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Buy Recycled
Tip of the Month Archives - December 2001


HH01515A1.gif (970 bytes) Check out the Buying Recycled Tip of the Month Archives for past tips seen on this page. Click here.  

 

Giving More Than a Gift

The holiday season usually involves a great deal of gift giving – businesses to clients, bosses to employees, Secret Santa, employee gift swaps.  What a great time to capitalize on your businesses tremendous purchasing power.  This year why not try including environmental concerns into your gift giving priorities.  Below are some ideas to try at your business.

Cards:

  • Purchase those made from 100% recycled paper (one source is www.recycledpapergreetings.com)

  • Send postcards – less paper, no envelopes, cheaper postage

  • Email holiday greeting cards (www.care2.com donates money for conservation every time you send a card from their web site)

Food Products:

  • Buy organic – eliminates pesticide pollution (Organic, free-range turkeys are available!)

  • Buy fair trade – certifies fair working conditions & a living wage pay (www.fairtradefederation.org)

  • Buy local – support local economy and help reduce transportation pollution

  • Give homemade goods

Gifts:

  • Purchase gifts that are made with recycled materials or that are environmentally preferred (lists of green gift websites are below)

  • Shop in second hand stores, antique shops, or yard sales

  • Give a donation to support an environmental cause or organization in someone’s name

Gift Certificates:

  • Provide certificates for environmentally preferred products, stores, and restaurants

  • Choose to give a certificate for a massage or a ticket to a performance rather than material goods

For employee gift swaps or Secret Santa:

  • Set guidelines that the presents must be handmade, from recycled materials, reused, or have a reduced impact on the environment

Packaging:

  • Buy products that come with less packaging

  • Try to wrap or buy gifts with packaging that can be recycled or reused

  • Wrap gifts in last years wrapping paper, scarves, or the comics

For corporate gift/food baskets, try these options:

www.abundantearth.com
www.cascadebasket.com
www.ecoexpress.com
www.giftsorganic.com
www.sunshineorganic.com

Here are websites that have screened and posted a listing of companies that sell environmentally preferred products:

www.ecomall.com
www.greenpages.org
www.redjellyfish.com
www.iona.edu/academic/hagan/pages/socialshop.htm
www.enviroshop.com

Here are some green gift websites:

www.gaiam.com
www.realgoods.com
www.ecocities.net/Gifts.htm
www.sunsoap.com/services/servgift.cfm
www.greatergood.com
www.globalexchange.org
www.fairtradefederation.com
www.treegivers.com
www.recycline.com
www.planetsave.com
www.goodhumans.com
www.chiceco.com
www.greenmarketplace.com
www.abundantearth.com





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WasteCap of Massachusetts
68 Hopkinton Road
Westboro, MA 01581


Phone: 781-679-2176
 Fax: 978-703-1285
wastecap@wastecap.org