Partnerships

Monthly Archives: November 2012

Wrapping That Does Double-Duty

With all due respect to beautifully wrapped gifts, and the wonderful simplicity of gift bags; think about how to make your wrapping part of the gift this year. A container used to conceal your primary gift can be another, sometimes complimentary gift, as well. A small wooden box containing jewelry, a remote control (for the new TV already set up in another room), a book or CD.  A large wooden box containing a selection of  fireplace-theme gifts (long matches, starter pine cones, our bees wax candles, ash can, poker and sweeping tools, etc.) that can later be used on the hearth for holding firewood/Java Logs or elsewhere for pillow and afghan storage). A metal waste-can may be filled with gifts such as sheets and towels or kitchen items or sports equipment and then used as a waste can or a storage unit.  A covered basket containing gifts that can later be a clothes hamper; a scarf or towel tied around a specially selected something. 

While you are selecting the perfect gift for the people on your list consider a wrapping that does double-duty– there will be less cleanup after the gift giving; there will be more useful/lasting items shared; and we can all feel better about the energy used to produce items of lasting value rather then on papers and packaging that, ultimately is balled up and tossed into the trash or at best is carefully separated from non-recyclable tapes and bows and recycled.

Conserve Energy – Don’t waste water!

Delivering water to your tap and heating it uses energy. With all of the extra cooking and dishwashing many will be doing next week, take a moment to think about how you can make every drop count.

🙂 Let very dirty pots and pans soak before washing them.

🙂 Instead of letting water run down the drain while waiting to get warm water, collect the cold water. Use it for watering houseplants, refilling pet water dishes, pouring outdoors to replenish the garden.

🙂 Keep a bucket under the kitchen sink to make collecting cold water convenient. Think of the upper body and core workout you are getting when you use, rather than waste, this life sustaining resource.