Christmas With A Conscience

Are you dreaming of a green Christmas? It might be easier than you think to go a little more environmentally friendly without sacrificing any of the magic of the festive season this year

Christmas...

The season of fun, indulgence, excitement… and excess! Let’s face it, in our annual rituals of eating, drinking and being merry we can all have a tendency to go a little overboard in our festive celebrations. But with a new awareness on sustainability and the environment, are there ways we can all make Christmas a little more eco-conscious?

We challenged some of our favorite Surrey creatives and producers to share their ideas on how to make some small but significant changes this year – whether it’s sourcing your food and gifts locally or coming up with reusable, eco-friendly alternatives. With a little imagination, it is still possible to capture all the magic of Christmas without a single string of tinsel in sight.

SOMETHING PRETTY

“For me, flowers make Christmas. And I adore the way the shop looks, smells and comes alive with a gorgeous, magical feel during the festive season. This year I’ll focus on honoring traditions, but I’ll also try to give things a modern twist in the crafting and designs I come up with.”

Alison Howe from Mad Lilies in Banstead

ALISON’S ECO-FRIENDLY FLORAL TIPS:

We’re working towards reducing the use of foam in our table arrangements. Instead, chicken wire makes a perfect, eco-friendlier base. Roll the chicken wire into a sausage shape, which will give you a framework to secure the stems. Push your base into a suitable container and then simply position whichever flowers and foliage you prefer into the holes. Try to source a mix of seasonal, locally sourced foliage, pinecones, berries, and flowers. I love to use plenty of eucalyptus for its wonderful wintery fragrance.