Trashy gifts
not talking about the awkward uncle-gives-to-aunt-undies moment that might derail your family Christmas...i'm talking about the trash that is generated via our gifting. it may be too late to go green and local for your holiday gifts, but it's not too late to reduce the refuse that seems to pile as high as the tree post-gifting.
some families (like mine) participate in a all-out sprint to save a bow and bag - kudos - but if your family is more prone to filling lawn and leaf bags with your holiday memories, here are some tips.
1) don't wrap. many stores (especially boutique and local stores) will provide nice boxes for your goods. save the planet and the hassle of unwrapping by throwing a reused or reusable bow/ribbon on.
2) dip into your recycling. newspapers, printer error paper and my favorite: magazine pages make unique wrapping paper that easily heads right back into the recycling when you're done.
3) get a better bag. "wrap" your gift in a reusable canvas bag (and encourage the protest of plastic shopping sacks) or in the branded sack in which it came. by finding the right stores, i've purchased gifts this year that come in everything from popcorn boxes to dog food bags that were messed up during production. a strange sack will encourage your recipient reuses or regifts later.
4) make like a cheesy jewelry ad and present your gift without wrapping. "ta da - the necklace was baked into Santa's cookies!"
5) reduce. there's one in every family...the type that wraps gifts to look like a Macy's float. the only use for such excess is to take a picture of a present-buttressed tree or to cover up the fact that you got a lousy gift and by guilt covered up the fact with every spare ornament and leftover in the basement.
6) grab two bags: one for things to keep such as bows, ribbon, bags and boxes, and one to fill with actual trash. you'll be more intentional and might well freak yourself out over how much you're throwing away.
7) buy better gift wrap. do a google search and many such recycled paper manufacturers will come up. i dig PaperOrganics and Fish Lips more here at Ideal Bite.
8) slice up the discarded paper into squares and use it for notes. i do this with discarded white paper a lot.
9) call your local recycling center to find out if you can recycle wrapping paper. i can't find anything online right now...but it's worth looking into.
10) don't give a gift. give the act of giving. many online donation opportunities exist for all sorts of charities and causes. most will allow you to send an e-mail to the recipient for whom the gift was donated. this is also a great way to turn a last-minute gift into something truly meaningful.
merry Christmas, all.
some families (like mine) participate in a all-out sprint to save a bow and bag - kudos - but if your family is more prone to filling lawn and leaf bags with your holiday memories, here are some tips.
1) don't wrap. many stores (especially boutique and local stores) will provide nice boxes for your goods. save the planet and the hassle of unwrapping by throwing a reused or reusable bow/ribbon on.
2) dip into your recycling. newspapers, printer error paper and my favorite: magazine pages make unique wrapping paper that easily heads right back into the recycling when you're done.
3) get a better bag. "wrap" your gift in a reusable canvas bag (and encourage the protest of plastic shopping sacks) or in the branded sack in which it came. by finding the right stores, i've purchased gifts this year that come in everything from popcorn boxes to dog food bags that were messed up during production. a strange sack will encourage your recipient reuses or regifts later.
4) make like a cheesy jewelry ad and present your gift without wrapping. "ta da - the necklace was baked into Santa's cookies!"
5) reduce. there's one in every family...the type that wraps gifts to look like a Macy's float. the only use for such excess is to take a picture of a present-buttressed tree or to cover up the fact that you got a lousy gift and by guilt covered up the fact with every spare ornament and leftover in the basement.
6) grab two bags: one for things to keep such as bows, ribbon, bags and boxes, and one to fill with actual trash. you'll be more intentional and might well freak yourself out over how much you're throwing away.
7) buy better gift wrap. do a google search and many such recycled paper manufacturers will come up. i dig PaperOrganics and Fish Lips more here at Ideal Bite.
8) slice up the discarded paper into squares and use it for notes. i do this with discarded white paper a lot.
9) call your local recycling center to find out if you can recycle wrapping paper. i can't find anything online right now...but it's worth looking into.
10) don't give a gift. give the act of giving. many online donation opportunities exist for all sorts of charities and causes. most will allow you to send an e-mail to the recipient for whom the gift was donated. this is also a great way to turn a last-minute gift into something truly meaningful.
merry Christmas, all.
Labels: recycling
posted by Andy Woolard at
5:05 PM
