Here at Deep Sea World, we are always have conservation and education in mind, adopting and sharing ways to improve our carbon footprint and impact on the environment! Christmas is a wonderful time of giving, however this can have an detrimental impact on our environment. So, we want to share our top 5 ways we can all do more and have an eco-friendly Christmas!
1 – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Reduce
Reduce the use of wrapping paper by wrapping presents together, you can also find wrapping paper made from recycled materials. If this isn’t possible, try using a box or gift bag, these can be reused time and time again and will also save money!
Reuse
Rather than always buying new, look at getting recycled, up-cycled or re-gifting presents. We’re please to report, that our Gift Shop has many cuddly pals made from recycled plastic bottles!
Recycle
If you are local to us in North Queensferry, we have a recycling facility on site. We have a bottle bank for all those bottles of bubbly we indulged in over the festive period, cardboard and paper bins for any packaging from your special gifts and cans & tins for all the remanence of the wonderful Christmas dinners that were enjoyed. Please check the labels before recycling!
2 – Shop Local!
Fife and surrounding areas are filled with local small businesses!
- Food: Research local butchers, bakers and local farm shops for your fruit and veg!
- Drink: Have a look for local beers, breweries or vineyards and even look at local farms for fresh milk (anyone heard of a milk vending machine?) or juice for Christmas morning.
- Gifts: Shop local for soaps, wool wear, artwork and much more with local businesses this Christmas!
Google and social platforms are a great way to search for local businesses around you! Budget can be a pinch point when shopping local. If this is the case, local businesses would always appreciate a follow and share on social media so broaden their reach of potential customers.
3 – Waste not!
Reduce the quantity of things you purchase! This year, the cost of living crisis has hit us all, we’re far more conscious of what we’re putting in our baskets and how much we are spending. Whether this is gifts or food or general rubbish.
Try not to over buy, make a list and stick to it! If only Grandad likes Brussels sprouts, do you need to buy the big bag? Settle for picking up a couple of loose ones and popping them into your re-usable bag. Let’s save waste and save everyone from Grandad’s post-dinner tummy.
In the event of still having food left over, which is nearing it’s use by date; try and donate it to a local food bank or community fridge. Big or small, we should have no food going to waste this (eco-friendly) Christmas!
4 – Plan ahead
We know travelling can be a big part of Christmas. Some travelling home to visit family and relatives, others visiting friend to attend their Christmas party or even just a Christmas getaway to get away from all the chaos of our busy lives. Over the festive period public transport can be limited and weather can be chilly, so plan ahead, share or use public transport and leave the car at home as much as possible. Travel Scotland will be working through the festive period to help with any information.
5 – Gift an experience
We found that more than half of parents said that their house was overflowing with toys but it’s easy to forget that spending quality time together making memories is just as important as ‘stuff’. Instead of buying a physical gift, choose an experience that you can share – such as a gig, a meal out or a spa day. You could even gift someone a membership or course that gives people the chance to develop a skill or hobby. You could even grab one of our Shark Encounters while they’re on sale for the thrill seekers in your family.
If we all even do one of these things, we will be making little steps for big change and having a more eco-friendly Christmas!