Shackleton advocates sustainability at Christmas

Dec. 19, 2019

Too many gifts, too much food, too many engagements... Together we are contributing to making Christmas unsustainable. Thankfully, there’s still time to avoid the same thing happening to our children.  

Which is why, this year, Shackleton is appealing to people’s common sense and civic duty, calling on all of us to treat the festive period with greater moderation to help make Christmas more sustainable for our economy, our environment, our life-work balance and social relationships.

The Gifts To and Fro spot, directed by the acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Fernando Colomo, narrates the moment when a little boy bids farewell to the toys he no longer plays with in order to donate them to other children who need them more. The spot concludes by inviting viewers to visit the savechristmas.es  website.

The webpage includes analysis of research data that reveals to what extent we are taking Christmas to unreasonable levels, and offers solutions, guidelines and digital tools to help reduce its negative impact on our health, economy, environment and relationships with others.

Among a number of initiatives devised for this campaign is the Gifts To and Fro Letter. The missive, created specially by the agency, lets children write a letter to Santa and has “one page to ask” for toys and another “to give away” those they don’t play with any more, at the same time providing parents with contacts from several different organizations that welcome used toys, giving these a second lease of life.

In addition, the website features opinion articles by María García Mayo from Expansión, Carlota Forminaya from ABC and Carlos Martí from Ciudad Sostenible, which warn of the impact our Christmas celebrations are having on issues such as our work-life balance, the economy and the environment. It also includes a few tips and online digital tools, identified as Nooddle, Dommuss and Mi Árbol de Navidad. The first helps users find original and easy-to-prepare recipes using leftover ingredients from their Christmas banquets, while the second is a family event’s organizer app. The third is a website where you can buy your Christmas tree and after the Holidays the company will pick it up and recycle it.

In the words of Pablo Alzugaray:

“I love Christmas. For me it’s all about getting into the Christmas spirit, making a special effort to see friends and family, to call people I haven’t spoken to in a while, a time to wind down, kick back and escape from the frantic pace of work… But I think that in recent years Christmas has spun out of control. Two, maybe three dinner engagements on the same day, going mad with the presents for our kids, the impact on the environment from the waste generated through transportation and consumption in general… I suppose, too, that advertising is making its own contribution. But if we want Christmas to keep on existing for years to come, I think it would be a good idea to at least try some form of downsizing Christmas this year.”

 

The short film is available at www.savechristmas.es