wrapping paper-less holidays

Caring for Creation -

How the Pope is Saving the Earth:
Pope Benedict XVI has spoken passionately about the urgent need to protect the planet from climate catastrophe and has done something about it! He has created a carbon-neutral economy at the Vatican by restoring 37 acres of forest in Hungary that had been cut down in the Middle Ages. These trees will absorb enough carbon dioxide to offset the pollution from the fossil fuels used to power Vatican City.

What You Can Do:

One small thing you can do for the earth this Christmas is reduce or eliminate your use of wrapping paper. Each year in the United States, 4 million tons go from logs to landfills to make wrapping paper and holiday shopping bags. Alternatives are: use reusable gift bags; wrap with the newspaper comics, kids drawings, the artwork from old calendars, or usable fabric; or present the gift unwrapped or in reusable materials and containers, such as decorative boxes, scarves, or tote bags.