Sending a Christmas card via the post contributes the equivalent of 140g of CO2 to the environment. With Christmas being a time of giving, Hope Spring Water charity is encouraging people to instead send an ecard this winter and donate the money they would have spent to charity. The money made will go towards helping to provide remote communities in Africa with access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
Did you know the UK has the most successful greeting card industry in the world? Every year, we send over two billion cards; creating a huge impact on our environment. From the production of the paper to the printing, posting and decomposition of the cards it is a huge contributor to the UK’s CO2 emissions. In fact, sending a billion cards by the post contributes to 140 million tonnes of carbon to our air.
In a year where climate change has been so prominent in the news, Hope Spring Water is encouraging Christmas well-wishers to rethink their traditional card giving and instead send an ecard this year. Not only does this significantly reduce your impact on the environment, but by donating the money you would have spent on purchasing and sending the cards to your acquaintances, you will be able to help people who need it most.
Ecards are a fun and quick way to wish a Merry Christmas to your friends and family. Hope Spring’s 2019 range consists of a range of animated videos and cards and are able to be sent immediately – saving you a trip to the post office. You can view the Christmas card collection, and their winter solstice range here.
Since their formation in 2014, Hope Spring has been helping to assist some of the poorest and most remote communities in Africa. Each donation helps them to reach these areas and identify the most ideal source of clean water; whether that is building a well or creating a borehole. Alongside that, they also provide and run workshops on water, sanitation and hygiene for both children and adults; empowering them and helping to create a sustainable and healthy community.
Speaking ahead of the campaign, Evgeniy Garkaviy at Hope Spring Water added, “We’re really excited to be launching our 2019 Christmas and Winter Solstice ecard campaign. We had a great response to our drive last year and are looking forward to even more people joining the movement this year.
Everything we do nowadays is digital; from smartphones to streaming TV; we live and breathe technology so it makes sense that the way we send messages on Christmas and birthdays follows suit. This year, the impact humans have had on the planet has reached the front pages but many people simply don’t realise the impact sending a card has on the environment. Ecards let you reduce your carbon footprint, stay in touch with your friends and family and donate to a good cause. It’s a winning solution for everyone!”