Manifesto for a Circular Christmas anyone?
I know. It’s too early to be mentioning the ‘C’ word. But. As I was scrolling through Facebook this morning, I saw a very heartwarming appeal from the vicar who used to be in our parish but has moved into Central London. He was asking for new presents to be donated to ensure every child at Christmas in his parish has a ‘new’ present this year.
My first thought was this: is this the right thing today in our make it, mine it, dump it culture? My second was to completely understand how peer pressure makes your Christmas absolutely miserable if your school mates laugh at you for having ‘re-cycled’ presents at Christmas. My third response was massive guilt because I know because of my deep commitment to a regenerative future that I won’t take part in his appeal.
Christmas is probably the biggest consumption-fest on earth. On the one hand it fuels the survival of many businesses on which many jobs are dependent. On the other hand it generates a spike in consumption and waste in affluent Western democracies. If we are to achieve the objectives set within the UN Sustainable Development Goals, No 12 of which is Responsible Consumption & Production, how can we start to have a different kind of Christmas; a circulr or regenerative Christmas?
So to balance out the guilt-trip of not wrapping up a sparkly new present for a child in need, I’ve tried to think of a positive contribution to the future instead.
Here it is. With all your help I want to compile and publish by Christmas, The Mini Manifesto for a Circular Christmas (or maybe even Regenerative Christmas).
What do I need?
Ideas. How could we make the Christmas experience circular and regenerative? Share with me your absolute best ideas — everyone will get a credit.
Graphic designer: someone to design the layout of a mini book.
Publisher/Printer: not sure it’s even feasible to get a book designed and published in 4 weeks but you never know. Even if it has to be an Ebook or Kindle only.
So. What are you waiting for? Please share far and wide and let’s see whether we can set the bar high for a different kind of Christmas that isn’t all about consumption. Instead of Mine it Make it Dump it, can we make Christmas 2017 Reuse Recycle Regenerate?
Please add all and any ideas below, or to me on email jenny@jenandersson.com or via Twitter , on Facebook or even LinkedIn.
