Holiday Boxes and Bows - Recycling and Reusing

Green Holiday Action #25

This year at our family holiday gathering we tried to act green while opening presents. We placed two large containers in the room for wrapping paper that was recycleable, a basket to collect reuseable bows and ribbon, and a container for trash.















I'm so proud of everyone because we:

• reduced the number of physical gifts and therefore cut the amount of wrapping in half (Trim Your Gift Shopping List)
  
• no one used plastic or polyester film wrapping (Say "No" to the Shiny)
• most of the wrapping was recycleable paper, only a little was foil paper that went in the trash
• boxes were reused from years before and those that were still viable were gathered up for next year
• bows were at a minimum and gathered up for use again next year
• numerous gifts were wrapped in reuseable fabric Santa Bags
• a number of the gifts given were green (Shopping On-line, Give Experiences, Green Holiday Gifts, Give from the Hearth and Yard)
  

A couple of the gifts were inspiring and creative, more on that later.

Hope you had a day filled with joy and giving.

Santa's Bags

Green Holiday Action #10

How many tons of gift wrapping materials will be discarded on December 25th?

You can help reduce the amount of disposable paper, plastic and bows by investing in reusable wrapping.

Fabric gift bags are a staple at many church and organization Holiday Bazaars. They are also easy to make. (They can even make a great gift.) These simple fabric bags with drawstring or ribbon closures are pretty, practical and reusable.

Over the years I have purchased a variety of sizes and fabric styles. They are the perfect way to wrap small items for stockings. But I also have larger sizes that hold a shirt box or even a 10-ream paper box. I've had a number of these Santa Bags for over 10 years.

Not everything under the tree is wrapped in a bag, but each Santa Bag represents saved trees and reduced trash.

What are you doing to make this a Green Holiday Season? Leave a comment or send me an e-mail at 4animalbytes@gmail.com.

Say "NO" to the Shiny

Holiday Green Action #9

When it comes to being attracted to the shiny and glittery, humans are no different than birds. But we aren't just attracted to them, we create them and some of the flashy holiday decorations and wrapping choices are bad news for the environment.

Metallic plastic sheeting or polyester film, familiar to most of us by the trademarked name Mylar, was originally developed for use in space. Thin, durable, lightweight and cheap to mass produce, polyester film can be seen during the holidays as wrapping paper, balloons, bows, garlands, even confetti.

Unfortunately, these bits of sparkle do not biodegrade. If you throw it away, it isn't gone. What may be an inexpensive purchase today, may be a costly clean-up for the future. Avoid the shiny this season and if you receive it, reuse it.

These plastic films last a lifetime. The bow in the picture came into our family several years ago. It will be used again this year, then go back in the box to reappear next year.

When you decorate for the holidays, you have a choice to be Green. Lead by example, here's an idea from a previous post Green Holiday Decorations.