Hi. I sent this Email to friends and family. Figured you might benefit from it too.
Hi everybody,
I wanted to be sure and send this Email to everyone I care about, because I feel very strongly that we all need to make big changes when it comes to holiday wrapping. I've taken about an hour to compile this Email, so please take a look and forward it to anyone you care about. Thanks.
Coinsider this: In the U.S., annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons. Creative Options to wrapping paper
As you will see, there are oodles and oodles of creative options to traditional, wasteful, wrapping paper. Not only will you help the planet, you will help your bank account. All of these alternatives are FREE. Beneath this list of creative alternatives to wrapping paper are links to manufacturers of recycled wrapping paper, instructions on making a bow out of recycled paper (Great project for the family!) as well as other Green Holiday Ideas and more statistics about our holiday trash.
Magazines and calendars
Use pages from magazines or wall calendars. Save them throughout the year to use for all gifts. They are great, durable paper quality and usually very colorful.
Road Maps
Use old road maps - or go to your AAA office and get new road maps and use them. They are free to members and you can take as much as you want.
Paper Placemats and Take Out Menus
Take your clean place mats and take-out menus from restaurants and use those. Or, go through your take-out menu drawer in the kitchen and use the ones you never reference.
Comics
Use comics from the newspaper
Leftover wrapping paper
Pick up inexpensive rolls of leftover wrapping paper from Goodwill or the Salvation Army.
Used Baskets
Pick up a bunch of used but pretty baskets from your local Goodwill or thrift store. Put the gifts in the baskets and presto! Nothing to chuck. Everyone can use a basket or two in their lives.
Fabric Scraps
Do you have scrap fabric lying around? Or maybe some old shirts you never wear but that have lovely patterns. Try your hand at some easy-sew cloth bags. Put the gift in the center of the fabric and gather the fabric up around the gift and tie a piece of string around the top.Or, fold material in half and sew up one bottom and the other side. Leave the top open, insert gift, and tie shut with a ribbon.
Gift certificates
Give gift certificates this year. Place the certificates in a nice envelope, clip with hole puncher, add a bit of ribbon and dangle from the tree. The nice thing about this: there's virtually no wrapping to deal with (recycle or reuse that envelope), and the recipient gets a gift they will actually enjoy, since they get to pick it out.
Wrap gifts in other gifts
For example, wrap a soccer ball in a sweater! Games or toys for a child can go in a new backpack or a designed pillow case. Any kitchen gift can be wrapped in a colorful dish towel. Kitchen utensils can pop out of an oven mitt.
Hang jewelry on the tree
Hang earrings, bracelets, or necklaces right on the Christmas tree, or put them inside or around an open ornament.
Reuse paper and gift bags
Save your wrapping paper and gift bags and reuse it from previous years.
Grocery Bags
Make gift bags out of recycled grocery bags and cut creative edging across the top and decorate the bag. Have your kids draw on them with crayons or markers. Great family project
Plastic Containers
Go through that recycle bin and find plastic containers to use as "boxes"
Clay Pots
Clay pots can make a present look extra interesting, and are a reusable item for the recipientM. Place your gift in the pot, and use the drainage dish as the lid to hide the present from view. Tie it together with a reused ribbon, or strips of scrap fabric. You can also decorate the pot.
Furoshiki
This idea might be well combined with the "gift in a gift" suggestion. Furoshiki is a method of folding cloth into beautiful packages. Using a piece of beautifully printed cloth and a few knots in interesting places will create an eye-catching package.
A Bucket for Hobbyists
Does the recipient have a hobby? Use a bucket-like item related to what they love. For the chef, a cooking pot. A watering can for the gardener. A hat box for the fashionista. Showing them you know them inside and out will make the wrapping even better than the gift inside.
Paper Waste
Raiding the paper recycling bin is a great way to get materials for gift wrap. Magazine pages, notes from a class, the crossword puzzle from yesterday's paper all could become ideal wrapping material for a package with personality.
Junk Mail
What to do with junk mail that just keeps landing in your mailbox despite the fact that you signed up for the "do not mail" list? It's frustrating to see the waste—however, all those offers to win big, or those colorful coupons become humorous wrapping material.
Cereal Boxes
For clothing, accessories, and gifts on the thinner side, a cereal box is a great option for a unique container. Make it funny by adding a gift topper. For instance, if you're using Cinnamon Toast Crunch, wrap it up with a recycled ribbon and stick a cinnamon stick in the knot of the bow. Or string some dried sliced fruit or berries through the ribbon.
Glass Jars
After using up all the mayo for your world famous potato salad, use the jar as a gift container. Glass jars are versatile. Soak the label and remove it. Then get creative. Use recycled paper to line the interior as reversed wrapping to hide the gift, or leave it transparent for a "so close yet so far" effect. Use found objects to decorate it as a snowman
Wrapping paper swap party
Invite friends to bring their leftover rolls of wrapping paper and have a swap! It's a chance to socialize, have tea and holiday cookies.
Tips for Toppers
To put that finishing touch on a gift, try a dried orange slice, a homemade gingerbread cookie, pinecones or a pine branch, or cinnamon sticks. Let your imagination roll on reusable, low-impact and found objects that would make the gift stand out from the crowd while staying practical.
LINKS TO RECYCLED GIFT WRAPPING SELLERS
If you use traditional gift wrapping, always buy recycled-content wrapping paper. If your store doesn't sell recycled-content wrapping paper, ask the manager to order it in the future. Recycled paper will cost more, but it will help save the planet, which is the only home you've got.
Green RaisingThe Green Life StorePristine PlanetFish Lip Paper DesignsHOW TO MAKE A PAPER BOW OUT OF RECYCLED PAPER
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/recycling-crafts/paper-bows.shtml
IDEAS FOR GREENING YOUR HOLIDAYS
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/gift-giving/gift-giving-tips.html
MORE STATISTICS
Cards
The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year n the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. If we each sent one card less, we'd save 50,000 cubic yards of paper. (Use Less Stuff) Consider sending an electronic card. The following are some examples of what is available on the internet:
American Greetings
Hallmark
Ribbons
if every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet.
Food
At least 28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year - or over 100 pounds per person. (Use Less Stuff)
Paper
Half of the paper America consumes is used to wrap and decorate consumer products. (The Recycler's Handbook)
Christmas Trees
Each year, 50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S. (Cygnus Group). Of those, about 30 million go to the landfill. (Environmental News Network)
Gifts
The average American spends $800 on gifts over the holiday season.
According to a national survey, 70% of Americans would welcome less emphasis on gift giving and spending. (Center for a New American Dream)
About 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. (EPA)
Transportation
If each family reduced holiday gasoline consumption by one gallon (about twenty miles), we'd reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one million tons. (Use Less Stuff)