This year, my extended family decided to seriously reduce the madness by drawing names for Christmas. Each family has another family for whom to buy a single gift, and, for the first time ever, a limit on spending. It’s great, I think, but also a bit daunting. What do you (and by “you” I mean “I”) buy for a family of four – two adults, a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy? I mean, that’s quite a mix of ages and personalities and likes and dislikes, and I have to satisfy them all for under $35.
It occurred to me yesterday that maybe the answer is to appeal to their philanthropic-peace-loving-socially-responsible-tree-hugging-alternative-energy-eco-friendly sides. (Their best sides, of course.) I’m amazed, and more than a little delighted, by the myriad of affordable choices out there for people interested in buying more socially and environmentally conscious gifts. I’ve only begun to scratch the surface, but here are some cool sites I found…
- Ed Begley, actor and environmental activist has a website on which he offers a list of green gift ideas from reuseable water bottles and filter pitchers to eco-plush stuffed animals. And for the fashionable among us, there are eco handbags and very cool boots (really!) made from recycled rubber.
http://www.edbegley.com/gift_list.html - CNN.com has posted a whole host of companies offering “cool gifts with a green twist,” from computers to clothing to sports gear. A cornucopia of ideas. Check it out.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/12/15/green.gift/index.html - At Organic Style, “you’ll enjoy eco-luxury at eco-nomical prices.” It’s a really cool site where you can find sustainably produced gifts for pets, eco-chic apparel, gourmet gifts and bedding “for the green home.” Plus, you can subscribe (and I did) to their free Organic Style magazine, which features useful articles about living greener and healthier.
http://www.organicstyle.com/ - On one of my favorite sites, treehugger.com, you can find something for everyone on your list, be they foodie, pop culture fan, do-it-yourselfer, animal lover, outdoor enthusiast… whatever. By category for easy searching, these are some really fun, different gift ideas. (Check out the vling necklace!)
http://www.treehugger.com/giftguide/
Happy responsible shopping!
Wild
some of the best things in life…!
thank you! you may have saved my family from the plague of gift cards i was about to unleash upon them. (due to my lack of creative ideas for them and lack of suggestions from them).
“some of the best things in life…” are green! :-D