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We all recognize that in the spirit of giving, it is easy to put reducing waste and protecting the environment at the bottom of your list. Therefore, we are offering you the following ideas for "greening" your celebrations:	Packing: (1) Use plain popcorn with a note inside saying it's compostable; (2) Use crumpled glossy ads from newspapers. The ink won't smear like the rest of the paper; (3) Reuse old polystyrene "peanuts"; (4) If you receive polystyrene packaging and can't reuse it all, call your local mail service store. Most will take the "peanuts", and many will take formed pieces as well.
Wrapping Paper: (1) Wrap a gift within a gift - a tablecloth, bandana, dish cloth, fabric, reusable canvas bag, mug or napkin can be used to wrap another gift; (2) Comics, old posters, sheet music, blueprints, calendars and maps make great gift wrap; (3) make a "Hollywood Box" that stays wrapped. Separately wrap or decorate a box and lid so it can be reused; (4) Reuse gift wrap (it can be flattened with an iron), boxes and tins; (5) Make decorative gift bags out of scraps of cloth; (6) If you buy wrapping paper, do not buy foil or embossed paper, buy paper made from post-consumer recycled paper.	Greeting Cards: (1) You can reuse last year's cards by cutting off the front pictures and reusing them as holiday postcards or gift tags; (2) Buy recycled greeting cards if you do buy cards, and make sure they do not have dark colored envelopes with heavy dyes or envelopes with foil linings.
Bows and Decorations: (1) Reuse bows and ribbons; (2) Decorate your package with a tree ornament, pine cone, reusable ribbon, a sprig of pine, dried silk flowers, toys or holiday cookie cutters. Use a scarf, shoe laces, a necktie or hair bows instead of bows. Look for baubles from broken earrings or necklaces. The possibilities are endless; (3) Reuse the front pictures of old greeting cards for gift tags.	Green Gifts: (1) Look for gifts that are durable and have long-term warranties; (2) Avoid gifts wrapped in a lot of unnecessary plastic or paper; (3) Give an environmental gift such as a bird feeder, a non-toxic cleanup kit, a book on composting or gardening, gardening seeds, diaper service, a refillable pen, a bus pass, a bike tune-up, a basket filled with fresh organic fruits or veggies, a battery recharger with batteries, cloth coffee filters, a compost bin, reusable bags and napkins, a donation to an environmental organization or cause, a low-flow shower head, a compact flourescent light bulb; (4) Give gifts that require no packaging, such as tickets to a movie or show, a membership to an environmental organization, or give a gift of your time or talents, such as snow shoveling or lawn mowing, babysitting, cleaning, meal planning or preparation - any talent you have that would be value to someone. While these gifts may cost you a little time, they save you money and require no wrappings.
House & Tree Decorations: (1) Use reusable decorations. Avoid single use decorations such as spray snow or tinsel that can make trees difficult to mulch in addition to creating trash; (2) Make your own wreathes from leftover boughs from tree lots. Reuse metal wreath frames from last year.	Go Bag Free: Take reusable bags with you everywhere you go - you never know when you'll find that perfect gift.
Trees: (1) Choose a living tree to help replace the thousands of trees that will be cut this time of year; (2) Recycle your Christmas tree by dropping it off on January 7, 2006 and January 14, 2006 at the Millfair Compost Center on Millfair Road.	Entertainment Without The Waste: (1) Use reusable utensils, plates and napkins. If you don't have enough, have a "bring your own plate" party or rent reusable partysupplies; (2) Cut up last year's holiday cards and use them as place cards.