Challenge: Feel-Good Gift Giving

We love holiday gift giving and gift receiving, but what we give and how we wrap it can make a large difference to our world's resources.

Americans seem to be shifting our focus from mass consumerism to creating a holiday that’s about gratitude, especially for the environment. With a little thoughtfulness, you can enjoy giving holiday gifts that have a lighter carbon footprint yet strengthens the holiday spirit for everyone.




Easy Things You Can Do

Re-gift before you buy something new. If you're like most people, you've been on the receiving end of unwanted gifts that you've stored under the bed or in the back of the closet. Or perhaps you bought something for yourself that is gently used but no longer wanted. If you have quality, gift-worthy items and know of someone who would enjoy them, pass them on!

Buy green gifts. It is hip to be green these days, and any number of environmentally responsible items can be found in local stores. If you're unsure of the best options out there, check out TreeHugger.com's great Green Holiday Guide for ideas.

Give the gift of a special experience, instead of items your loved ones really don’t need. Tickets to a show, coupons to cool new exhibits or restaurants, or redeemable personal coupons for your time make the most meaningful gifts.

Donate in someone's name. If your loved one has a favorite charity, consider making a donation in their name this year. Or give to one of the numerous environmental causes that could use your dollars. Check out The Daily Green's
20+ Ways to Give Without Giving "Stuff" for some excellent and innovative ideas.

Give up the gift wrap! Instead, invest in (or make your own) colorful cloth gift bags in a variety of sizes, to be used over and over again.

Wrap gifts using recycled materials only. The Sunday comics and magazines make great wrapping paper, so does old topographical maps or even recycle old wrapping paper—if you are careful to salvage it from being torn apart and taped up--by turning it inside out and letting your kids color pictures on them.

Stop the ribbon madness! Each year, 38,000 miles of ribbon is thrown in the trash, enough to tie a bow around the Earth! Simple, biodegradable cotton twine can hold your wrapping together (and if you fold and wrap the twine carefully you can do without tape) instead, and you can decorate with sprigs of leaves or berries from your garden, shells from the beach or pinecones from a neighborhood tree. For giftcards, reuse the covers of last year's cards or decorate the blank side of out-of-date business cards.

Send an e-card instead of a paper one. With a proliferation of electronic greeting card sites on the Internet, sending holiday greetings couldn't be easier.