It was among many holiday traditions in my house that the first child to wake up on Christmas morning had to grab a garbage bag from under the kitchen sink and bring it into the living room by the tree. My father insisted that we throw away all of our wrapping paper as soon as we opened our presents. Amid the chaos of overly excited kids tearing open toys and an overly strict father trying to keep the house clean, my budget-conscious mother imploring us to “save that paper. Try not to rip it. I can use it again next year.” Later in the day, when our aunts, uncles and cousins showed up for the family Christmas party, they would toss their wrapping paper right into the fireplace to help keep the yule log burning. Oh, the dioxins!
“Gift wrap is inherently wasteful,” says Ellen Ornato, vice president of marketing at Eco-bags Products. (www.ecobags.com), a company that sells reusable bags made from organic and recycled cotton and hemp. Though most of the bags are used for carrying groceries, lunches and other household items, a growing number of people are using them as gift bags. “This holiday season, more than ever before, people are looking at what they’re putting their gifts in,” Ornato says.
Elegant Gift Boxes - BlueDogz Design.
That’s good news, considering that Americans produce about 25 percent more trash per week between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve than they do the rest of the year according to a study cited in 2008 by the New England regional office of the US Environmental Protection Agency. And a large portion of that trash comes from wrapping paper — more than 8,000 tons of which is used annually for holiday gifts.
“There must be some really beautiful landfills,” says Nadine Lerner of BlueDogz Design (www.bluedogzdesign.com), a gift company that makes boxes out of recycled wood. The boxes vary in size, color and pattern. The smallest is the size of a credit card, so even the most uninspired gift giver can dress up a boring gift card. BlueDogz boxes are pretty enough to be used as decorations long after the holiday season. Keep them on your desk or bureau as containers for paper clips, earrings or potpourri.
No matter what your gift-giving style, there is an eco-conscious wrapping solution for you this season.
THRIFTY:
My mother grew up during the Great Depression and never lost her tendency to save and reuse. But today’s exquisitely patterned heavy-foil papers don’t lend themselves to rewrapping. The crease lines just never come out. Fortunately, frugal shoppers like mom can now choose from a variety of low-cost, practical options. Like Eco-bags, ChicoBag (www.chicobag.com) also makes reusable shopping bags. ChicoBags work as gift bags and as stocking stuffers, and at $5 per item, they fit into almost any budget.
100 recycled wrapping paper- Ecosaurus
TRADITIONAL:
For the reveler who likes to uphold holiday traditions but doesn’t want to contribute to the planet’s demise, Ecosaurus (www.shopecosaurus.com) makes a collection of wrapping paper that is 100 percent recycled, 50 percent post-consumer waste and processed chlorine-free. Ecosaurus papers are made in the United States from FSC certified forests required to have environmentally responsible business practices. All of the designs are made with vegetable-based inks. And, unlike the wrapping paper we tossed as kids, this wrapping paper is recyclable.
CRAFTY:
If handmade gifts are your signature, you probably want a sustainable gift-wrap option that is slightly more original than recycled wrapping paper. Scour thrift shops for pretty scarves and old jewelry and then use the scarf as the gift wrap and the jewelry — a vintage earring or pin — as the fastener. Fabric remnants and quilt squares can make beautiful packaging, too, especially when tied with a colorful ribbon. Use the fabric to cover old boxes, and place odd-shaped and fragile presents inside.
THOUGHTFUL:
If the true spirit of the holidays for you is finding the perfect present for everyone on your list, you’ll probably like Storybags. These gift bags are made out of beautiful silks and velvets and embellished with beads. Each bag has a tracking number sewn inside. Before you give away the bag, you can register it on the Storybags’ Web site (www.storybags.com), and the company then will track the bag as it is passed along from friend to friend, occasion after occasion. Re-gifting just got trendy.
Elegant and eco-friendly packaging - BOBO
EXTRAVAGANT:
Perhaps lavishing your friends and family with beautiful gifts is one of your true indulgences. You can continue to do that and still be mindful of your impact on the environment. Style and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive. To create a gorgeous, eco-friendly package, try BOBO (www.bobowrap.com). Inspired by an old Korean tradition of wrapping presents in fabric, BOBO wrapping scarves are pretty, reusable and don’t require any tape or glue. BOBO wraps come in fashion-forward animal prints, florals, polka dots and paisleys. And best of all, BOBOs are shipped with a booklet that teaches you how to tie them.
“If a beautifully wrapped gift gives you pleasure, do it,” says Ecobags’ Ornato. “Going green isn’t about starving for the things you love. It’s about making conscious choices.”
It’s A Wrap
It was among many holiday traditions in my house that the first child to wake up on Christmas morning had to grab a garbage bag from under the kitchen sink and bring it into the living room by the tree. My father insisted that we throw away all of our wrapping paper as soon as we opened our presents. Amid the chaos of overly excited kids tearing open toys and an overly strict father trying to keep the house clean, my budget-conscious mother imploring us to “save that paper. Try not to rip it. I can use it again next year.” Later in the day, when our aunts, uncles and cousins showed up for the family Christmas party, they would toss their wrapping paper right into the fireplace to help keep the yule log burning. Oh, the dioxins!
“Gift wrap is inherently wasteful,” says Ellen Ornato, vice president of marketing at Eco-bags Products. (www.ecobags.com), a company that sells reusable bags made from organic and recycled cotton and hemp. Though most of the bags are used for carrying groceries, lunches and other household items, a growing number of people are using them as gift bags. “This holiday season, more than ever before, people are looking at what they’re putting their gifts in,” Ornato says.
Elegant Gift Boxes - BlueDogz Design.
That’s good news, considering that Americans produce about 25 percent more trash per week between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve than they do the rest of the year according to a study cited in 2008 by the New England regional office of the US Environmental Protection Agency. And a large portion of that trash comes from wrapping paper — more than 8,000 tons of which is used annually for holiday gifts.
“There must be some really beautiful landfills,” says Nadine Lerner of BlueDogz Design (www.bluedogzdesign.com), a gift company that makes boxes out of recycled wood. The boxes vary in size, color and pattern. The smallest is the size of a credit card, so even the most uninspired gift giver can dress up a boring gift card. BlueDogz boxes are pretty enough to be used as decorations long after the holiday season. Keep them on your desk or bureau as containers for paper clips, earrings or potpourri.
No matter what your gift-giving style, there is an eco-conscious wrapping solution for you this season.
THRIFTY:
My mother grew up during the Great Depression and never lost her tendency to save and reuse. But today’s exquisitely patterned heavy-foil papers don’t lend themselves to rewrapping. The crease lines just never come out. Fortunately, frugal shoppers like mom can now choose from a variety of low-cost, practical options. Like Eco-bags, ChicoBag (www.chicobag.com) also makes reusable shopping bags. ChicoBags work as gift bags and as stocking stuffers, and at $5 per item, they fit into almost any budget.
100 recycled wrapping paper- Ecosaurus
TRADITIONAL:
For the reveler who likes to uphold holiday traditions but doesn’t want to contribute to the planet’s demise, Ecosaurus (www.shopecosaurus.com) makes a collection of wrapping paper that is 100 percent recycled, 50 percent post-consumer waste and processed chlorine-free. Ecosaurus papers are made in the United States from FSC certified forests required to have environmentally responsible business practices. All of the designs are made with vegetable-based inks. And, unlike the wrapping paper we tossed as kids, this wrapping paper is recyclable.
CRAFTY:
If handmade gifts are your signature, you probably want a sustainable gift-wrap option that is slightly more original than recycled wrapping paper. Scour thrift shops for pretty scarves and old jewelry and then use the scarf as the gift wrap and the jewelry — a vintage earring or pin — as the fastener. Fabric remnants and quilt squares can make beautiful packaging, too, especially when tied with a colorful ribbon. Use the fabric to cover old boxes, and place odd-shaped and fragile presents inside.
THOUGHTFUL:
If the true spirit of the holidays for you is finding the perfect present for everyone on your list, you’ll probably like Storybags. These gift bags are made out of beautiful silks and velvets and embellished with beads. Each bag has a tracking number sewn inside. Before you give away the bag, you can register it on the Storybags’ Web site (www.storybags.com), and the company then will track the bag as it is passed along from friend to friend, occasion after occasion. Re-gifting just got trendy.
Elegant and eco-friendly packaging - BOBO
EXTRAVAGANT:
Perhaps lavishing your friends and family with beautiful gifts is one of your true indulgences. You can continue to do that and still be mindful of your impact on the environment. Style and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive. To create a gorgeous, eco-friendly package, try BOBO (www.bobowrap.com). Inspired by an old Korean tradition of wrapping presents in fabric, BOBO wrapping scarves are pretty, reusable and don’t require any tape or glue. BOBO wraps come in fashion-forward animal prints, florals, polka dots and paisleys. And best of all, BOBOs are shipped with a booklet that teaches you how to tie them.
“If a beautifully wrapped gift gives you pleasure, do it,” says Ecobags’ Ornato. “Going green isn’t about starving for the things you love. It’s about making conscious choices.”