Green wraps for green gifts

Metro's Judie Miller asks a great question in an Oregonian article about eco-friendly gift wrap: "why spend money on something that only gets used once?" That question resonated with me. But also saddened me that most Americans don't think twice about spending money on disposable goods. Argh! Let's hope that will start to change. In any case, I love the little cloth gift bags that Lucky Crow is making. They're festive enough so they don't take the fun out of gifting. And pretty much infinitely reusable. I like their idea of creating a culture that celebrates (instead of disparages) re-gifting!

A similar idea came up at a GreenGroup meeting ages ago. That was to use scrap pieces of fabric and ribbon to wrap with, instead of gift wrap paper that will only be used once or at best, twice, before it gets ratty looking. Or better yet, to use left-over end pieces of wall-paper that are very durable and can be used again and again.

I've found that lately it's been a struggle for me to buy birthday presents when my kids are invited to parties. I would imagine most of my kids' friends' homes are as overflowing in stuff as mine and really don't need anything new. But I also don't want my kid to be the one who amid the present-opening phase offers up a can of black beans and a jar of salsa (really, who can't use a can of black beans on a regular basis?). So I've been giving more books and less toys. That's the best idea I've found lately.

How about you? What enviro-friendly gift tactics do you employ?