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Streets & Urban Forestry

Gift Giving Tips

Here's some tips to reduce waste during gift-giving season

Give an Experince Instead of Stuff

Instead of a thing that may be used once or twice and then tossed, consider these ideas:

  • Tickets to an event, like a concert, sporting event, or movie
  • Gift certificates for spa treatments, massages, dinners, or maybe even health club memberships 0 even car washes would be welcome, especially in the winter
  • Sign them up for classes they might be interested in taking 
  • Making charitable donations in their honor

Wrap with Reusable & Recyclable Materials
  • Avoid using wrapping paper with foil or glitter that has to be thrown away instead of recycled.
  • Reuse wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags, etc. from previous years.
  • Use baskets, jars, cookie tins, and so on that can be used over and over again
  • Or, trying something unique, use old fabric for some non-traditional and reusable wrapping techniques

 

Try Making Your Own Gift Wrap

  • Use comics, old maps, old calendar photos, or magazines
  • Decorate newsprint, scrap paper or leftover tissue paper with rubber stamps, paint or potato-stamps
  • Design your own wrapping paper using brown paper bags and crayons - especially if you have small children decorating the wrapping paper for the grandparents. This will be a big hit. 
  • Use old gift wrap and other materials to make tags, cards and envelopes

Decorate Wisely
  • Use LED lighting and be sure to recycle your old lights at a drop-off site.
  • Use a timer to turn off lights at the end of the evening.
  • Use decorations that will last a long time
  • Decorate with potted plants that will bring enjoyment after the holidays
  • Decorate with pine cones, dried berries or flowers you collect outside
  • Make decorations from reusable or recyclable materials
  • Cover fading ornaments in paper mache and paint with bright colors
  • Use old ornaments to make a festive, reusable wreath
  • Donate old ornaments you no longer want instead of throwing them away.

Promote Sustainability with Your Gifts

Buying gifts locally and those made from local merchants cuts down on the carbon emissions from shipping and keeps money in the local economy

And here are some gift ideas as well:

  • A backyard composter or worm composter
  • Reusable food containers, or lunch bags
  • Rechargeable batteries and/or a battery charger
  • Donation to an environmental organization or charity
  • Subscription to a reusable diaper service
  • Bus pass
  • Madison B-cycle passes
  • Clothing made from recycled materials.
  • Reusable coffee mugs or drinking water bottles
  • Recycled content stationery, paper products, office products, etc.
  • Environmentally-friendly and refillable bath and beauty products
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