Give the gift of green.
It's a lovely thing, giving a gift. Whatever the tradition or religion, whatever the source of the custom, there's no arguing that it's a lovely thing. However, that lovely thing has been corrupted by our out-of-whack consumer society. No longer is sentiment enough -- that sentiment must be expressed through sheer size and shininess.
But hark! There's another way. Greener items abound, and greener ways of giving do too. And say what you will about our challenging economic times, they may mean we buy less -- and, in the process, give more.
Want to green your gift-giving habits? Here's how to start.
The Baby Steps
Buy greener stuff. Ideally, a greener holiday is one that involves less wanton consumption. But if there are certain people on your list you absolutely must bestow with stuff, at least make it greener stuff. Check out Grist's gift guides past and present for ideas on eco-versions of clothes, sports equipment, pet accessories, and more. Prowl the aisles of your local stores -- or even big-boxes like Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot -- for planet-friendlier versions of wanted items.
Shop online. If you're debating where to spend your $431 this year, consider doing it online. Such shopping, which 30 percent of Americans report doing, reduces emissions -- assuming you don't wait until the last minute and then pay some crazy fee for overnight shipping, that is.
The Next Steps
Bundle your errands. Whether you're heading out for eggnog or electronics, give some thought to how you get there. If possible, walk, bike, or take public transportation to the store. If a car is the only way to get there, drive with a neighbor or friend (or Friend!). At the very least, if you do end up driving alone, plan accordingly so that you make one trip instead of, say, 37. According to Use Less Stuff, reducing holiday gasoline consumption by a single gallon adds up to big greenhouse-gas savings. We know those last-minute needs crop up ("I've got to have a purple polka-dotted bow! Stat!"), but this year, try to plan ahead or find creative solutions at home.
Regift. It tends to get a bad rap, but regifting is on the rise -- and if done well, it can be a perfectly acceptable way to show you care while showing that you also care about reducing consumption and shipping. Go ahead and do it -- we won't tell.
Reduce, reuse, regift.
Wrap with care. Eschew the acres of virgin paper and the 4 million annual tons of waste (not to mention purple polka-dotted bows) when it comes time to make your presents presentable. Use newspaper, maps, paper grocery bags, or scrap paper. Get creative with cloth bags -- either specially made ones like Wrapsack or something you already have, like a reusable grocery or rice bag. Make the present be the wrapping, using a scarf or blanket or dishtowel. Or dude, don't wrap. Are those three seconds of anticipation really worth it?
Offer end notes. When you give a gift, enclose information on how to recycle it when it's no longer wanted. Especially useful for electronics, this could also come in handy for clothes, batteries, and other items. When it comes to recycling, good intentions can be stymied by lack of information -- so make it easy.
The Big Step
Just say no-ël. The best way to green your giving may be not to give at all. Consider stuff-free alternatives. Or make a donation in someone's name -- perhaps even a donation to Grist! Or take a cue from anti-stuff crusaders like Annie Leonard and Bill McKibben and dial down all the excesses of your holiday, giftiness included. Sometimes, spending time together is the best gift of all. (And sometimes the best gift is a Wii -- we totally get that.)
Resources
General advice for low-impact holidays
Ask Umbra's video advice for simple giving
EPA's guide to reducing holiday waste
Earth911's Green Your Holidays
New American Dream's Simplify the Holidays
Eco-wrapping advice
Ask Umbra on wrapping creatively
Ask Umbra on recycled gift wrap
Gaiam's green gift wrap ideas
Recycling and reusing electronics
Earth911
EPA eCycling
Consumer Electronics Association
myGreenElectronics
Ask Umbra’s video advice on composting
How to turn your turkey carcass into a spectacular gumbo
This Friday, don’t just Buy Nothing—use nothing!
Comments
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wcsmommy Posted 5:42 am
09 Dec 2008
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redambrosia99 Posted 1:55 am
10 Dec 2008
Yes. And it's not just 3 seconds. It's the fun of wrapping up a package and making it look pretty. It's how pretty they look under the tree. It's the testing, gentle shaking, weighing, and such of them (not to really guess what they are... just for fun).
Presents are fun.
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waxghost Posted 6:20 am
10 Dec 2008
I decided this year to use all of the Christmas ads that come unsolicited to my mailbox as wrapping paper. It's my favorite reuse idea so far; they still look pretty and festive, and the paper isn't just going straight into the recycling bin like it normally does. A little ribbon and it looks like a proper Christmas present, plus the texture is similar to wrapping paper. I used paper grocery bags last year but didn't like the texture (too stiff) and got some cloth grocery bags in the meantime anyway.
I think I'm also going to look for sturdy boxes in the after-Christmas sales that I can just use ribbon to keep closed, not have to wrap, and keep reusing each year like the bags.
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kmp Posted 2:46 am
15 Dec 2008
I must confess to being somewhat of a gift-wrapping freak; I've often thought that gift wrapping at some store would be my ideal job, if only it were at some high, high-end Manhattan boutiquery wherein the customers would not try to dictate my "art" with bourgeouis requests for "bows" and such <shudder>. :) Just teasing, but really, I do love to wrap, and I like to make presents interesting, relevant to the receiver, beautiful, and fun. I'm also, however, a Green Girl, and therefore do my level best to wrap my gifts in as eco-friendly a manner as possible. How to do both? Glad you asked.
I can't agree with Umbra more when she says plan ahead: I'm nearly done with this year's holiday wrapping and there was only one (large, oddly sized) gift on which I had to use 'virgin' gift wrap, and by 'virgin' I do not mean 'old growth forest' I mean 'never been used before.' My Mom started the tradition when we were kids, likely because money was scarce; she would carefully open, so as not to rip, save and re-use beautiful gift wrap, ribbon, decorative accents, etc. We have Christmas wrapping paper that has achieved 'heirloom' status (at least 10 years old and used nearly every year); the pieces get increasingly small, as you trim away damaged/wrinkled or tape-strewn ends, but then are used to wrap increasingly special gifts, and always elicit a delighted "Oooooh, THIS paper!" Carefully unwrapping and reminiscing over the providence and design of the gift wrap also stretches out the holiday opening in a most wonderful way; in my family, even though we do not spend a lot of money on gifts we generally spend nearly the whole day opening, ooohing and aahhing over the beautiful wrapping as much as we do over the gift inside.
So, if you would like to start this tradition this year, a few pointers. First, buy high quality paper, ribbon and supplies. Cheap paper simply doesn't last; it tears, gets white lines, and doesn't hold a crisp edge on a present even when new, with the end effect that you need to cover up the paper with a profusion of ribbon or bows, even when new, to make the present look festive. High quality paper need not mean mowing down forests; a little Googling will find you plenty of handmade, artisinal quality paper that is tree-free, recycled and high quality. For ribbon, I use a lot of raffia, heavy silk embroidery thread or tape, organdy-type ribbon & tulle; even those that are not eco-friendly in manufacture have relatively little impact if you re-use them for years and years. For decorative accents, natural accents like pine cones, berries, bittersweet, pine boughs, etc., abound in my area, but I also ues small tree ornaments, wooden children's toys, kitchen tools or implements, wine bottle corks, Pez dispensers... just about anything depending on the gift & the recipient. I browse old junk/antique shops for interesting doodads & gadgets to dress up gifts - most any "found" object can be art if you treat it right. This year all of my gift tags have been made from last year's received Xmas cards; I cut out a square of a interesting picture or abstract, poke a small hole in the corner, pull ribbon through, and voila, recycled gift tags!
Secondly, know your recipient; try to gently educate your friends & family, and inspire them to 'join the game' of passing back & forth heirloom quality wrapping for years, but if you simply can't, and know that they will tear through whatever wrapping is there in 3 seconds, don't give them a gift wrapped in your most precious paper. A gift can be made gorgeous with brown paper bags, newspaper, magazine, etc., and this is perhaps the better option for those recipients that you know will not treasure the wrapping as much as the gift.
Thirdly, start your collection; take care in opening your own gifts, carefully remove tape, smooth & fold paper and ribbon before tucking it all away in a safe place after the holidays (I have a couple of under-bed boxes that I use for wrapping supplies). Keep a ziplock or shoebox handy for Xmas cards, thank you notes, birthday cards, postcards, museum opening announcements, party invites, calendars, etc, etc.; once you start collecting these things for use in making your own gift cards, you'll be amazed by how many high quality paper products you receive in a year.
Lastly, there are endless ways in which to be creative in wrapping gifts; play around, assert your style, and before you know it, yours will be a "signature" style, and people will actually say "Oooooh, a Sarah/Bob/Umbra gift!" when they see it wrapped under the tree. It's a labor of love for the recipient, but also a fun way to make wrapping presents not a chore, but something that you love to do.
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JessicaT Posted 1:50 am
24 Dec 2008
Someone needs to ask Umbra about this!
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