Picture courtesy of: http://www.contentfy.com/christmas-decorations-themes/
During the holiday season, Americans will
generate an additional four million tons
of waste than average just from wrapping paper and shopping bags. With
lovely paper that comes in all colors and patterns and with a healthy
dousing of sparkles, all those gifts under the tree can make a beautiful sight
on Christmas morning. But after all the paper is ripped off and you’re
struggling to stuff it all into a large trash bag, it begs the question; is it
necessary?
Sacrificing
wrapping paper at Christmas doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice the beauty of
Christmas morning. There are a few alternatives to typical wrapping that won’t
leave you feeling as dirty as a climate denier after everything has been
opened.
1. This one can
be fun for the kids. As you go through the month of November and December, save
up your used newspapers and paper scraps instead of recycling them. Before you
sit down to do wrapping, give the kids markers, pencils, and crayons and turn
them loose on the scraps. When they’re done, you’ll have wrapping paper
personalized by the kids, and it will add a little extra something special on
Christmas morning. Your “junk” paper will get one more use before it hits the
recycling and no new paper will be bought.
2. Look into
buying or making decorative cloth gift sacks. Instead of wrapping paper, stuff
your gifts into the sacks and pull the drawstrings or zip them up, and then
tuck them safely away under the tree. They can be reused again and again, and
when you give them to someone else you’ll be spreading the eco-friendly
love.
Picture courtesy of: http://hunch.com/item/hn_3762741/wrapsacks-reusable-fabric-gift-bags/
3. In Japanese culture,
there is a traditional cloth gift-wrapping method known as furoshiki. Not only does it avoid using wrapping paper, it’s
actually just as pretty (in my opinion, at least)!
Picture courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Traditional_Japanese_wrapping_cloth,huroshiki,katori-city,japan.JPG
To learn how to wrap various
different gift shapes, such as boxes, wine bottles, and spheres, click here http://eco-wrapping.com/howto.
You
don’t have to jeopardize the planet to have a happy and loving holiday season.
I challenge you to reject wrapping paper and plastic bags this Christmas, and
I’m challenging you more than a month early so you can start preparing! Have a
talk with your family today about having a greener Christmas (one that will
hopefully still be white with snow)!
Here are some additional tips for
keeping your holiday shopping and gift-giving green.
·
Don’t leave your reusable shopping bags at home!
Reject plastic bags!
·
Try to get all of your shopping done in one trip
to keep your carbon emissions at a minimum.
·
Avoid buying candy; not only will it keep you
and your loved ones healthier, but you can keep your money out of the palm oil
industry, which is currently wreaking havoc on our world’s remaining rain
forests. To learn more about the problems with palm oil, click here http://www.ran.org/problem-palm-oil-factsheet.
·
When purchasing your holiday cards, keep your
eye out for the Rainforest Alliance frog seal, cards made from 100% recycled
paper, and/or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) stamp.
·
Turn the heat down a couple notches Christmas
morning; instead, bundle up and enjoy some hot cocoa and a hot breakfast as a
family.
·
After everything’s been opened, save your gift
boxes and gift bags for future birthdays and Christmases! Don’t throw them out!
·
As you and your family are trying to make room
for all of your new gifts over the following days, donate some of your old
possessions that you decide to get rid of in favor of your new items. Never
throw away what you can donate or consign!
·
For the planet lovers in your family, consider
making a donation in their name to a green organization they care about. Many
organizations have green gift options available during the holidays. Here are a
few examples:
Center for Biological Diversity: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/support/give/guide/index
Bat Conservation International: http://www.batgoods.com/shop/
World Wildlife Fund: http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/Default.aspx?sc=AWY1405WC121&link=topnav&utm_campaign=holiday&utm_medium=email&utm_source=appeal&utm_content=131104t
(Includes endangered species adoptions!)
This is the first Green Challenge I’ve had
in a while — if you couldn’t tell, I’ve been short on ideas. If you have an
idea for a Green Challenge, email me at viridorari@yahoo.com
and I will happily put it up on my blog! You’ll get credit, of course. You
could also consider becoming a Guest Writer!
Also, Viridorari wants to hear about your experiences
with Green Challenges. If you’ve ever tried a Green Challenge, tell me how it
went and maybe send some pictures. You could be mentioned on a Viridorari blog
post!
To receive updates about the blog, hear
about the latest green news, and learn about action opportunities with
petitions, follow me at @Viridorari on Twitter. Occasionally you’ll get some
college-related tweets, but I try to keep those to a minimum.
Happy holidays!
Sources:
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