Over that the Clean Air Gardening Blog you'll find an extensive post that covers pretty much every aspect of having a green and eco-friendly Christmas you can imagine.  What caught my attention was this quote Libba (the author) found in an old National Geographic from 2001:

"Americans will throw away an additional 25 million tons of garbage—about 1 million extra tons a week [this holiday]."

Yikes!  So that quote got Libba thinking and the result was a blog post full of great tips.  Here's a sample from the post on eco-friendly ideas for wrapping and decorating:

All wrapped up

Presents create more trash than anything else during the holiday season.

• Instead of buying new paper every year, try wrapping your presents in old comics, sports or fashion sections of the newspaper. Yeah, you used to do that in college to save money, but now you can use newspaper because it’s a part of your “going green” Christmas!

• Look for organic or recycled wrapping paper to use this year.

• Already bought Christmas paper at all the day after Thanksgiving sales? No worries, make sure to collect all that paper (and boxes, too!) and use them next year.

• Use left-over wrapping paper and Christmas cards to make ornaments, decorations, thank you cards, or holiday scrap booking for friends or yourself.

• Try shopping at antique stores and flea markets for great unique finds.

• Save your shopping bags and use them for returning the floral Muu Muu your grandma thought you must have, or use them year round.

• Having a holiday party where your guests are bringing presents? Tell your guests to go naked! Skip the wrapping paper, and exchange the gifts opened. It will make things more interesting as your guests battle out the white elephant gifts.

• Also, look for eco-friendly gifts to give this year. Get your friends and family thinking about their need to do the right thing. Not sure where to start? Check out some of our favorites this season!

Don’t be surprised when people notice the change. If people tell you you’re being cheap, tell them helping the environment, then call them a Grinch! Only kidding! The possibilities are endless, and if this list is overwhelming, just try a few easy things this year and go from there. The “holiday wasteline” can be trimmed this year. Just get creative!

See, I told ya Libba has some great ideas!  Hit the jump for the full article on the Clean Air Gardening Blog.

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