As much as we love paper, one form of the stuff has always bugged us: gift wrap. Oh yes, there are some lovely varieties of wrapping paper out there, and when used to adorn walls, journals and other long-lived items, we positively adore it. But when its sole purpose is to hide from view a gift that will be opened in days or weeks – well it sort of makes a mockery of all the effort we put into trying to be eco-friendly the rest of the year.
Thankfully, there are a few companies that offer more environmentally conscious wrapping papers, such as the aptly named Bloomin. Each roll of their wrap contains three 24″-x-40″ handmade sheets packed with annual and perennial wildflower seeds. Of course it’s not as cheap as those enormous rolls you get at Target or the Dollar Store: it comes out to about $3 per roll. You will also find more colorful (and slightly more expensive) options at Plantable Papers.
Finally, there’s a Kickstarter currently picking up “seed money” (sorry) for “Eden Paper”, an extremely interesting alternative whose papers actually grow vegetables when planted. Choose from broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, chili and onions. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! At the time of this writing, this UK project has only picked up about £700 toward its goal of £25,000, but it still has 20 days to go. If this idea appeals to you, definitely throw a few bucks their way.
With all of this work being done to make gift wrap more eco-friendly, we look forward to allowing ourselves to appreciate it without the guilt, and maybe even enjoying some of it in a nice salad a few months after the holidays have passed. Bon appétit!
