Presents
Consider giving your loved ones a themed gift bag this year, instead of an expensive gift they may not even use. Buy or make nice reusable gift bags made from natural cloth instead of paper bags or gift wrap that just get thrown away. And when it comes to sustainable gifts, less really is more, and it really is the thought that counts.
Happy green giving.
General gift-giving green advice
Wrapping paper
Think about wrapping your gifts with recycled wrapping paper/tissue, or better yet, use old magazine or newspaper pages!
Thoughtful gifts
It’s really not very green to buy something someone really doesn’t need or want. Keep items out of the landfills by really considering what someone wants, or giving a practical gift such as the themed gift bags below.
The Smart Living Project Gift Bag
Give the gift of sustainable living education! Gift memberships are available from the Smart Living Project. Each gift membership comes with a personalized card for the recipient, an SLP button, the SLP newsletter for both you and your recipient and the satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting a local cause! It will all come wrapped in SLP's new reusable shopping bags (contact us for availablity). Contact us today to find out more!
Themed Gift Bags
The Kitchen Bag
Organic snacks and beverages, reusable mugs/water bottles, recycled-material paper towels, cloth napkins, vegetarian cookbook (takes much fewer resources to produce veggies than to raise livestock), bamboo cutting board or utensils (bamboo is an easily renewed resource), eco-friendly dishwasher detergent, composting bowl (for scraps).
Theme Dinner Bags
Include all organic ingredients to make a meal that fits a theme—an Italian meal with organic pasta, pasta sauce, salad dressing, and croutons; or a vegetarian pizza meal with organic crust mix, sauce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, green pepper, and other veggies.
The Caffeine Bag
Organic fair trade coffee, organic fair trade chocolates, reusable coffee mug.
The Around-the-Office Bag
Recycled-paper stationery, recycled printer paper, recycled-paper envelopes, magnets with eco-friendly messages and reminders, recycled-material business card case.
The Clothes Bag
Organic cotton t-shirt, organic cotton socks, clothes pins for line drying, eco-friendly laundry detergent.
Gardener Bag
Flower bulbs/seeds/growing kits, herb-growing kit, house plant, organic fertilizer, small gardening tools.
Golf Bag
Biodegradable golf tees, golfing gift certificate, organic cotton golf towel.
The Bike-Commuter Bag
LED bike light, helmet mirror, speedometer/odometer, bike pump, biking gloves, pant-leg protectors, bike basket or bag, reflective stickers.
Music bag
Digital music download credits/gift card, solar iPod charger (many solar chargers can also be used for cell phones and other electronics).
The Pampering Bag
Natural/organic/eco-friendly make-up, lotions, fingernail polishes, and soaps; massage gift certificate.
The Local Bag
Any gift item (art, jewelry, pottery, baked goods, etc.) made locally—they don’t have to be shipped across the country, saving fuel.
Around the House
Compact fluorescent lightbulbs, indoor water conservation kit, toilet tank bank (reduces water used with each flush), soy candles (they burn cleaner than typical candles), blue recycling bags (for Muncie friends/family), PEVA shower curtain (less harmful plastic than typical vinyl ones), rechargeable batteries and charger.
Pet-Friendly Bag
Recycled-material dog ball, biodegradable ‘business bags’ for cleaning up on walks, hemp dog ‘bone,’ eco-friendly carpet cleaner/stain remover, eco-friendly pet shampoo, organic pet food.
Carbon Offset Gift Bag
Buy carbon offsets to offset someone’s carbon footprint for the year (or a month, or whatever). Sometimes organizations selling offsets will send you a certificate that you can put in the gift bag too, but if not, you can wrap up something small like a compact fluorescent bulb to represent the offsets.
Alternative Gift Bag
This is the ultimate in green gifts, a donation to an environmental organization in the recipient’s name. Donate money in honor of someone to buy sewing supplies, seeds, chickens, water jugs, blankets, etc. for people in impoverished areas, or donate to a national or local environmental group. You can also include a small representative item with the card, e.g., if you donate toward seeds or farm equipment, you could wrap up a little plant or packet of seeds.
