The Holidays and all its paper.

about five years ago I got rid of my computer printer and since have a true paperless studio and office. Japan uses too much wrapping but they and the Americans are the masters of gift wrapping. My wife always removes gift wrappings very carefully so they can be used again, and again.

Some cheaper gifts never get unwrapped they are just passed on as a gift to others, these are the eternal gifts, just going around and around like a magic roundabout!

Excellent post, Paschen!  It's these kinds of argument about consumption with the costs of resources that really got me into the subjects I write about.  OK:  Im interested in cli,ate change:  who cannoty be.  But what we are doing to the earth itself, especiall the soil and its water supplies really gets to me.  National Geographic is cuirrently doing an excellent on six m,ajor rivers in the world and it tells a beautiful but also it points out in graphic detail the current of hese rivers, and the way we are killing them.  OK, they've got lots o resopurces but I would love to do more on this topic.  One crop that really surprised was cotton and the amount of water it takes - and the way fashion is so throw-away these days!  Keep up the good work!

I love the gift bags.  Partly because I'm lazy and it's so easy to pop the present inside and partly because they can be used over and over again. 

Thank you all for all the reads, Comments, Photos and R here, I appreciate it and hope the paper less office and home will become a reality after all. Or at least a lot less paper. 

Very interesting! Pachen san' Environmentally friendly packaging, Helps 'Go Green'. ...(";)

We use to much paper.

And we can tell the same about plastic as package:

http://www.stichtingmilieunet.nl/andersbekekenblog/?p=464

It is popular saying in the marketing world" consumer is the king".But  Unfortunately these , so called kings are the major reson of all problem, whether environment, or inequality or war or terrorism.This mindset , developed by market gurus, is the major culprit of our time.

Thankfully I have a partner of whom is enviromentally friendly by a poverised culture,  every piece  of  paper,  metal  or  bottle  is  placed in to  a sack  and sold  later to a dealer  in waste materials.  Now  the  Island  where  I live has become very eco friendly the rubbish is separated  in to bio and non bio where as before in was dumped in to a land fill where scavangers did the separation. 

Gift packages are saved to be used another day. My scrap paper issued from my printing errors are given to children to draw on. Not one item that I assumed to be scap ends up dumped as being usless.  Most Filipino's have a nack of making rubbish work for them such as ethnic art etc ect. Machinery here that would be decomissioned in the west is kept running adapted and kept running till it falls to bits.

When I think of the things I used to throw away in UK, then see what is put back to use here by Filipino's I am often amazed.

Even my old clothes are pass down to someone else mostly given away just before the new year. Of course I have to lock up my favourite old tattered hat of worn just nicely sandles before they suddenly disapear, lol

Merry Christmas to the religious  and those that dont  mind  and  happy  holidays  to those  that  do  Best wishes to everyone else. 

The hospital I work for has stated it wants to go paperless and immediately generated twice the paper as before.  Although we have started a dedicated method of recycling paper and other products used for packing instruments and sterile supplies.

Great report

Mexico does not have a recycling culture in general, but it is beginning to. As a family we give each other one very special gift for Christmas, so we don't use much paper.

India has a tradition of garbage pickers but still the plastic problem persists

You now what is becoming a problem as well? Styrofoam. At least in South Africa. From take away coffee to 'doggy bags', from veggies to god knows what else. I know that we are using too much paper, but I rather have everything wrapped in and presented on paper / card board then in that nasty stuff ...

Gosh ... That IS a lot ... This year, my prezzies will be wrapped up in old newspapers. And my good news resolution for 2009 is to buy NOT 1 single plastic bag. And no more milk from plastic bottles ... It is a small step but hey - recycling in South Africa is not that big unfortunately ...

This has been banned in Europe and in Canada, yet still used in most African countries as well as Asian and South American Countries, and yes it is a big problem and highly toxic as well. Paper is much better as Styrofoam for sure and paper is also better then plastic.

Thank you for the comment.

thanks for educating, Paschen

Thank you for the comment Gerry, I would like to do a lot more into that direction as well had I the resource NG has, goodness that would be extremely interesting in deed. I looking forward to reading your next Post. I will have to look up that NG about the river as well. 

Thank you.

Good link here Milieunet, as always. Many thanks. I appreciate it.

Thank you for the read and comment here as well as for the R. Yes I did write a post about the plastic as well. It is an even greater problem then the paper use.

http://my.nowpublic.com/environment/plastic-bags-and-holidays-no-no-eco-system

It is incredible what we do to our Environment. Irresponsible to say the least.

Is the usage you mentioned in years?

Yes, it is in Years. 333 Kg per person per annum. or a global average of 48 kg per person per annum.

Good for you. Well one step at the time. At least this way we get some where.

Thanks.