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| photo from:eartheasy.com/give_sustainchristmas.htm |
It is very overwhelming to me when I read articles about reducing my carbon footprint. There are so many ideas and suggestions out there that I feel like I don't know where to start!
My suggestion:
pick one that you can easily see yourself realistically doing.
Start there.
For example: many years ago we started recycling christmas cards to use as gift tags the following year. If the cards had writing on the back side of them, we would use wrapping paper remnants and glue over the writing.
We also re-use gift bags like crazy!
And as much as I hated it when I was little, we save bows too. If the bows get crushed, we remove the staple in the middle and use them for ribbon the following year. We haven't bought bows in probably 5 years. One year we hit an amazing clearance at Costco and bought some wired ribbons and beads. We use these to decorate packages. And we re-use them. Year after year.
Another idea that I love is a tradition my sister Justine has. It is a wonderful way to cut back on the amount of wrapping paper used each year. (I tried to find a picture, but couldn't).
She uses giant, homemade "Santa stockings" made out of fabric. They are velvety with a drawstring top, much like what you would envision Santa himself carrying. Each child has their own "Santa bag" and on Christmas day, they awaken to find their bag full of (unwrapped) gifts. This idea could be carried further to incorporate many other sized reusable fabric bags for individual gift "wrapping".
So tell me, what are some eco-friendly practices you have?
What new lifestyle change are you pledging to make? For some ideas, try this link http://www.green-christmas.org/
Skott and I are doing homemade gifts, many of them made from recycled/repurposed materials. Pics to come after the holidays :)
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