It’s A Wrap

SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by CELESTE TELL

HAVING GROWN UP IN THE DEPRESSION, MY MOTHER-IN-LAW ALWAYS SAVED ribbons, bows and gift tags from one year to the next. It wasn’t that she was being “green” — she was just being frugal.

GREEN WRAPPINGS © ROBIN AVNI

One of the biggest waste factors at holiday time is gift wrap. The Japanese have traditionally wrapped gifts in Furoshiki, a wrapping cloth that can be made out of any fabric.

Really, anything reusable can be used creatively to wrap a gift. We have a jute wine bag that we received with two bottles of wine in it, and now we use it all the time as a wine tote.

Want to to keep your wrappings green but can’t quite go the Furoshiki route? Here are a few ideas:

• Thrifty. If Furoshiki and wine totes are out of budget range, check your local thrift store for scarves, fabric and vintage trimmings.
• DIY. Head to your local fabric store for remnants and ribbons. Remnants are often seriously marked down and you should be able to pick up some gems for next to nothing. And real, woven ribbons can be ironed and reused year after year.
• Post-consumer. Can’t quite do the fabric thing? Like the crispness of paper? Look for 100% recycled post-consumer paper.
• Renewable. The Koreans have been doing it for centuries. Their traditional Hanji paper is made from the bark of mulberry trees and, hence, is a renewable material. Other renewable wrapping paper fibers are harder to find, but include bamboo, banana tree bark and Lotka.
• Compostable. Don’t forget the trimmings. Raffia ribbon can go in the compost pile, as can small pine branches, branches of holly berry, and other decorative plant material, depending on what part of the world you live in.

Happy Holidays!