Ideal Bite

Do ecards and the Sunday comics an eco-holiday make?

11.20.2008

Submitted by tmeronek on Thu, 11/20/2008 - 1:49am.

Daily Tip

The Bite:

No(el). Don't get us wrong - old copies of Bizarro make great wrapping paper, but if you occasionally need something a wee bit classier, try the stuff made from sustainable materials like recycled paper. Hol(l)y moly.

The Benefits:

(Tree) lots of styles to choose from. The variety of sustainable cards and wrap might surprise you.
More wood for Yule logs. (OK, maybe not the best analogy...) If every American fam wrapped just three gifts in 100% recycled wrap, we'd save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.
Bringing on the eco-cheer. Saying "Happy Hanukkah and Many More to Come" on a nonrecycled card is kind of ironic - choose prods that keep the planet green.

Personally Speaking:

Jen's in love with Anne Taintor's clever, 50s-inspired, sassy holiday cards (also at RedStamp).

Wanna Try:

RedStamp - cool card designs by different artists. Click Eco-Friendly under the type of card you want; some are even made from (sustainable) wood (prices vary).
Green Field Paper Co. - a bit pricey, but you can actually plant its Grow-A-Note cards after the holidays are over (about $4/card).
Pleasantrees - its recycled paper cards in traditional-ish designs (nothing too artsy-fartsy) come with free personalization, plus it plants three trees with every order (about $2/card).
BuyGiftPaper - not the schmanciest site, but it offers long rolls of solid and patterned recycled wrap ($14/roll).
Smith & Hawken - 30 feet of recycled, classic-looking, holiday-themed gift wrap ($9/roll).
Fish Lips Paper Designs - fun sheets of wrap, printed on recycled paper ($4/2 sheets).
Gift wrap is recyclable, unless it's laminated, metallic, or has a bunch of tape stuck to it.