I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

According the Environmental Protection Agency, the holidays generate 25% more waste than any other time of the year. The added refuse amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, including food, gift wrapping paraphernalia, trees and other unwanted stuff. So, in order to bring these statistics in line with regular months, here are 5 green gift giving ideas for the holidays.

I know you've heard of re-gifting, but re-gift wrapping is a must! I never throw out a gift bag unless it is in poor shape. The idea is, you use last years gift bags, take off the tags and use them for this year's gift giving. Create a tag using a plain piece of paper, cut into the size of a tag or miniature card. Attach it to the bag using string, ribbon, or even a piece of tape. You've just saved on emissions from driving to purchase gift wrapping and money on bags that you're only going to give away anyway.

There is no greener gift than the gift of service, so gift a service to a loved one this year. You can create and print coupons online gifting babysitting services to a relative with small children, or cleaning services for a busy mom or the elderly. You can even gift errands, the sky is the limit! Your loved one only needs to redeem their coupons throughout the year to take advantage of this special gift. Printing or creating your coupons using recycled paper makes this an excellent idea and it will save you money as well.

Another great green idea is to invest in fabric sacks and stockings for gifts that won't go out of the house, like those that will be given to your children or spouse. This will provide you with reusable gift wrapping for years to come, which can even be passed down to your own children when they leave home. To ensure that you can accommodate various types of gifts, be sure to purchase them in an array of sizes. Also, be creative in style. You can even pick a special color for each family member. This will also make it easier to locate gifts under the tree.

Save the environment and up to 50% in cash by purchasing open-boxed items. Some of these items are brand new and only missing a box. Others are recycled or refurbished items, such as electronics, cell phones or video games. These items look like new and will most likely come with an extended warranty from the manufacturer. The best thing is, not only will you save money, but when items can be purchased without packaging, you will protect the earth against tons of unnecessary Styrofoam.

Finally, if you hate the shopping scene and prefer to give cash, then go for it. Money is the most recycled item in the world. However, if you must give gift cards, try purchasing electronic gift cards, which will save on tons of plastic cards being discarded every year.

No matter which idea you choose, if everyone commits to doing one extra green activity this season, the world will benefit and we may just end up with a Green Christmas after all.