Six eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift ideas

Mother’s Day is an annual celebration of the remarkable women in our lives — particularly our mothers. It’s a time when children (young and old) joyfully seek ways to express gratitude for their mother’s unconditional love and care.

Sunday 10th March, 2024 is a time to acknowledge and appreciate all maternal figures. This includes stepmothers, mothers-in-law, adoptive mothers, foster mothers, those who take on motherly roles, and fathers who fulfil the role of two parents.

Traditionally, gifts range from fragrant bouquets to delicately crafted jewellery, delicious chocolates, comforting candles, and heartwarming mugs. These gifts can be lovely to give and receive, but they typically produce lots of packaging waste.

The desire to lavish our mothers with extravagant presents may be strong, but the most meaningful gifts are often thoughtfully chosen and reflect a genuine understanding of their interests.

If your mum is mindful of her environmental impact, you can gift her something sustainable she’ll cherish.

To help you select the perfect gift for your mother, we’ve curated a list of six eco-friendly Mother’s Day gifts.

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Five steps towards a more sustainable Chinese New Year

The Lunar New Year is a cherished celebration embraced by communities and cultures spanning East and Southeast Asia. This celebration resonates deeply worldwide, where diaspora communities keep the traditions alive.

Today, we’re delving into the vibrant tapestry of Chinese New Year celebrated in the UK.

Also known as the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year customs centre around new beginnings. From spring cleaning to feasting with family, adorning homes with luminous lanterns, and exchanging promising red envelopes, its customs embody luck and prosperity in the coming year.

As we revel in these rich and colourful traditions, it’s worth pondering their ecological footprint. Can we honour the heritage while treading a more sustainable path?

Let’s explore green ways to paint the town red for a more sustainable Chinese New Year.

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Cat litter: Which is best for your cat and the environment?

With a staggering 11 million domestic cats slinking around UK homes and over a quarter of households claiming ownership, the nation’s love for its whiskered companions is undeniable.

According to the CATS report by Cats Protection, the reasons behind this feline fascination range from companionship to alleviating stress.

However, inviting a pussycat into your home involves regularly shopping for essentials like food and cat litter.

While cat litter might seem a straightforward purchase, cats aren’t known for their laid-back nature and typically have strong opinions on the litter they use. Additionally, the environmental impact of cat litter is somewhat shrouded in mystery.

Join us as we explore each cat litter’s benefits and drawbacks, including their environmental impact. Then, be the cat that got the cream by making informed choices for a more sustainable and cat-friendly world.

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Five creative ways to upcycle a T-shirt

If you find it challenging to part with T-shirts that have seen better days, rest assured that many other people are cut from the same cloth. Wardrobes and drawers nationwide harbour tops that have remained untouched for years.

Don’t simply consign your old tops to the back of the closet or in the bin. Give your T-shirts a renewed purpose and a fresh lease of life while ensuring they evade landfills.

Let’s explore five creative ways to upcycle a T-shirt.

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How to pickle vegetables

Thinking of ways to make our fruit and vegetables last longer and reduce food waste often leaves us in a pickle. Whether it’s cafés or restaurants over-buying stock or the green-fingered among us enjoying riches from their fruit and vegetable patch, preserving fresh produce is important.

Pickling vegetables is a delicious, wholesome, and sustainable way to bring new life to your veggies. Let’s dig a little deeper and discover more about this food preservation method so you can enjoy out-of-season produce all year round.

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How to recycle Christmas cards

Even in today’s digital era, Christmas cards remain a thriving tradition, with the UK alone witnessing the exchange of approximately one billion cards over the festive season.

Surprisingly, the younger generation is championing this custom, sending more cards than their older counterparts. With such numbers, it’s clearly a tradition that’s here to stay.

However, this annual exchange delivers an environmental consideration. With so many cards and envelopes being distributed every December, the aftermath involves managing over two billion pieces of waste. How we handle this waste can significantly impact our planet.

Let’s explore the importance of disposing of Christmas cards responsibly and unearth actionable ways to reuse and recycle this seasonal waste.

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How to upcycle a kitchen

The kitchen is the bustling heart of every home and often bears the brunt of daily life.

While traditional kitchen replacements can strain both your finances and the environment, there’s a creative alternative worth exploring: upcycling.

Uncover the art of revitalising your kitchen on a budget —breathing new life into familiar spaces.

Join us as we delve into the why and how of upcycling, offering a sustainable solution for a refreshed culinary haven.

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Recycling: How to dispose of vapes

In the bustling streets of the UK, a startling statistic looms large: eight single-use vapes meet their fate in the bin every second, culminating in a staggering 5 million discarded weekly.

When they don’t end up in bins — which lead to landfill sites —they find an afterlife as litter instead.

The NHS champions vaping as a viable means for adult smokers to break free from the shackles of cigarette smoking. Yet, amidst its endorsement, caution flags fly high, acknowledging vaping’s limitations and potential risks — particularly emphasising its unsuitability for children and teenagers.

The irony, however, lies in the deliberate marketing of single-use, brightly-coloured vapes sporting tempting flavours — an alluring siren call that resonates with the younger demographic.

While our understanding of vaping’s impact on the human body remains in its infancy, the ecological fallout of these pens paints a stark reality. As these devices weave into our environment, their footprint becomes increasingly conspicuous.

It’s time to smoke out the misinformation and delve into the world of vapes — understanding what they are and how to dispose of them responsibly.

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How to safely and legally dispose of knives

As with many kitchen utensils, kitchen knives can wear down and become less effective over time — prompting the need for replacement.

However, when the time comes to part ways with these sharp and potentially dangerous tools, questions about proper and legal disposal often arise.

Let’s cut through the mystery, explore various methods for safely disposing of kitchen knives, and discover exciting possibilities for their reuse, upcycling, and recycling.

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Pumpkin waste: the real Halloween horror story

Halloween is a much-loved celebration that has long served as a symbolic bridge between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Nowadays, this October festivity is synonymous with trick-or-treaters, elaborate costumes, spirited gatherings, and the tradition of pumpkin picking and carving.

However, Halloween has a skeleton in its closet. The chilling truth is this eerie celebration generates significant waste, with pumpkin carving being a major contributor.

Pumpkins are typically picked, intricately carved, proudly displayed, and then discarded — before ending up in a landfill as pumpkin pollution.

This year alone, a spine-tingling 22.2 million pumpkins are projected to meet this grim fate. Sticking the knife in further, this equates to a staggering £32.6 million in wasted resources and thousands of tonnes of perfectly edible pumpkin flesh.

Let’s dive deep into our cauldron of ideas and shed some light on how to make environmentally responsible choices this Halloween.

We’ll explore methods to select and decorate your pumpkin and explain how to avoid contributing to the ghoulish waste statistics this October.

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