Happier holidays: simple ways to celebrate the season in sustainable style

Natural Health, Dec, 2005 by Janelle Brown

"Historically, handmade gifts were the ones more cherished," says Comras. "As manufactured goods became available to the masses, the idea of a store-bought gift gained ascendancy--but that era is now coming full circle."

For many, a return to handmade gifts has put the fun back into the holidays. Sarah Roberts and her co-workers plan an annual party for crafting scented soaps as stocking stuffers. "People use and keep homemade gifts because there's a memory associated with them," Roberts says. As an alternative, gifts of service (e.g., car washing, dog walking, foot massaging) have no environmental impact and plenty of personal significance.

Rather than asking friends and family members what they want, ask them what they want to do. "We often give tickets to shows or concerts--it has a certain intimacy," says Allen Hershkowitz, Ph.D., senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "One of our sons is a pianist, so we get him tickets to concerts to stimulate his mind and soul. Another son is into sports so we buy him tickets to sports events. We try to avoid material things if at all possible."

This is particularly useful for senior acquaintances. "A lot of older people have a lot of everything--what is there left to buy?" observes Roberts. "So if you plant a tree in their name, it's special."

If you must whip out your credit card, antiques are eco-friendlier and more distinctive than new purchases. Comras recalls a particularly successful choice: an antique rotary phone he gave to a history buff. And don't be reluctant to "re-gift" unwanted trinkets, perhaps by hosting a white elephant exchange party; you may not want that set of designer poker chips, but your friend the gambling buff will love it. Finally, a nice added touch to electronic gifts is to include rechargeable batteries.

Gonna wrap my heart in ribbons

IF YOU TAKE THE TIME to come up with personalized gifts, it's a shame to use generic wrapping paper, particularly when you're trying to think green. "The paper industry has one of the largest ecological footprints in the world," notes Hershkowitz. "Using recycled paper is a very, very important thing to do during the holidays; you reduce forestry, water, energy, and global warming impacts."

Take those Christmas cards: A 10 percent reduction in the 750 million greeting cards sent annually could save about 30,000 trees, according to the Environmental News Network. And if every house in America reused just 2 feet of ribbon this year, the resulting 38,000 miles would tie a bow around the planet, states The ULS [Use Less Stuff] Report.

Certainly, you can reuse paper and ribbons, as well as replenish your wrapping supplies from companies that utilize recycled materials. But why not expand your gift-wrap horizons? Create your own from discarded fashion magazines or the Sunday comics. Product designer and developer Douglas DeVivo plunders old atlases and vintage newspapers he finds at local library sales and flea markets. "You end up with a colorful collage of wrapping paper you've hardly spent any money on," he says. "People hate to tear it open--it's generally better than the present!"