THE DIRT
Christmas can be an incredibly joyous time, but it can also be financially stressful and wasteful,  leaving us full in tummy and hollow in spirit. Here are some simple ideas to increase festive enjoyment while reducing environmental impact.

REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE; before you give that Secret Santa Gift ask yourself it is likely to end up as landfill? If yes, choose something else.

Give a LIVE gift – a tree, a seed or plant is a truly GREEN gift in every sense of the word.

Choose RECYCLED – whether you choose to buy recycled cards and wrapping or recycle those from previous years it is up to you.

Choose FAIR Gifts -  Giving is about feeling good and helping out, so by choosing gifts that are fairly traded, your gift is also giving back to the producers and their families in developing countries.

Consider a DONATION – to a charity that suits the preferences of the person you are giving to.

MAKE YOUR OWN gifts – beeswax candles, organic cookies and handmade cards all make great gifts.

Give the gift of YOUR TIME to a friend or a charity.

Give the gift of CARBON NEUTRALITY – read more below.

Buy GREEN gifts- by choosing gifts from reputable green companies you are making a difference – see our favourites below.


G SPOT
Use old Christmas cards to make gift tags and consider making organic cookies to decorate your tree ( put a hole in the cooking before baking, decorate and tie to the tree with string. Replace often; they seem to get eaten!).

COME CLEAN
Check out our favourite Christmas gift ideas below.....

Etiko Fair Trade is Australia's first fair trade sports/fashion brand. From footwear and sports balls to casual clothing and other gear, Etiko's high quality, well priced range is made by Certified Non-Sweatshop, Fairtrade producers or by Worker Owned Co-operatives. Help create the change by turning capitalism on its head switch to Etiko Fair Trade. www.etiko.com.au

Take the landfill out of Christmas!  Cool the planet this Christmas at Australia’s greenest style sanctuary www.biome.com.au  
o        Gorgeous green gifts (spread the planet love…)
o        Fair trade, hand-made decorations (no mass-produced tinsel in sight)
o        Pop your corks with eco-style (eco party hampers and picnic ware)
And don’t miss your free Stuffit bag from Biome for Cleanlife subscribers.

Paper-Go-Round - Seeded Paper Christmas Cards. Plant the paper and the seeds grow – they’re made of paper containing seeds of Australian native trees and shrubs! A great way to give a tree as an extra gift and to get a powerful environmental message across with the Season’s Greetings! Either use the generic seeded Christmas cards or have some produced specially for you with your own design (minimum quantity applies). www.papergoround.com.au

Take the stress out of giving this Xmas with beautiful, stylish, ecological gift boxes from JOI pure aromatherapy products.  Select the perfect gift from their exclusive range;  For Her , For Him and for The Mother-to-Be. All gift packs are stunningly presented in a JOI silver gift box with blue ribbon trim & packed with natural raffia filling.   Gift tag attached for personalised message. Available online  www.joipure.com or at any JOI stockist upon request.

Earth Greetings - Send earth friendly greetings this Christmas with their Peace On Earth range.  Christmas cards and cute round Christmas gift tags feature colourful nature inspired designs, printed with vegetable inks on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and the cards come with 100% post-consumer recycled (unbleached) envelopes.  They’re great value as a boxed set of 10 cards or set of 8 gift tags.   For stockists visit  www.earthgreetings.com.au

Climate Friendly™ now offers Christmas packages for individuals and businesses to neutralise car, home and personal emissions through the purchase of carbon credits from clean, renewable energy projects. A Climate Neutral™ gift this festive season contributes to supporting a sustainable low carbon economy and a stable environment for the future. www.climatefriendly.com    Phone: 02 9356-3600

Can you find the perfect gift? Something needed, welcomed, useful, enjoyable and different. And environmentally-friendly! You will find the perfect gift for man or woman, boy or girl, and even babies, at Margaret River HempCo. A host of possible gifts for person and home. Fantastic clothing, pure natural bodycare, and much more. Visit their beautiful shops in Margaret River or Fremantle; or order online at www.hempco.net.au for gifts delivered worldwide by xmas.