We don't tend to give much thought to gift wrap - and it's environmental implications - most of the year. Around the holidays, the subject comes up, as crumpled-paper and used bows are tossed to the curb (responsible for a 25 percent spike in curbside trash in the USA alone, according to the EPA). Trees are felled for the paper, the inks contain harmful chemicals, and everyone might feel just a little guilty about it all. But come summer, all that is out the window! From a hostess gift at a summer soiree to an adorable onesie given at a baby shower, our gift giving is spread out, and so too is the trash.
But it still adds up. The cards, the paper, the bags, the ribbon. Luckily, there are tons of amazing alternatives out there. So after you carefully peel off the tape and save another bit of wrapping paper for reuse (also a wise idea!), consider...
-a scarf, organic cotton baby blanket, beach towel or bath towel (gaiam.com)
-reclaimed NYC subway maps (forestsaver.com)
-cloth gift wrap, or furoshiki - great for wrapping books, wine bottles, and fragile items (wrapnatural.com)
-biodegradable flower seed paper (realgoods.com)
-resused felt squares (squidoo.com)
-birch bark or fresh banana or bamboo leaves (wholeliving.com)
-colourful cloth wrapsacks (greenraising.com)
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