Thursday, December 17, 2009

It's A Wrap - Not.

I’m writing to challenge you to a wrapping-paper free Christmas.  Matt and I have decided not to buy wrapping paper, again, and I’m writing to ask you to just think about what buying those lovely rolls of paper means.  
 
I did a little research and found out the following, which I’d like to share with you:
 
A mere three days of Christmas festivities can result in as much as 650 kilograms of carbon-dioxide emissions per person, according to the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Four million tons of trees are used to make wrapping paper and holiday shopping bags.

Two and a half billion holiday cards are purchased. And 38,000 miles of ribbon – enough to circle the equator more than one and a half times – are used to wrap gifts.

Every Christmas, vets treat dogs that are sick from eating gift wrap. The chemicals they use to make that stuff can be very poisonous for a pet – not to mention, by extension, us!
 
Not all wrapping paper is recyclable. If it contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver colored shapes, glitter, plastic, etc., it is destined for the landfill. By the way, scotch tape isn’t recyclable, either.
 
In the U.S., an additional 5 million tons of waste is generated during the holiday season. 4 million tons of this is wrapping paper and shopping bags. (Couldn’t find stats for Canada, but you get the drift).
Never burn the wrapping paper! Much of our commercial wrap comes from China and other countries with loose environmental standards, and therefore may contain lead, plastic film and synthetic inks, all of which, when burned, release toxins and carcinogens into the environment.


What are the alternatives?

Give two gifts in one
Wrap gifts in a tea towel, a scarf, socks, mittens!  A cloth bag with a drawstring which travelers appreciate – good for shoes, undies, keeping rechargers and cords together. Look around you for wrapping that can actually be useful.  Get creative!
 
Try putting a gift into a glass or stainless food storage jar or thermos, a mug, candle holder, a vase or some other useful container. Preferably not plastic! A wastepaper basket (no irony here!) wicker or straw box or basket, a plant pot.

Use decorative hair elastics to hold the paper or cloth around small gifts.

A piece of fabric (lace and velvet are pretty).  Use safety pins to hold in place or just wrap with some velvet or cotton ribbon or rick-rack.
 
It’s amazing what you can find when you start to ‘see’ everyday items as containers.  

If you want to wrap gifts in something
Use newspaper, comics, plain brown paper (bags), magazines, road maps, old posters, doilies, envelopes of all sizes.  Use non-toxic ink to stamp on designs, or draw your own designs.  Some ‘boutique-style’ tissue boxes have no words – just designs on them.  Perfect to stuff a gift into, through the opening on the top.
 
Tin foil that can be used to cover the turkey later.
 
I keep all sorts of things to recycle into gift wrap, as it comes to me, throughout the yearshoe boxes, biscuit and tea tins, the decorative paper in which flowers are wrapped, at the corner store; tissue paper from buying clothing or other items, ribbon and raffia.  While some of them may not be environmentally sensitive, they can at least be re-used, over and over, again.  I’ve had ribbon, gift bags and wrap that have been rescued and reused, year after year.
 
Cut up last year’s Christmas cards for gift tags.
 
Decorate gifts with pinecones or sprigs of holly, old chandelier crystals, beads, dried flowers.
If you must buy new wrapping paper, look for brands made with as much post-consumer recycled content as possible. Avoid shiny “foil” wrapping, which is not recyclable. For something unique, try wrapping paper, cards and gift tags imbedded with wildflower seeds; the recipient can bury the products in their garden and sprout flowers next spring. Or purchase wrapping paper made of banana leaf, kenaf and other sustainable plants.

Or use no wrapping at all!  Radical concept, I know, but really, people remember the gift, not the paper.

Thanks for listening and good luck.  I’d love to hear about your own great ideas.  You’ll save money, exercise your creative seeing-thinking-and-doing skills and we’ll all breathe easier – literally!
 
Merry Christmas!

Julie Prescott

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