Living Green

I've found it's always best to pick one area to work on, instead of trying to fix everything at once.

Here are 6 great ideas to green that gift wrapping.
 

1. Use newspaper to wrap your gifts:
   I wrap children's gifts in the funnies to make them more festive. For adults I tie up the packages with cloth ribbon, or tape a pine cone to them  rather than using plastic ribbon.
    
2. Child Labor:
   If you have children, give them paper you're planning on recycling and let them decorate the blank side with christmas or holiday themed art, and then use that to wrap your gifts.
   
   Your kids will have fun, and your friends and family will love getting some art by your children. If you've already purchased a roll of that paper that kids so love to draw on, you can also cut off large pieces for them to draw on and then use it to wrap prestents.
    
3. Recyclable (and Reusable) Wrapping Paper:
   Consider purchasing LyziWraps which are recyclable wrapping paper. Ok, they're kind of more like a gift bag, but with some pretty cool twists that make them wrapping paper/gift bag hybrids.
   
   Let's call them wrapping bags.
   
   You don't use tape, or scissors, you simply put the gift in and tie the ribbon. The great thing about these wraps are that you can use them again and again. The only downside is the price since they range anywhere from $8 to $30 depending on the size.
    
4. Use the Old Stuff...It's Already Paid For:
   Don't purchase new wrapping paper this year if you still have wrapping paper from the year before. Use up the old wrapping paper first and then consider one of the green gift wrapping options in this list rather than buying more commercial wrapping paper.
    
5. Bag the Paper and Use, uh, Bags!
   Use holiday bags and tissue paper rather than commercial wrapping paper. The great thing about holiday bags and tissue paper is you can reuse them over and over for years to come.
   
   Simply tie a tag to the bags handle with the recipient's name. You can even make your own holiday bags out of cloth and then use them year after year! But seriously, if you're not gonna reuse the tissue paper, don't even bother with it to begin with.
    
6. Buy Wrapping Paper Made From Recycled Paper:
   UNICEF sells this kind of holiday wrapping paper and while it is a little more expensive, it is well worth the expense of knowing that you are doing something good for the environment.

These are just a few of the great ideas out there for how you can elimate the waste that comes each year when thousands of people buy gift wrapping paper that will only be used once and wind up in landfills.

Check out this pic of a dumpster pretty much entirely filled with boxes, wrapping paper, ribbons, and other Christmas rubbish:

The wonderful thing about coming up with ways to wrap holiday presents that don't require commerical wrapping paper is it is such a great opportunity to be creative!

What are some ways you green your gift wrapping?

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