Green Wrap and Gift Bags

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Global Exchange offers Native Leaf Gift Bags made in the Philippines using certified least-toxic dyes. They come in small, medium and large sizes ($3.95-$5.95, store.gxonlinestore.org). Global Exchange will also wrap any of its fair-trade gifts in a 100 percent recycled box, tied with a raffia ribbon and accompanied by a recycled rice paper greeting card for $3.50.

Recycled plastic gift bags made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic are available from Gaiam ($15/small set of 12, $18/large set of 6; www.gaiam.com).

And where would a gift bag be without flowing tufts of paper to disguise its contents? Tissue paper made from 100 percent recycled paper and whitened without chlorine is available from Paporganics ($2.50/8 sheets, www.paporganics.com).

Hand made gift bags can be a great addition to any gift. Try using scarves, fabric scraps or vintage doilies tied off with hemp, raffia or recycled hair ribbons. Or try recycled fabric gift bags from Patagonia ($2 each, 800-638-6464).

Cards

According to the Greeting Card Association, Americans spend $7.5 billion dollars on greeting cards each year. With the holiday season accounting for a large portion of the profits, it seems a fitting opportunity to put your money where your values are. Recyclable holiday cards are a great way to share the joys of the season with loved ones without detriment to the environment.

Tree-free organic cotton holiday gift card packs are available from Paporganics in three designs ($11/10 cards and envelopes, www.paporganics.com). Global Exchange offers fair-trade holiday cards made in Nepal from sustainably harvested Himalayan Lokta (daphne) bush ($9.95/6 cards and envelopes, store.gxonlinestore.org).

Holiday Grow-A-Note card packs come in three designs for the 2005 season. Printed with soy ink and embedded with wildflower seeds, these cards are made of 50 percent recycled post-consumer waste and 50 percent recovered cotton. After the holidays, just plant the whole card in the ground and the paper will recycle naturally into the soil as the seedlings grow. ($15.95/6, www.greenfieldpaper.com). Greenfield also offers all occasion Grow-A-Note cards ($14.95/4 cards and envelopes).

Plant-A-Tree gift tags will grow blue spruce trees or wildflowers when planted in the ground after the holiday season ($7.95/12 tags, www.bloomin.com).