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"Green Jenine," Jenine Tankoos, TOS50's environmental "guru" gives us tips on how to stay creatively green while wrapping your holiday gifts.
 
WRAPPING
 
-         Use gift bags or fabric, which are reusable
 
-         Be creative: Put clothing in a beautiful hat box or give a handy person their gift in a toolbox.
 
-         Use the comics section of the newspaper, as the paper used to wrap flowers, or colorful magazine pages
 
-         Avoid wrapping paper by using a plain white box with a colorful reusable ribbon
 
-         Select wrapping paper made of recycled material
 
-         Unveil your present from under a pretty blanket
 
-         Tell children to close their eyes and put out their hands: no wrapping necessary and they love it!
 
 
GIFTS
 
-         Give services or other “intangible gifts” such as babysitting, massages, manicures, haircuts, membership in an interest group, a museum/zoo, or a fitness center, show or movie tickets, gift certificate to a store, or donations to favorite causes.
 
-         Give baked goods
 
 
SHOPPING
 
-         Say “no bag please”: When purchasing one or two small items, don’t take a bag. When you are shopping at the mall, use the bag from the first store for purchases from other stores. Bring your own reusable bag to shop for gifts. They are not just for the supermarket.
 
-         Avoid food and other products with excessive packaging
 
-         Select food and other products with packaging made from recycled material
 
 
WHEN THE HOLIDAY IS OVER
 
-         Store leftovers in reusable containers
 
-         Only run the dishwasher when it is full
 
-         Save bows, gift bags, boxes, & paper for future gifts
 
-         Wrapping paper is recyclable in communities that collect mixed paper. You don’t even have to take off the tape!
 
-         Call 800-828-2214 to hear a recorded message telling which stores in your zip code collect used packaging peanuts for reuse