You might use recycled-paper invitations because you like the organic look of them. But by buying invitations made from post-consumer waste paper, which are easily found online ... read full tip

You might use recycled-paper invitations because you like the organic look of them. But by buying invitations made from post-consumer waste paper, which are easily found online and in some stores, you're doing your part to divert tons of paper from ending up in landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), paper and paperboard products constitute the largest portion of the solid-waste stream-about 35 percent.

The EPA says that recycling paper products actually reduces energy consumption, decreases combustion and landfill emissions, and decreases the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. By purchasing recycled paper products, you are preventing trees from being cut down to make virgin paper. Those living trees absorb carbon dioxide. However, when trees are harvested to create new paper, carbon is released.

To go a little greener: Send your invites via email. Your friends probably have their faces planted firmly in front of a computer screen all day, and they check email frequently. It's easier for them to write a clever, briefly worded response immediately than to have to process the paper invite and then call. But e-viting also saves tons of paper from ending up in landfills. By emailing your invitations, you're preventing the generation of waste in the first place, which, logically, is the most preferred method of waste management.