Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, we generate 25 percent more landfill waste than during the rest of the year, and buy enough greeting cards to fill a football stadium 10 stories high!*
- When doing your gift-wrapping this season, consider how you package things – try buying reusable gift bags (www.janezbagz.com – local vendor) rather than wrapping each gift (it’s easier and better for the environment). Then, save the bags you get for use next year. Or, for a fun twist on wrapping, hide the gift and give a scavenger-hunt like clue instead. This provides fun in both the looking and the finding! If you do buy wrapping paper, look for the kind that has recycled content – the more post-consumer the better.
- Another way to support the environment this season is to “vote with your feet” by considering a product’s packaging when buying holiday items. If you have a choice, opt for the product in the smaller (less flashy) packaging. Doing so will put more green in your holiday, and will help to send a message to producers who over-package their goods. You might also check out Amazon’s green programs – they have a program to promote frustration-free packaging, and also page dedicate to green products.
- Cards: Purchase cards made from recycled paper, or cut the picture side off of old cards and send them as postcards. Better yet, skip paper altogether and wish a happy holiday to loved ones via the Internet (“e-cards”), telephone, or in person.
* http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/2003/tips-for-a-merry.html
For a Greener Holiday Season: Think Paper and Packaging!
