The Wrapping Scarf Revolution

Going green can seem more than a little intimidating sometimes. Solar panels sound wonderful and as I look out at my laundry drying in the sun, I dream of the day I can harness that same great energy to power up my home. But for now, I reach for the lower hanging fruit on the tree of eco-living. Wrapping with fabric to reduce senseless garbage? That’s like fruit on the ground!

Giving gifts is one of the great pleasures in life and the suspense and mystery in unwrapping a gift is the icing on the cake.  But did you know that during the holidays alone, Americans create 5 million additional tons of garbage and that 80% of this garbage is just wrapping paper and gift bags? These are crazy numbers and there’s a lot we can do about it without eliminating the joys of beautifully wrapped gifts.

The ancient Korean people really hated waste and considered it bad luck. They created the concept of the wrapping scarf or wrapping cloth called bojagi (boh-jah-kee), which they used to wrap and carry everything from gifts to bundles of merchandise for the market. The great thing about wrapping with bojagi is that it adapts to the shape being wrapped for a custom fit and then can be reused countless times. This was my inspiration in creating my own line of reusable wraps called BOBO.

BOBO wrapping is a lot like origami in that a square shape works best. Try the bow tie wrap technique for wrapping up your next gift with a square scarf or hankie. If you like the contrasting reverse effect, try using 2 scarves put together with a bit of light spray adhesive.

If you are crafty and have fabric lying around your home from old projects, you can make your own BOBOs by taking a square piece of fabric and finishing off the edges. Just make sure the fabric’s not too thick by grabbing a corner of material and tying in a knot. If it doesn’t knot easily, it’s probably too thick.

Stanford University Recycling Center says ”If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.” Now 3 presents a year is a number we can all commit to.

I wrote The Wrapping Scarf Revolution to teach a new generation of Earth citizens a great old way to be kinder to the planet. Join the Wrapping Scarf Revolution and take the pledge to wrap at least 3 gifts in reusables this year. Send me a picture of your fabric wrapped gift and you may receive a nice a little gift certificate from yours truly. Happy Earth Day everyone. Let’s hear it for the low hanging fruit!

For more information and video demonstrations on how to wrap with fabric, visit the How-To Page at BOBOwrap.com. To enter a great book and wrap giveaway, check out the original site of this post at galtime.com. Write a comment there by tomorrow and be entered.

For a nice 15% off discount to try our products, use this great coupon by the Eco Diva. Code: DIVA410 Expiration: 4/30/2010.