It's Easy Being Green

With just a few days left before Christmas, many people are probably busy switching gears into wrapping mode.  All of my wrapping is done but I know many last minute procrastinators who don’t wrap until the 11pm witching hour on Christmas Eve.  There are many ways you can make the wrapping process a little greener this year.

First, consider alternative ways to wrap your presents instead of using the traditional roll of paper purchased from the store.  You can use just about anything.  One of my personal favorites is using the “funnies” from the newspaper.  It’s colorful and fun!  You can also old posters, maps, sheet music and any other piece of recycled paper you can think of.  People have also suggested wallpaper scraps, scarves, pillowcases and fabric remnants.

If you’re more into bags, a lot of the shopping bags you get while doing the holiday shopping could double as gift bags once you get to wrapping.  You can just use some ribbon and tissue paper to dress it up a notch.  Clothing can be rolled up tightly and tied with a piece of ribbon before sticking in a stocking or placing it under the tree.  Large items in a box can be hidden with a blanket or by tieing a scarf around it.  Small items like jewlry or cell phones can be hidden inside the tree.  I’ve done this a couple of times and have gotten a lot of enjoyment watching my recipient trying to find their hidden gift and then see their surprise when they finally pull it out of the branches.

It’s also good to think about how you can recycle all that wrapping paper.  A lot of municipal recycling programs can’t recycle the glossy, printed wrapping paper.  If that’s the case you might want to consider going for the old fashioned look by using plain craft paper.  You can use rubber stamps to dress up the wrapping paper and decorate it yourself.  Than you can rest a little easier knowing that mountain of paper won’t be headed toward the landfill.

Do you have any suggestions on how to reduce, reuse or recycle your gift wrapping?  Please share them if you do!

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If you’re having trouble coming up with an idea for a Christmas gift that either won’t cost you very much or is for the person that already has everything, think about non-materialistic gift ideas.  This could save you a lot of money this holiday season and provide the recipient with something they normally wouldn’t expect.  So how can you turn your time and talent into gift?

Think about offering a service like baby sitting to somone who really needs it.  If you know an avid traveller, offer up some pet sitting time.  You could grant special favors like cleaning the house from top to bottom.  Or you could present a spa at home day where you provide a meal, massage, pedicure and a drawn bath with candles.  A popular thing to do is create a coupon booklet with several different favors so the recipient can “cash them in” whenever they want.  Maybe you have a special skill or hobby that someone close to you has admired.  You could spend a day teaching them everything you know about that skill or hobby so they can get involved themselves and maybe make a special project together.

Non-material gifts will save you money and save the environment too.  Have you ever put together a non-materialistic gift?  What did you give?  Share your stories!

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This year a lot of families are undoubtedly struggling with finances and trying to juggle the holidays.  While there are a lot of ideas to avoid the traditional gift giving retailers count on, there are ways to reduce your financial and environmental impacts.  If you are truly set on giving gifts this year consider these bright ideas.

Limit the number of gifts you purchase by drawing family members names for a gift exchange.  Sure one gift isn’t as exciting as receiving multiples but do you really need to spend that much money or receive that many objects?

Recycling or reusing items for a Christmas gift might make you bawk but think again.  Antique stores are often treasure troves of unique gift ideas for just about everyone on your list.  Think about the items finding another life instead of just being tossed into the dumpster.

A lot of retail items come heavily packaged which is a huge environmental waste.  As you consider purchases also consider their packaging and whether or not components can be recycled.  You can also buy items like gift cards or show tickets to reduce the overall impact at the landfill.

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It’s that special time of year where mad shoppers flood retail stores for the best deals and deck the house from top to bottom in holiday cheer.  The envionmental impacts of the holiday season can be astronomical though.  Over the course of the month I will post several tips and ideas on how to reduce your environmental impact and please share your ideas too.  Where it’s a recipe, homemade gift idea or some other way you work to “green” up your Christmas or Hanukkah please share it with me and I’ll post it right here on the blog!

Meanwhile, this weekend we decided to start decking out the house for Christmas.  We put all the fall decorations away and drug out the Christmas decorations and ushered in our seasonal tree.  Most years we do our part to keep our local forests healthy by getting a tree permit and head out into the wilderness to find the perfect one.  Since we’ve moved from Arizona, that tradition is going to have to go by the wayside for awhile so we choose to go with a farm raised Christmas tree.  Some sources say a fake Christmas tree is a much more environmentally friendly way to go but I tend to disagree.

A fresh tree has provided oxygen for our atmosphere and habitat for animals over the several years it has grown.  It’s providing income to a nearby farmer and it’s keeping our landfill from filling up with old fake trees that are simply tossed into the garbage when people are done with them.  A fake tree won’t decompose and break down since it’s made with metal and oil based plastics.  On top of that, there is a lot you can do with your real tree when you’re done with it.  If you need some ideas, just read my blog post from last year on Tree-cycling.

If you happen to live in a climate where you can plant a tree during Winter, you could also consider a living Christmas tree.  These were another popular option in the low deserts of Arizona and just about every home improvement center or hardware store carried them.  After the holiday you take the living tree outside and plant it in your yard or donate it to a park or school for their use.  The only drawback with living trees is that they can usually only survive indoors for a few days because they require a lot of light.

What kind of tree do you like and how do you make sure it’s a sustainable choice for you and your family?

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