Sustainability Newsletter

Dec 19th

St Peter’s Sustainable Newsletter  

Autumn Term 2 2024 

Dear families, 

At St Peter’s we encourage our children and families to be sustainable. The National Association for Environmental Education (NAEE) say there is growing evidence that attitudes towards the world and other people form at an early age. Additionally, it doesn’t stop there – learning about sustainability could have lifelong benefits and save you money too! 

So, here are our ‘12 days of Christmas Sustainability’ to help you save money and protect the environment over the Christmas holidays and into the New Year! 

  1. Quality not quantity: Around half of UK adults say they have received gifts they don’t want at Christmas. When buying gifts, think less but better. Put time into picking a quality item that will last and be loved for a long time.  
  1. Gift an experience: Gifting an experience for your loved ones will help to reduce demand for physical resources and avoid filling homes with unwanted presents.   
  1. Think about materials: Look at the materials gifts are made from and keep sustainability in mind. Avoid single-use plastic items (especially glitter) that can’t be recycled. 
  1. Remove packaging: Reduce waste even further by buying gifts with little or no packaging.   
  1. Test your wrapping skills: Look for cards and wrapping paper made from 100% recycled or FSC-certified paper. Avoid plastic ribbons and tape or foil-backed/glittery wrapping paper. 
  1. Recycle old cards: Get crafty and cut up your old Christmas cards to make next year’s gift tags! 
  1. Cut your food waste: Cut waste by planning ahead – be realistic about how much food you need and use up leftovers. You can make some lovely warming winter soups by blending leftover veg! 
  1. Instead of clingfilm, use Tupperware: Reuse plastic food containers (saved after takeaways), aluminium foil and wax cloth covers to keep leftovers nice and fresh! 
  1. Eat More Plants: Eating more plant-based meals is good for you and the planet. 
  1. Know your logos: Search for sustainability certifications for the food and drink you’re serving this festive season (palm oil – make sure it’s RSPO-certified and fish – look for MSC-certified wild seafood/ASC-certified farmed seafood) and choose Organic or Fairtrade certifications where possible.  
  1. Eat seasonally: Although we need to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to stay healthy, you can help to reduce the carbon footprint of your festive meals by buying seasonal, local produce. 
  1. Reconnect to nature: The festive season is all about spending time with friends and family. Try making one of your festive activities a walk around your local park or nature reserve. Winter is a great time to spot all sorts of over-wintering birds. Download the Seek app, which lets you identify and discover more about local species. It also helps scientists to track global biodiversity!   

Merry Christmas,
Mrs Williams and the Sustainable School Council  

Sustainability Education Lead 

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