Itty Bitty Greenie

eco-fabulous finds for kids

Posts Tagged ‘recycled paper’

5 steps to a Greener Christmas

For the past few years we’ve been trying to make our holidays a little more “green”. Here are some of the things we are doing in our family – and I hope you’ll share with us your tips for an eco Christmas too.

1) SEND ELECTRONIC CARDS INSTEAD OF PAPER: I started doing this a few years ago when I discovered Paperless Post. You can customize amazing designs with everything from family portraits to personalized verses and fonts. It proves you don’t have to compromise on sending lovely greetings by going online. Plus you save the carbon footprint of mailing paper cards.

2) THINK OUTSIDE THE TREE: Perhaps it’s the tree hugger in me, but the thought of chopping one down so it can stand in the corner of my living room for a few weeks drying out, seems wasteful. And don’t get me started on the artificial ones… There are so many interesting options that can be just as much fun for the family to decorate. I love this collection of found sticks (pictured right). It’s beautiful, unique, and something fun and memorable for the children to create. Think of the possibilities when every year they can come up with a new tree.

3) GET CREATIVE WITH WRAPPING: Use Santa sacs or recycled paper. Up-cycle greeting cards to use as gift tags. Use your children’s artwork as gift wrap. The more personal your wrapping, the more memorable the gift.

4) CONNECT WITH NATURE: In our family we have a tradition of a pre-Christmas picnic, where we can enjoy time outside together in a peaceful setting before the inevitable madness and overindulgence of Christmas Day. We also like to plant something as a way of giving back to the earth, and to help foster values of sustainability with the kids.

5) BUY LESS STUFF: To me, the best gifts are ones that are either hand-made or that offer an “experience” instead of a thing. Tickets to a show, a spa voucher or a special hand-made item can create a beautiful memory, and to me that’s more valuable than something that is mass produced. For those on your list that have everything, think of alternatives, like Oxfam’s unwrapped gifts that help fight poverty worldwide.

SHARE AND WIN: Tell us in the comments below how you and your family try to celebrate a greener Christmas and you can WIN A $100 GIFT VOUCHER and a copy of our eco book “Santa Claus is Green” which includes fun tips and ideas on how kids and families can celebrate a merry green holiday, and over 20 stickers.

*entrants must be a resident of Australia. Winner will be announced and contacted via email on Dec. 15

 

 

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

Gifts that keep on giving…

I don’t do it often, but I’ll admit, I love getting crafty – especially at Christmas time. And I’m always looking for nifty new ways to recycle all those beautiful holiday cards that come in the mail. I’m always looking for nifty new ways to recycle everything, actually!

But after spending all that time in planes, trains and automobiles to get to my snail-mail letterbox laden with a heavy carbon footprint, it seems a total shame not to recycle these lovely little treasures and heartfelt notes from friends and family into something beautiful to keep.

Here are a few favourite ideas I found recently, that I can’t wait to try.

Recycled ornament balls: This one is courtesy of Martha Stewart, and to be honest, I love her team’s ideas, but rarely give them a go because they just seem too fiddly and tedious. But these ornaments are really beautiful, and hey, I can cut and glue stuff… Actually speaking of cutting and gluing – I also found this idea for creating your own gift tags out of recycled cards courtesy of Martha. Easy peasy!

Recycled Christmas trees: This project seems a bit easier – and I love the layered, wobbly look of these trees. Kids will love them too.

Holiday greetings are not the only things that make great recycled Christmas decorations. Check out these other lovely seasonal ideas:

Cute Christmas trees made from recycled wine corks: Hmmm… how many bottles of wine do you think it will take to make one of these…?

Fuzzy trees made from recycled wool jumpers: These are beautiful, (almost huggable!) and such a great way to recycle all those old sweaters no one wants to wear.

And look at these lovely wreath ideas – all made from recycled materials. I love the one made with recycled gift cards cut in the shape of holly leaves. It would make a beautiful gift. There’s also the wine cork wreath. But for me the ultimate in eco-chic has to be the wreath made from recycled plastic bags – who knew those nasty things could actually look so pretty?

Time to get into my Christmas workshop to start making… happy holidays everyone!

 

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

 

A healthy snack for your itty bitty bookworm

It’s never too early to plant the seeds of earth-friendly living, and since most kids love books, the Little Green Books series is a great way to start. Not only are these books printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable inks, the stories are devoted to educating children (and parents) about the benefits of being green.

As a mum and booklover, I can say one of the things I like about this series is not only do these tales deliver a great message, they’re entertaining as well. In The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle for example, kids follow the journey of a plastic bottle from a blob of crude oil, to a plastic bottle, to being recycled into a fleece jumper. Told in diary form, this humorous tale is sure to give readers a laugh while stressing the significance of the recycling process.

In My First Garden, follow a mother and daughter as they dig up soil, plant a flower bed, and water the seeds to make their very first garden of colourful fruits and veggies. It’s a board book with a handle cut out of each page, so kids can take it with them wherever they go.

The books in the series cover a variety of subjects, teaching children about the dangers of global warming, the benefits of recycling, and what they can do to help endangered animals. There are also a couple of soft books in the series, which are perfect for babies. The covers of the Little Monkey and Little Panda books are Polartec® fleece, made from recycled clear plastic bottles. Super-soft and machine washable, they make a great gift.

The books also include a glossary of terms at the back so that parents and children can learn what “post-consumer” means or what “compost” is. And one of my favourites in the series is the It’s Easy to be Green book, loaded with easy activities you can do with your children to help them learn about the environment and living sustainably.

For more information and lots of green tips and games for kids, check out the Little Green Books website. And to purchase books from the Little Green Books series, please visit the “Greenie Books” section of the Itty Bitty Greenie retail site.

 

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management