Ideal Bite

Wanna spread holiday cheer without bringing down a forest?

11.02.2006

Submitted by idealbite on Thu, 11/02/2006 - 6:00pm.

The Bite:

This holiday season, send recycled cards or bypass the trees altogether - send your greetings on alternative and fun papers like kenaf. "Yule" spread cheer and an important message.

The Benefits:

Save trees. You can bet your stocking stuffers that most of the 2.65 billion cards bought in the US each year aren't recycled.
Be holiday-appropriate. Saying "Happy Hanukkah and Many More to Come" on a non-recycled card is kind of ironic considering we need trees to live.
Plantable cards that grow when you throw 'em in the backyard will bring a smile even to the Scrooges on your greeting card list.

Personally Speaking:

Heather is holding tightly to her habit of sending out a notoriously long Christmas letter, but at least this year she switched to Hemp Heritage stationery. Jen, on the other hand, has fallen in love with Greene Street's customizable cards - she is putting a picture of Cricket scarfing down a Christmas cookie on the front.

Wanna Try:

If e-cards aren't your thing, these are the next best for the planet:

Anne Taintor - clever, 50s-style images on recycled cards. Check our faves here and here ($15/10).
Mudlark - a Biter fave, with a classic design and a keepsake box ($15/25).
Speak 'Peace' Cards - kitschy elegance, made from 50% recycled paper, part of the sale helps kids who are hard of hearing ($12/8).
Peaceful Valley Greetings - 33 different holiday designs (some plantable) on recycled or tree-free papers, like kenaf ($10-$16 sets).
Hemp Heritage Paper - Greentree's hemp-based stationery for those of you who are verbose and want to write a treatise on your year.
Before you recycle 'em, stay tuned for an upcoming tip on what to do with the mounds of cards you get.

Cocktail Fact

The dead guy who wrote "I'll Be Home for Christmas" earns about $18,000 in royalties every year (which someone smartly channeled into a charitable donation).