Recycling

Use crumpled newspaper as packing material instead of polystyrene foam (such as Styrofoam) peanuts. The production of polystyrene depletes the ozone and it takes several hundred years to degrade in a landfill. Divert just enough newspaper from your recycle pile so that you'll have adequate packing material on hand when you need it.

If you receive a shipment packed in plastic peanuts, locate a shipping company in your area that will take them off your hands. The Plastic Loose Fill Council operates a searchable online database and a toll-free number so anyone can find the closest drop-off location where leftover plastic packing peanuts are reused.

Purchase antique or estate jewelry instead of new. The mining of precious metals and gems in many countries has been the source of environmental degradation, political turmoil and human rights violations. When it comes to used jewelry, you are not tied to the design or setting. You can reset stones or recast metal to update the jewelry.