I try to come up with thoughtful gifts that are well-suited for each recipient. But I also strive to be a thoughtful consumer by choosing gifts that meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Non-Stuff: Gift certificates or tickets for activities, special events, services, restaurants, or favors; or donations or memberships to non-profits
- Products with green attributes: e.g., solar charger for cell phones and other electronics; organic cotton blanket; organic food; soaps, lotions, or bath products made with entirely natural, safe ingredients, etc. (Beware of “greenwashing,” of course. Many manufacturers now make environmental claims about their products; when possible, look for evidence or third-party certifications that back up their claims.)
- Homemade, locally-made, or Fair Trade goods (i.e., avoiding cheapo stuff that could have been made in an overseas sweatshop using child labor)
- Useful stuff: Things that most anyone can put to use, e.g., consumables (favorite specialty foods); fun/cozy socks; a mini-LED light for a keychain; a good book about a topic of interest to the recipient
- Small stuff: Items that don’t use a lot of resources, don’t require a lot of packaging/shipping material, and won’t take up much space in someone’s home
Check out stores that sell green products in your area. And to avoid driving around a lot, also check out web retailers that offer green items, such as:
- Gaiam: Gift Guide Landing Page
- Real Goods: RealGoods.com
- Viva Terra: Save up to 70% on natural home décor, organic gifts, and more at VivaTerra.
- Patagonia: Patagonia.com
- Solio (solar chargers): 10% off all Solio Classic Silver Products. Use coupon code GoClassic09
- Trikke (electric “carving” vehicles, sort of like a combination between skis, a scooter, and roller blades, for street or snow use): Enjoy fun fitness and green transportation on your own TRIKKE Tri-bred. Free shipping on select models.
- GreenHome: GreenHome.com
- Organic Bouquet: Organic Flowers & Gourmet Gifts, including organic chocolate
- Powell’s Books: Enviro books
(Note: I am an affiliate ad publisher for some of those companies.)
For other green product ideas, reviews, or advice, take a look at these sites:
- Green America: See the Green Gift Guide, UnShopping, Responsible Shopper, Fair Trade links
- Center for a New American Dream: Simplify the Holidays
- SustainLane
- Good Guide: Ratings of natural, green, and healthy products
- The Simple Living Network
- Other resources/links
If you have other gift ideas or websites to suggest, please leave a Comment below.
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I’ve got a great + super simple tip. The next time you’re purchasing a gift card– go for the electronic (and paperless) option, an eGift card. Each year, 75 millions lbs of PVC is dumped into landfills from plastic gift card waste (Plenty Magazine). That’s an astronomical amount of waste for something that can easily and conveniently be sent virtually. PVC is notoriously difficult to recycle and cannot be tossed into the recycling bin along side your other household items. You must send those pesky plastic cards to a PVC recycling plant, the only one I know of is EarthWorks. For a directory of retailers that offer an eGift card, try http://www.giftzip.com …