It is the end of the year holiday season and that means gift giving. Gifts for family, friends, neighbors, and maybe even co-workers or other close acquaintances. ‘Tis the season after all! It may be tempting to stock up on gifts and purchase a bunch of little random items to have on hand for any last-minute gifts you may have forgotten or overlooked, but take some time to thoughtfully pick a gift that happens to be climate-conscious and eco-friendly. Not only will you be giving a beautiful holiday gift, but you will always be giving back to the Earth in some way too. Stumped on what to shop for? Here are five fun climate-conscious gift-giving ideas for the holiday season or any time of the year.
DIY Cleaning Supplies
Make cleaning a breeze for family and friends with a reusable basket of homemade, natural cleaning products. Many commercial cleaning products and laundry detergents are laden with toxic chemicals that can lead to a host of health issues and be hormone-disrupting, so ditch the synthetic cleaners and make your own DIY versions instead. Photo credit: manyakotic
Be sure to include reusable/washable cleaning cloths in cute colors and patterns, one or two glass bottles of organic cleaning sprays, organic laundry detergent, and wool dryer balls to replace commercial dryer sheets.
Include a personal touch by including the recipes for each cleaning item (if they are homemade) within your gift basket so your family and friends can make their own in the future. Bonus: The reusable basket can later be used for laundry or additional storage.
If you do not have the time to make your own DIY versions of cleaning products or laundry detergents, take a look at these eco-conscious brands: Branch Basics and Dirty Labs.
Green Thumb Garden Items
If your co-worker or neighbor has a green thumb, give them the gift of gardening with packets of organic seeds for flowers, fruits, and veggies. You can even include some gardening books from the thrift store. (Secondhand shopping is a great way to do some eco-friendly shopping during the holidays and all year round). Photo credit: Mike Hansen
Your holiday giftees will save on grocery bills and may even find a new hobby through gardening and harvesting their seasonal crops. They may even start designing their own floral arrangements - How fun! If growing fresh fruits and vegetables is not feasible, give the gift of gift certificates to a community co-op or nearby natural grocery store so they can support local farmers and growers in the area.
Sustainable Luggage
Luggage is a great gift that is practical and perfect, especially for the world travelers in your life. When shopping for luggage, look for eco-friendly luggage brands that are made from sustainable materials like hemp, leather, and recycled plastic. Luggage can be an investment, so this may be a great holiday gift to contribute to with other family members and friends to create one big gift for the world traveler of the group. We suggest you visit The Good Trade for brand suggestions. Photo credit: Jacob Wackerhausen
The Great Outdoors
If your family and friends love the Great Outdoors, you can even give the gift of the great outdoors with a year-long national park pass. America the Beautiful gives your holiday giftees free access to every United States Park and federal recreation area in the country for one entire year. (How neat is that?) Whether your family and friends enjoy hiking, photography, or stargazing, this is a great climate-conscious gift that also shares the beauty that our great country offers. Photo credit: Brad Booth
Zero-Waste Kitchen Essentials
If you are shopping for someone who is incredibly Earth conscious and loves to spend time in the kitchen, put together a zero-waste kitchen essentials bundle for them. Photo credit: Liudmila Chernetska. Gather some reusable canvas grocery bags and fill them up with some green kitchen goodies including:
- Bamboo kitchen utensil set (Fun fact: Bamboo is 100% biodegradable).
- Coffee/tea carrier for to-go beverages
- Energy-saving coffee pot or teapot
- Indoor compost bin like this one from Bamboozle
- Reusable glass water bottle
- Reusable coffee/tea mugs
- Recycled-made linens like napkins and tablecloths - Another great find at secondhand shops or local thrift stores
Give the gift of climate-conscious and more Earth-friendly gifts this holiday season. Whether you use one or all of these ideas, you will be giving creative and mindful gifts that loved ones will enjoy and so will the Earth. Happy holidays and gift-giving everyone!
- Stay Healthy and Happy
Need some more fun ideas for the holidays? Check out @mostlyplantbasedfoods or view our CEO at @itsnolasnacks as she shares recipes via video each month on It’s Nola Reels. Do not worry, even if you are not Vegan, you will still enjoy these dishes.
Tag us @itsnolasnacks so we can see all of your climate-conscious and eco-friendly gifts.
