The holiday season has arrived and I have a love and hate relationship with it.
It’s the season to spend time with family and, of course, the time of giving and feasting.
Holiday’s are also when we can’t avoid spending time with family, and the amount of trash produced in the US increases by approximately 25%.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
I know not everyone agrees or even cares about reducing their carbon footprint, but I do, and if I can give awesome gifts that will be used and are sustainable…
Well, it’s like I am giving myself a gift as well :).
My goal this holiday season is to buy sustainable gifts and reduce my waste.
Want to join me?
Sustainability
I like to use sustainability over eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, or resource-efficient because of the word’s power.
Additionally, some of the other words hold negative connotations for some individuals.
Sustainability was originally associated with forestry – the science of planting, managing, and caring for forests.
But, the basic idea of sustainability goes way back to ancient cultures. The idea that we are depleting the planet from natural resources, has in a way, always been a fear.
The more recent understanding of sustainability comprises three pillars – economy, society, and environment – the interdependence of the three pillars is what gives “sustainability” its meaningful power.
The economy, society, and the environment are all tied together. You can’t have one without the other.
10 Sustainable Gift Ideas
While I’m only mentioning my favorite 10 sustainable gift ideas, you can browse some of the company’s I am about to tell you about for even more ideas.
1 – House plant or Garden Kit
House plants look fabulous and provide liveliness to your surroundings. They are also great stress relievers and air purifiers.
People are known to thrive and live healthier lives when surrounded by greenery.
A house plant is a gift of natural beauty and health.
You can find great plants at Lively Root. They only use sustainable materials in their nursery and their packaging.
Here are some great low maintenance indoor plants:
- Snake Plant
- Pothos
- Money Tree
- Spider Plant
A garden kit can be a fun gift for both adults and kids.
You can find some great kits at Grove.co
2 – Kitchen Compost Bin
Most people think compost bins are large and dirty, but many compost options satisfy aesthetics and functionality.
You have to look around to find one that will match your needs and kitchen style.
Amazon has several options for both indoor and outdoor compost bins.
3 – Zero Waste Gift Set
These kits help reduce single-use plastic products like plastic utensils, straws, plastic water bottles, coffee cups, plastic toothbrushes, and plastic produce bags.
You can find Zero Waste Kits and other gifts through Guud.
Another great site to look for whole sets is NetZero.CO
5- Solar Power Bank
Enough said, who wouldn’t want a Solar Power Bank? Have you ever been out and about when your phone or earbuds run low on battery?
It happens to me all the time. I end up wasting time trying to find a power source to charge my phone.
6 – Sustainable Beauty Products
Grove.Co has a clean beauty section where you can find a variety of sustainable beauty products. You can browse and create a small gift set.
Even non-beauty products! Grove.Co is currently plastic neutral, and they offer a variety of sustainable products for pretty much everything – babies, pets, hygiene, beauty, and cleaning, to mention a few.
4 – Udemy Online Course
If you have never heard of Udemy before, look them up now!
They offer over 180,000 online courses for various subjects, and they always have a sale going on.
I love the online classes I’ve taken through Udemy.
I have personally learned how to make natural soap, expanded my Microsoft Excell skills, and am in the middle of completing a Web development course where I am learning about HTML, CSS, Javascript, and more.
I’m telling you they are amazing. You can gift a course and will probably want to choose one for yourself.
7 – America the Beautiful National Parks Pass
The National Parks pass is an annual pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the US, including all national parks.
I received a pass for Christmas last year and loved it. It encouraged my husband and me to get outdoors, and it saved us money on all of the entrance fees.
You can purchase the park pass directly through usparkpass.com, or for the same price, you can buy it through REI, and they will donate 10% of the sales to the National Park Foundation.
8 – Plant a Tree in Someone’s Honor
Another creative and thoughtful gift would be to plant a tree in honor of a loved one. You are both thinking of your loved one and helping with reforestation.
9- Wooden Toys
Rather than purchasing cheaply made plastic toys, you can go with a more natural, toxin-free approach.
Simple wooden toys are sustainable and can foster creativity beyond what a classroom can offer. They encourage healthy mental development.
10 – Cash
If all else fails, cold hard cash will always be appreciated.
Money is better than a gift card because you’re not producing waste, and you’re not limiting what your loved one can do with their cash gift.
Sustainable ways to wrap Gifts
Earlier I mentioned that the US produces approximately 25% additional waste during the holiday season.
Well, we have the power to limit our waste. Here are four tips on how to wrap your gifts sustainably.
1 – Use Recycled Paper or Newspaper to Wrap the gift
2 – Use Fabric or Fabric Gift bags
3 – Use Decorative Boxes
4 – Avoid Plastic (Plastic Ribbon, Tape, Stickers)
Amazon has a few sustainable gift wrapping options. Please just read the descriptions to ensure they’re actual sustainable options.
Get Creative
Living sustainably is a lifestyle and we have to get creative on ways to maintain this lifestyle.
I’ve given you some sustainable gift ideas, now you get to do the fun part – shopping!
