Fix Our Earth: Sustainable Gift Wrapping
BY: STEPHANIE LICCIARDI, GROUP FOR THE EAST END ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATE
FIX OUR EARTH
Natural gift wrapping
Wrapping a present is almost as fun as giving the present. What isn’t fun is the pile of trash left in the garbage after all the gifts are given. This post will give you some alternative gift wrap options that are kinder to our earth.
1. Wrapping as Part of the Gift
Use a silk scarf or a piece of cloth and the Furoshiki Method to make your gifts look nice without producing waste. You could consider packing the present in some kind of reusable bag, whether it’s a patterned canvas bag or a high quality pack-able Baggu. Transform the wrapping from trash into part of the gift.
2. Give Paper a Second Life
Use what you can find in your home. Save your newspapers for a few weeks and wrap gifts in your favorite pages. Last year, a few things I ordered online came with crumpled brown paper as padding. I was able to smooth it out and use it as minimalist wrapping, giving the paper a second life before it got recycled. Do you have copies of The New Yorker magazine piled in your home? It’s a perfect way to use them!
3. Get Creative
My mom’s creative solution for all-year-round sustainable gift wrapping is using our pillowcases and sheets. It makes sense when you think about it: the item is wrapped for a few days and we are not always using every single pillowcase in the house. Why waste the wrapping paper?
4. Start a Tradition
Festive “Santa Sacks” could be reused year after year. Here’s an example of one you could get personalized for your family. Fill them the way you do a stocking or use them for larger gifts that would require a lot of paper.
5. Opt for Recycled Paper
Sometimes, a gift will look best wrapped in paper with a big bow. You don’t have to cut all wrapping paper out of your life if you responsibly source your wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, and ribbon. This brand has a variety of eco-friendly options. Sugar Paper is a brand sold by Target and their wrapping paper rolls, gift bags, and tissue paper are FSCTM certified, “which promotes environmentally, socially and economically responsible management of the world’s forests.”