Christmas and Wrapping Gifts

Since Christmas is coming it’s a good time to talk about wrapping gifts. We all use wrapping paper and seasonal gift bags for concealing presents until the right time. Not many of us realize how much garbage becomes of this practice until all the gifts are opened and there are 1-2 garbage bags full of wrapping paper and gift bags.
Gift bags are good for gifts that have a funny shape and are impossible to wrap. They are strong and durable. So why do we all throw them out when we are done with them. Unlike wrapping paper they are not left all crumpled and torn after opening. It’s important that we save these bags for next time. There are many benefits to this: save money on bags, use less material, produce less waste. The bags are designed perfectly for storage; they fold flat and a ton of them can fit in one box.
But what do you do with wrapping paper? It isn’t really that reusable. Anyone who has eager kids (or was one) knows that wrapping paper has to come off fast. Which means it is completely destroyed. Even if that is not the case it is hard to reuse wrapping paper that has been custom cut for a specifically sized and shaped box. There are two environmentally friendly options for this situation. Number one: a lot of gifts will fit in a gift bag; and two: we now have reusable “wrapping paper”. What this wrapping paper really is, is a thin plastic bag that looks like real wrapping paper. All you need to do is fold over the end and tape it shut. Opening is easy and fast, as well as wrapping. I know a lot of us sometimes complain about the time it takes to wrap all of the gifts we are giving. This really cuts down on time. You will also save a lot of money on wrapping paper, because these can be reused.
This Christmas, let’s all cut back on our gift wrapping waste!

Reusable recycled bags

I recently read a comic in the newspaper where a woman was grocery shopping. At the till she was asked if she wanted paper or plastic. The woman replied “Paper! It’s easier on the environment.” On her drive home she saw a field of tree stumps. One of the stumps says “What’s the surprise? Where did you think paper came from?”
This is a good example of things we do in daily life, without the realization of its effect on the world; despite our good intensions. This comic came in perfect timing with Silent River Kung Fu’s arrival of their shipment of recycled, reusable bags. Many of you have seen or bought these at grocery stores lately. I encourage everyone to make the switch from plastic or paper bags to these reusable ones. They are good to the environment; and not to mention they are much stronger than regular grocery bags (for those of you who have double bagged in fear of tearing bags from a heavy load).