Well hopefully by now you have most of your Christmas shopping done. I would imagine there are a few people out there that have waited until the last minute to finish up. I have found a few ways to keep it green when buying for your loved ones.
It can be difficult to determine what products you are purchasing are actually true "green" products. Many may claim to be eco friendly but are they really? The most obvious is in the packaging. So many toys are bundled up in such a way to appear 10 times larger than they really are. I have unwinded, pulled, ripped, and yanked toys out of their over sized boxes one too many times. Once you have set free the toy you have a heap of packaging and a small toy that fits in the palm of your hand. It angers me to see the gross waste of resources just to make something look better. You can find true green toys on www.greentoys.com where all the toys are made from recycled plastic and made in the U.S.A. If you are purchasing something more on the lines for an adult you can check a companies "green ranking" on http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/green-rankings.html
Here you can find a score for different companies based on their policies and procedures and environmental footprints. Thinking of purchasing a computer, a cell phone, shopping at a specific store? Check here first and make sure you are supporting companies that act environmentally responsible.
When you go to wrap up all those goodies be sure to check out my previous blog on homemade wrapping paper and keep it green. You can also use items like fabric and bandannas for wrapping up a gift. If you really want to get creative take a potato chip bag and cut it open, wash it well and dry. You can use this inside out to wrap up gifts and it will look just like the expensive foil paper you normally would pay extra for.
I hope everyone has a Merry "Green" Christmas! Much love and blessings in the new year too!
