by David Le Blanc
date: 11/08/2021
And just like that, another year is coming to a close. The holiday season is fast approaching, and that means that it’s time to start looking for some ideas of what to buy for your family and close friends this year. Like always, some of them are more difficult to shop for than others, especially if they’re passionate about the environment.
If that sounds like someone you know, then this guide on eco-friendly holiday gift ideas is just the thing you need. In it, we’ll cover some of the best items you can buy that will make their holidays more pleasant. So without further ado, here’s our comprehensive list.
A Special Note on All Gifts
Before we begin our list, we wanted to point out that no matter what you buy your environmentally conscious friend or family member, you’ll want to wrap their present in a way that won’t upset them either.
An eco-friendly gift is nice and all, but if you wrap it in layers of paper that will get thrown away, they’ll be more worried about that and less excited about what you bought for them. Fortunately, there are plenty of safe wrapping alternatives that will make them happy to see you use.
Homemade Crafts
If you have the talent necessary to create something that your loved one will enjoy, making a homemade craft is one of the best gifts you could get them. Utilizing items from outside to make it will give it that natural feel that they’ll love. Just make sure you don’t kill or destroy anything that produced these parts.
Of course, the thing you make for them doesn’t have to be a decorative piece. You can also use natural supplies to create candles, cleaning supplies, or even tasty treats for them to use and enjoy. In the end, it’s the thought that counts with homemade goods.
Reusable Shopping Bags
If your family member or friend has only recently gotten into being environmentally conscious, then you’ll want to make sure you get them a few reusable shopping bags. Since plastic bags are one of the most common forms of waste polluting our planet, this is an obvious starting point for any blossoming environmentalist. Of course, that means they might already have a bunch, and too many reusable bags can be just as bad as not using them at all.
Long-Lasting Dishware
Cheap plastic dishes are the bane of many eco-friendly people’s existence, especially one-use items. That’s why buying them some made out of ceramic or wood that will last is the best option in this category.
However, there are times in which disposable dishware can be helpful. Maybe they’ll be throwing a huge party next year, or their kids’ friends constantly come over for dinner. Luckily, many options for biodegradable plates and utensils are on the market that you could get for them as well.
Recycled Clothing
Clothes can be one of the more difficult gifts to buy for an eco-friendly person. This is because manufacturers make clothes from many materials. Plus, even if you find ones made of natural materials, parts of them could still contain unnatural ones. Some stores specialize in natural materials for their clothes, but they can get quite expensive.
That’s why we want to recommend getting them recycled clothes. Past manufacturers might not have made them from the best materials, but at least buying them keeps them out of landfills. You can shop at resale stores to save some money, but if you want to go all out, there are companies out there that specialize in restoring old clothes and selling them as brand new. This is great if your loved one is also a fan of some older styles.
Eco-Friendly Bedding and Blankets
In the same vein of clothing, we also have bedding and blankets that can have the same material-related issues as clothes. Unfortunately, recycled sheets aren’t a thing that companies do as often as clothing-based ones, so you’ll need to take the time to examine which ones are best for the environment.
Luckily, we’ve already done some of the hard work for you because our company specializes in eucalyptus sheets. Both the materials we use and the manufacturing process make them eco-friendly. The water and solvents that we use to turn those trees into comfy sheets are reused regularly and eventually recycled.
Due to this process and other reasons, the prices can be a bit higher than average. So if you want to save some money and give your friend or family member a little taste of how amazing these sheets are, we’d suggest that you look into our eucalyptus pillowcases. We make them with the same love and care as the rest of our product line.
Plants or Gardening Tools
An inevitability for all environmentally conscious people is to one day get into gardening—it only makes sense. If you care about the outside world, you’ll want to spend more time in it, which will lead to gardening as a fun pastime. You might as well take this time to “plant the seed,” both figuratively and literally, for them to get started if they haven’t already.
The best way to do this is by getting them a plant that will provide them with fresh fruits or vegetables to use in the kitchen. Since it’ll be winter when you give it to them, it might not feel like a practical gift right now. So instead of purchasing a plant, you can get them gardening tools that will come in handy later down the line.
Non-Tangible Gifts
While most items in this guide on eco-friendly holiday gift ideas are tangible, that doesn’t mean all gifts have to be. For example, they would likely be grateful if you signed them up for an eco-friendly delivery service or local wildlife conservation center membership. The options here are endless. However, if you can’t seem to come up with the perfect gift for them, it doesn’t hurt to buy them a gift card for a company that holds the same values they do. There’s no way they wouldn’t appreciate that.
