How To Wrap Gifts the Eco-Friendly Way

We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions by giving gifts to friends and family. Everywhere you look in stores, you see commercial gift-wrap, tamper-proof packages with multiple layers of plastic, and other packing materials that are not eco-friendly.

Is there anything you can do to lessen the impact? Yes! You can be kind to the environment while creating something unique that will merit extra appreciation from each gift recipient.

1. Communicate with manufacturers about their packaging. Check labels and boxes for toll-free numbers. Alternatively, look for companies on the Internet. Let them know that you are an eco-friendly consumer. Rather than rant about their packaging, offer some constructive criticism.
2. Do not purchase gift boxes or plastic gift bags. Yes, they are time savers, but there are things around the house or office you can use instead.
   • Coffee tins
   • Plastic containers
   • Paper towel tubes
   • CD jewel cases
   • Cookie tins
   • __________________ (Use your imagination)
3. Do not purchase commercial gift-wrap. Use up any wrap you have on hand, but do not buy more when you run out. Instead, opt for wrapping gifts in pages from the colored sections of newspapers, flyers, and magazines.
4. Make your gift-wrap part of the present. Purchase pillowcases, sheets, or beach towels. Use them for wrapping instead of paper.
5. Grab a potato and get creative. You can decorate the unprinted sides of brown paper bags or black and white newspapers with colorful stamps created out of potatoes. Cut a potato in half and carve designs into the cut surfaces. Dip them into eco-friendly paint or food coloring and stamp a pattern onto the paper. If you wish, you can use additional colors to create a layered design, letting the paper dry between applications.
6. Try your hand at spatter painting or finger painting. Kids love to help with this kind of project. Create silhouettes like snowflakes, leaves, or flowers by cutting up flyers or old boxes. Lay them out on brown paper or newspapers. Dip a toothbrush into eco-friendly paint, and rub it across the screen to create a 'spatter' over the shapes. Alternatively, you can 'finger paint' over the cutouts. Afterwards, remove the shapes and admire your work.
7. Purchase biodegradable tape. Use up the transparent tape you have on hand, but replace with eco-friendly paper or plastic tape when it is gone. If you cannot find any locally, an Internet search for 'biodegradable tape' will bring up just the websites you need.
8. Forget ribbons and bows. Look around the house for colored yarn left over from knitting projects, scraps of cloth that can be cut on the bias and sewed together, or ________ (use your imagination). If you know how to tat or crochet, you can create ribbons, florets, and snowflakes to decorate packages.
9. Take special care when preparing packages for mailing. You can use old recycled gift-wrap turned inside out or brown paper bags for the external wrap.
10. Enclose a note with each gift to explain what you have done. Personalize your notes with potato stamps, crochet touches, etc. Ask the recipient to recycle or reuse your wrap.

With a little creativity and careful planning, you can create unique gift-wrap that your loved ones will cherish.

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