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LAST
MINUTE GREEN CHRISTMAS ADVICE
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, December 12, 2004
Here it is, two weeks until Christmas and you are beginning to panic. You have more gifts to buy and wrap and mail and deliver and on and on. As you sit here reading the Sunday paper and making a plan, Let me add a few green suggestions.
Shipping
Consider using air-popped popcorn or crumpled newspaper for packing. Reuse foam peanuts or recycle them at a local Postal Annex, POSTNET or UPS Store. Call the Plastic Loosefill Products Council (1-800-828-2214) for other collection spots.
Wrapping it up green
The California Integrated Waste Management Board (www.ciwmb.ca.gov/PublicEd/) made a list (and checked it twice) of ideas
for environmentally friendly gift wrapping. Save this list and use it all year long.
| 1. |
Design your own gift wrap by using a paper bag and adding your own drawings or stamped patterns. |
| 2. |
Purchase gift bags or boxes and reuse the ones that you received last year. |
| 3. |
For hard to wrap gifts, just add a large fancy bow. |
| 4. |
Hide large gifts somewhere in the house and give the person a card with a clue to lead them to the present. |
| 5. |
Little gifts can be put into personalized Christmas stockings without being wrapped. The stockings can be used
year after year. |
| 6. |
Buy wrapping paper with recycled content. |
| 7. |
Wrap gifts in fabric, scarves, funny pages, maps, old posters, pages from a child's coloring book, or old sheet music |
| 8. |
Think outside the box: baskets, reusable containers, or fruitcake tins. VALCORE’s ReUse Barn generally has items that could be turned into packaging. |
| 9. |
Make a present in a present. For example, jewelry in a wooden box, barbecue utensils in a tablecloth, or kitchen gifts in kitchen towels. |
| 10. |
Finish with the ribbon and bows that you saved from last year. Try other reusable items such as hair bows, ornaments, shoe laces, lace, or yarn with a few beads, buttons or dried flowers. |
Cards
Save old Christmas cards to create new cards. Trim your favorite cards then glue to heavy paper and add your own greeting. Use the same method with all those duplicate pictures. Design your own E-card and attach it to your email. St. Jude's Ranch for Children no longer accepts used Christmas cards, but you can recycle greeting cards curbside or at VALCORE.
No-Waste Gift-Giving Ideas
This year, gift charge cards seem to be the rage along with gift certificates or gift cards from your favorite stores. Don’t overlook a
gift of a home-cooked meal or baked goodies. Consider giving tickets to a sporting event, movie, play, or concert. Make a charitable donation in someone's name or give a membership to a local museum. It's Time to Open the Gifts!
Before opening all those gaily wrapped gifts, here are a few hints to get you through the mountains of ribbon and wrapping paper.
Set up a box to collect reusable ribbons, bows, package decorations, uncrumpled wrapping paper and gift boxes. Consider saving crumpled wrapping paper to use when mailing gifts. Recycle boxes that can't be reused. Unfortunately, wrapping paper cannot be recycled at this time. If you receive a new appliance, toy, or coat, consider donating your old items to a local charity or thrift store.
Boy Scout Brian Hoffman is collecting coats for the Christian Help Center through the end of January as his Eagle Scout Project. Details on
www.recycle-guide.com on the Vallejo page or call 556-8590 x59813. Before you recycle your gift catalogs, take a minute to pick out the ones you don't want. Call their toll-free numbers NOW and ask to get off their list.
Energy
Use a timer for your tree lights to avoid keeping lights on all night. You will save lot of energy and keep that money in your pocket.
VALCORE
Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair"
is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community
Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud,
VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.
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Website: www.VALCORErecycling.org 
