Save $840 Million by Sending a Christmas eCard

The Guardian UK reports that in 2004, the UK sent 744 million Christmas Cards.

On that same note, UK-based website Friends of the Earth says, "If all these were recycled instead of thrown away, it would help to save the equivalent of 248,000 trees."

Staggering. 248,000 trees sacrificed on the altar of Christmas cards. I guess we value our pseudo-obligatory holiday traditions more than things like...oh, I don't know...oxygen.

(Yeah, trees convert CO2 into oxygen, for those of us who missed 3rd grade science class.)

Clearly, the value of simple, free, Christmas ecards needs no more validation, does it? They save us A LOT of money, trees, and time.

So how do you get one put together and sent out to your friends, family, and loved ones? that's coming up next...

On the Other Hand...
If you MUST send traditional holiday Christmas cards, there are still things you can do to minimize your environmental impact:

• "Try the Natural Collection's new paper range made of raffia fibres from the bark of the mulberry tree, coloured with sugar cane or banana. No trees are cut down to make it, as the fibres keep growing back."


• "Try recycled cards decorated with vegetable-based inks."


• Try cards from GalleryCollection.com, who's stock was produced using wind-power.


• Prune that Christmas card mailing list, reducing the number of costly paper cards you send.