The below is an excerpt from Danny Seo's new book Simply Green Giving. Be sure to check back later in the month for more.

NATURAL BOX FILLERS

For Christmas one year, I sent all of my friends and business colleagues a hand-poured soy candle in individual vintage glass molds. Since almost all of them needed to be shipped, I had to take extra care to package them properly, but was left with a dilemma in finding ecological alternatives to Styrofoam peanuts and plastic bubble wrap.

These box filler alternatives not only protect the contents in the box, but can also add a sense of drama to the overall gift. One friend, who received a candle protected by fresh pine needles, kept the box full of needles at her office desk because she loved the scent of the fresh pine.

Look to the Great Outdoors, supermarket aisle and even your own recycling bins for filler alternatives.

• From nature: Use fresh pine needles cut directly from trees in your own yard or trim fragrant evergreen bushes; if it's the Holiday season, prune your Christmas tree and use those branches.
• From the yard: Borrow fresh straw from the yard or buy a bale of it from a local nursery if you plan on shipping multiple gifts. One bale is inexpensive and leftover straw can be used as mulch in your own garden.
• From the recycling bin: Mix newspaper, office paper and scent strips from magazines through a paper shredder. The scent strips will perfume the paper filler.
• From the supermarket: Instead of Styrofoam peanuts, use actual peanuts. Buy large, inexpensive bags of roasted peanuts (still in their shell) and surround the gift with them. Not only will the gift be protected, but the recipient can munch on the peanuts.
• From the trash: When replacing bedroom or decorative pillows, save the filling for shipping purposes. Rip the pillows open and use the fluffy contents to fill a box. When the box arrives at the destination, the cloud-like filler will make the gift presentation even more dramatic.

BURBERRY INSPIRED GIFT WRAP

Materials:

• Brown paper grocery store bags
• Scissors
• Electrical tape in different colors

The Burberry plaid pattern is a fashion icon almost as recognizable as the American flag's patriotic hues of red, white and blue. This simple gift wrapping idea pays homage to the House of Burberry.

Open a paper grocery store bag with a pair of scissors to make it a flat piece of paper. Don't worry about creases or wrinkles; you can "stretch" them out if you wrap the gift tightly enough. Wrap the gift with the paper, making sure the unprinted side shows on the outside of the finished wrapped package. Use electrical tape (found at any home improvement store) and adhere strips of red, black, and white tape around the package in a random pattern using different colors. For straight lines, run the tape around the box when it's still on the roll and then snip off the excess. Doing this will help you control the neatness of the stripes.

Tip: If you have leftover electrical tape, use it to dress up a small tabletop, mirror or wood stool.

NEWSPAPER WRAPPED FESTIVE BOTTLES

Materials:

• Newspaper
• Scissors
• Scotch tape
• Ribbon or string

I know, I know...I've gone on the record against using newspaper to wrap gifts. But for a quick and gorgeous way to wrap a bottle of wine, this technique seems to shine when using newspapers. The best part is you also only need scissors and tape to make this work.

Begin with two layers of newspaper and wrap them around the bottle, leaving about 5" inches of excess newspaper above the top of the bottle. Use a piece of tape to keep the newspaper snug around the bottle. Tie a ribbon or string around the neck of the bottle. Cut strips down from the top of the paper to the top of the bottle. Run each newspaper strip, individually, along the sharp edge of the scissor, until it curls. Continue with each strip.

Tip: If you're bringing a bottle of wine to a housewarming, use the real estate pages from the newspaper.

VHS TAPE RIBBON

• Old VHS tapes
• Screwdriver
• Scissors

This is an idea that I've used so many times that I've actually run out of tapes at home and have been buying discarded VHS tapes at my local Goodwill. I can only imagine what the checkout girl must've been thinking as I bought dusty copies of Buns of Steel and Learn Your ABC's!

VHS tapes are quickly becoming obsolete in a digital world. But inside of these tapes is an endless amount of shiny tape that can be recycled into chic ribbon for any gift. And it couldn't be easier to do.

Use a screw driver to unhinge the small screws holding the tape together. Remove the spools inside the tape that hold the black tape and use it just like ribbon. Snugly tie the black tape into place and leave extra long strands; using sharp scissors, run the tape along the blade of the scissor to create curly bows.

Tip: Old cassette and 8-track tapes can also be used as ribbon.

All Photographs by Jennifer Levy; copyright Danny Seo Media Ventures. Reprinted with permission