Eco Club
Thanks to all the families who dropped off their lids and bread tags this week.
Keep collecting, we will have tubs at 3 of the school gates on Tuesday mornings each week until the end of term.
Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas
With the festive season upon us, we thought it would be a great idea to share some nifty eco friendly gift wrapping ideas with you.
Furoshiki
Furoshiki is a Japanese wrapping cloth traditionally used to carry around belongings, but has now become a popular eco-friendly gift wrapping method in other cultures as well. To wrap a gift in furoshiki, all you need is a two-sided square cloth and some basic folding skills. Here’s a simple way to wrap a gift in furoshiki:
There are also plenty of other furoshiki gift wrapping ideas out there that cover various kinds of gift types and forms. To get the most out of it, use a piece of cloth you already own—look for forgotten gems in your closet or scarf drawer.
Tip: To make the wrapping more fancy and add some nice rustling sound, wrap the gift in leftover tissue paper under the cloth.
If you want to keep it as simple as possible or just don’t have the patience for decorating, furoshiki is the right choice for you. When wrapping a gift in furoshiki, you’ll see that no decorations are needed. Just find a nice cloth, perhaps with a festive pattern, and you’re good to go.
Kraft Paper
Most types of wrapping paper can’t be recycled. The shiny, laminated paper, and anything glossy, glittery, and metallic-looking contaminates the whole batch if thrown together with recyclable paper. This is where kraft paper comes in—it’s biodegradable and recyclable.
Let your creativity shine when decorating a gift wrapped in kraft paper. To complement the rustic look of the paper, decorate the gifts with some natural materials like pinecones, dried plants, or dried orange slices.
Tip: Remember to go tape-free to keep it eco-friendly.
Gift Bags
Finding eco-friendly gift bags is easier than you think. First off, you can use a multi-purpose bag as a gift bag. I’d love receiving a gift wrapped in an eco-friendly tote. Or even better, create a personalized tote bag, and the receiver will use it for years.
If you’re into crafts, there are ways you can create reusable and eco-friendly fabric gift bags yourself. Look through your closet for pillow cases, scarves, sweaters you don’t wear anymore, and anything else that can be reused, but doesn’t look old and washed out yet.
Tip: Sweater sleeves make great gift bags for wine bottles.
Save up all the gift bags, gift sachets, and drawstring bags you get and you won’t have to worry about buying new ones and creating more waste. But if you decide to buy a gift bag after all, make sure you purchase something reusable or recyclable.
Newspaper Gift Wrapping
While more people are switching from printed newspapers to digital news, there are still 28.6 million copies of newspapers printed daily. And many of us have our own share of newspapers lying around at home waiting to be reused and recycled.
There are quite a few ways to make this simple and thrifty idea into something meaningful. For example, go through your stack of newspapers and look for an interesting or funny article that complements the gift you’re giving. Or find an unsolved crossword puzzle and use it as a place to write your holiday greetings.
Even if you don’t have any newspapers, someone you know definitely has a pile of them at home. Ask your friends or family to share some of the newspapers they don’t use anymore, and in exchange, share your gift wrapping idea with them. They might try it out as well!
Save these eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas for occasions all year round
Once you’ve used these cute gift wrapping ideas to make your holiday celebrations more eco-friendly, make it a habit for all gift-giving occasions. Now you’ll have saved up materials to use whenever needed. Jot down the ideas you liked the most, try them out again, and share with your friends and family.
As said before, we’re on the path of becoming more sustainable, but we also know that every small step counts. That’s why, while working on our own plans to become more eco-friendly, we want to encourage you to take these steps as well.
