According to the Clean Air Council, Americans generate 4 million tons of waste during the holidays from wrapping paper and shopping bags. Some 2.65 billion Christmas cards are sold each year in the U.S., according to use-less-stuff.com.  That’s enough to fill a football field 10 stories high!

We at the Betty Brigade take a serious effort to recycle & reuse whenever we can, and to be conscious of the environment and our waste. We’ve come up with just a few ways you can be crafty this holiday season, reduce your paper waste, AND still have gifts & cards that look amazing.

Harness the Power of The Internet. Send online greetings instead of paper cards this year. Sites such as American Greetings and Hallmark offer some nice choices. With the world of Twitter and Facebook now readily available at our fingertips, go a step further and set up a special post for the holidays – use a cool image, comic, or meme and tag some of your family & friends each time you post. They’ll feel extra special because you thought of them and you won’t have to use ANY paper at all.

Go With a Greener Option. If you must send paper cards, then go with a more sustainable option like recycled paper or linen cards. These are a bit more expensive, but will go a LONG way in reducing paper waste. Let’s be honest, how often do YOU save Christmas cards? You can also just send fewer cards, period.  If we each sent one less card, we'd save 50,000 cubic yards of paper! Save the paper cards for certain people and do electronic cards for the rest. Your great uncle who lives out in the middle of nowhere is a good person to send a real card to, whereas your cousin who lives 4 streets down from you would be just as happy with an e-card or FB shout-out.

Don’t Forget the Wrapping! Instead of buying paper gift tags, make your own from something you already have. Cut out images from last year’s Christmas cards, for example.  Or, Real Simple Magazine suggests using old playing cards as a substitute. Personally, I’m a fan of just writing the recipient’s name on the gift itself in some fun, creative way. Use puffy paint & glitter, or a cool sharpie color – have fun with it! Wrap gifts in reused paper, Sunday comics, bags, old maps, or even your kids artwork. There are TONS of fun ideas floating out there – try using Pinterest for more ideas and you’ll avoid adding to the paper waste this holiday season.

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping. When shopping this year, bring your own bags! Those reusable, recycled plastic bags work WONDERS. I always keep a few in my car just in case.  If you forget, at least consolidate your purchases into fewer bags, rather than getting a new bag at every store.

It’s in the Details. Instead of buying disposable ribbons and bows this year, think about more reusable options. You can buy fabric ribbon and bows at a fabric store like JoAnn’s and they usually don’t cost much more than disposable ones! Besides, they’re much fancier and can be reused year after year. 

What about Holiday Meals? For holiday parties and meals, don’t skimp on the real dishes! Use cloth napkins, rather than paper ones for a start. Most of us have ‘em -- why not use ‘em? There are few stains that are permanent nowadays AND cleanup isn’t super hard. Just toss them in the next load of laundry. I also recommend pulling out that dusty old china set you got for your wedding and getting some use out of it. When else would you use it if not for gatherings like this? Go for it! You can even have a family member help you with cleanup to save some time. Once you open up your imagination, you’ll be amazed at your own creative ideas.  Not only does being green help the planet, it’s usually cheaper, and it can be loads more fun! We hope this helps you this holiday season and beyond. Until next time – Keep It Simple!