR on 09 4244218 or kimberley@soulpr.com