This year I am not using wrapping paper to save the lungs of Mother Earth

As of 2009 the population of America is 305 million.

Many of which celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah with gifts wrapped in paper and paper comes from trees and trees are the lungs of our once beautiful and lush planet.

This year I am doing my part and not wrapping my gifts in paper.

I have 3 nieces that were engaged and married in the last two years and all three of them requested "no wrapping" evidently this is a new way of going green with the younger set.

Some bridal gifts were wrapped in towels which was a cute idea.

Most of my small Christmas gifts are presented as they are and some of the bigger ones in reuseable canvas shopping bags, reuseable boxes (my 2 little nieces are getting their stuff in trinket boxes and beach towels.

(Anyone else out there have any "green ideas" please post).

With 305 million people, say 100 million don't or can't celebrate the holidays that leaves 205 million people using wrapping paper.

One person is just one person but when you multiply by 200+ million people that use wrapping paper that is a lot of trees simply for wrapping paper at holiday time - insane and arrogant.

How many trees is this?

Have you ever seen a 150 foot oak?

I have. I grew up on a farm where we had a grove of about 14 oak trees all of which stood at least 100 and some 150 ft tall. (Missouri)

They were magnificant. Putting your arms around one, just touching one and you could feel they were sentinal beings.

The area was truely magical.

Here in Illinois you are lucky to see a tree hit 70 ft.

Stop. Yes traditional Christmas packages wrapped up in those colorful prints are nice and comforting. BUT We need to throw out this tradition and insert a new one. (I'm open to new ideas post away!)

Trees are the lungs of our planet and we keep chopping them down by the millions each year.

Wrapping paper.........so vain so arrogant. One minute it's a beautiful artistic package and within a few seconds, it's past and thrown away.

A total disrespect for Gaia's most important inhabitants.......trees.

Please reconsider, we need to get creative and invent new "traditions".

ps: I am also not having a "Christmas Tree". We are using our trees like animals, arrogantly and just like a "product". They are beings and deserving of respect.

Trees are the lungs of our planet. Plant plant plant more trees and don't keep cutting them down.

If we all keep supporting the madness we are then a problem not the solution.

It's all a commercialized industry aimed at getting your money and destroying our earth.

Live long and prosper.


[edit on 21-12-2009 by ofhumandescent]

Originally posted by ofhumandescent
As of 2009 the population of America is 305 million.

Many of which celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah with gifts wrapped in paper and paper comes from trees and trees are the lungs of our once beautiful and lush planet.

This year I am doing my part and not wrapping my gifts in paper.

Most small gifts are presented as they are and some of the bigger ones in reuseable canvas shopping bags.

(Anyone else out there have any "green ideas" please post).

With 305 million people, say 100 million don't or can't celebrate the holidays that leaves 205 million people using wrapping paper.

One person is just one person but when you multiply by 200+ million people that use wrapping paper that is a lot of trees simply for wrapping paper at holiday time - insane and arrogant.

How many trees is this?

Have you ever seen a 150 foot oak?

I have. I grew up on a farm where we had a grove of about 14 oak trees all of which stood at least 100 and some 150 ft tall. (Missouri)

They were magnificant. Putting your arms around one, just touching one and you could feel they were sentinal beings.

The area was truely magical.

Here in Illinois you are lucky to see a tree hit 70 ft.

Stop. Yes traditional Christmas packages wrapped up in those colorful prints are nice and comforting. BUT We need to throw out this tradition and insert a new one. (I'm open to new ideas post away!)

Trees are the lungs of our planet and we keep chopping them down by the millions each year.

Wrapping paper.........so vain so arrogant. One minute it's a beautiful artistic package and within a few seconds, it's past and thrown away.

A total disrespect for Gaia's most important inhabitants.......trees.

Please reconsider, we need to get creative and invent new "traditions".

ps: I am also not having a "Christmas Tree". We are using our trees like animals, arrogantly and just like a "product". They are beings and deserving of respect.

Trees are the lungs of our planet. Plant plant plant more trees and don't keep cutting them down............

Live long and prosper.


[edit on 20-12-2009 by ofhumandescent]

Throughout Human History Papers has made of Several Different Materials but almost all of the modern papers are made of nothing but trees, why this is always happen in recent times?

Originally posted by masonicon

Throughout Human History Papers has made of Several Different Materials but almost all of the modern papers are made of nothing but trees, why this is always happen in recent times?

The war on drugs is why it has happened. We replaced hemp, a fast growing renewable source of fiber for paper, with trees.

Couldn't you use a Christmas branch, so as the tree continues to live?

Christmas cards are made of paper, are you sending those out?

dont use any toilet paper during christmas. that should save tree.

reply to post by ofhumandescent


Great idea. try using papyrus.

also, personally i hate the term "going green". green is the color of money, of greed, of envy.
i prefer "going brown". because all life springs from brown, the color of soil.

reply to post by Signals
No Paper cards, all electronic email.

I'm really trying to save trees!

I agree it is always a good idea to consider the impact before we act and I firmly believe an individual can make a difference. Also as others have mentioned, there are other better raw material options for paper products.

That said there are families whose livelihood and well-being depend upon this 'renewable' resource. If we all stopped wrapping presents it may help the trees but we also need to carefully consider the impact this would have upon the truly most important inhabitants of this planet, human beings. If only we truly cared for each other as much as we care about the many other less important issues then this world would truly be a wonderful place to live for all.

Less wrapping paper this year, I accept the challenge, donate the money saved to Feed the Children,... now we're talking!

Great thread idea, OP! If you don't like the idea of an indoor Christmas tree, you could always decorate one of your living outdoor trees. One year, one of my 'crafty' friends made a tree out of coat hangers. I know that doesn't sound pretty, but it was adorable! I wish that I had taken a picture of it. Here are some links to some other neat ideas. I love the used calendar, newspaper, and comic section ideas for wrapping paper. I received a gift one time that was wrapped in tissue paper (like you would normally put in gift bags) and then covered with star stickers. Cute! Reusable cloth bags tied with ribbon are cute too. I like to use bottle-sized ones as 'wrapping' for giving wine gifts. Does anyone else have any whimsical, eco-friendly ideas? I'd love to see them.

Earth Easy Gift Wrapping Alternatives

Top Ten Gift Wrap Ideas




[edit on 20-12-2009 by gazerstar]

(Anyone else out there have any "green ideas" please post).

I will no longer be using cash, I will only use the debit card. The cotton used to make paper money is reducing the cotton plants of our planet.

you know paper breaks down in landfills and will become part of the earth it was taken from.

if you were serious, you would get rid of non biodegradables liek your TV, computer, fridges (with all its gases inside) etc etc...

just sayin..

Originally posted by ofhumandescent

They were magnificant. Putting your arms around one, just touching one and you could feel they were sentinal beings.

hence the term "treehugger???"

The best thing about trees is what you can make out of them after you cut them down, especially wrapping paper!

Cut down trees, make great things out of them, and plant some more!

Everyone is happy!

reply to post by ofhumandescent


The paper has already been created. There's no point in not using it. There will be more made throughout the year. What of other paper? Buy books? Note pads? Use toilet paper? Tissues? Etc...

Deciding to not use wrapping paper one time a year is pointless. It's like doing a hunger strike for a day, or even worse... doing a hunger strike in shifts. It's serves absolutely nothing.

Now, if you decided to stop using paper, and other goods made from trees throughout the year, then it would be mildly impressive.

I admire your integrity and what a good idea. I don't use wrapping paper either, we use the funny paper. Just as colorful, and folks really enjoy reading the box before opening it.
We cut our own Christmas tree and then we either take it down and use it for firewood or throw it in the lake and use it to create good fishing spots, man those brim and crappie love 'em.
I'm not tryin' to be cold, just that where we are, wood is a natural and renewable resource that does come back...much like hay. I have 45 acres of pines that will help with my retirement in about 15-20 years. I firmly believe that with good stewardship, proper forestry practices, and conservation...wood can be a renewable and indefinite resource. Plus, it will allow us the keep from using the remaining natural and pristine woodlands across America and around the world.
The firewood we burn comes from dead, diseased, and unhealthy hardwoods. Some would say we are contributing to the problems by cutting and burning wood. But get this.... Down at the feed store, you can buy a new wood burning stove and get a tax credit for investing in alterative fuels to prevent carbon emmissions and global warming. How ironic...

From reading some of the replies here, it's given me an idea. I think that there should be an ATS for adults, and then a kids' section.

Not to derail the thread but just stating my thoughts, why is it that if one reads a post that one doesn't agree with that one must resort to immature replies or statements that one would probably not make to the posters face in person?

Anyway, I also believe that trees are sentient. Many people do. There is more to life than meets the eye. Much, much more.

Namaste

I am, This year I switched to burning coal...

It's somewhat cheap, but you could take some newspaper that you are going to throw away anyway and use that. That way, you'd still be wrapping the gifts (which would be important at least to children) but since your newspaper is going to the garbage/recycler anyway, it still helps out.

The other thing you can do that my parents have done for quite awhile is to reuse boxes and bags. We have quite a few (the sort most people buy, give out once, and throw away) that we have reused for years. Most have Christmas pictures and stuff on them, so they actually look good, too, unlike newspaper. There is one ancient box of frosted flakes that I seem to get a shirt in almost every year...

Originally posted by Carseller4


Cut down trees, make great things out of them, and plant some more!

Everyone is happy!

It takes a few minutes to cut down a tree, it takes decades for a tree to grow.

Forests may be a renewable resource, but the rate at which we are using it is greater than the rate at which its regenerating.

Oh and the greatest thing about trees isn't that we can make things out of them. The greatest things about trees are that they provide us with oxygen, that they harbour ecosystems, they protect the soils, they regulate micro-climates.

reply to post by gazerstar


A star for your link.........WOW beautiful reuseable fabric gift bags. So pretty.

Great idea!

reply to post by okamitengu
My car, frig and a lot of my other stuff is more than ten years old. I don't get new stuff for that very reason.

My water bottle is stainless steel (no plastic). I try to avoid plasic if possible (research "the garbage patch". We have a island a lttle bigger now than the size of Texas floating around in the Pacific that is made up of plastic and other garbage).

No, one cannot be perfect - you are right but if we all take tiny little step to make less of a negative impact upon our home we can make a difference.



[edit on 21-12-2009 by ofhumandescent]