More Green Ideas for Sustainable Holiday Gifts

Photo courtesy of Greener Magazine

More eco-groovy tips from Sierra Club for gifts that help the planet, and may convert your recipient to a greener lifestyle....

1. compact fluorescent light bulbs (Home Depot or www.1000bulbs.com)

2. reusuable shopping bags (many supermarkets carry them now, or try www.reusablebags.com)

3. rechargableable batteries and battery chargers (Sundance Solar or stores like Target)

4. earth-friendly cleaning and household products from www.seventhgeneration.com, or your local natural food store

5. LED or solar lights (we ordered LED headlamps online, Petzl brand)

6. hand-cranked flashlights and radios (great for weather emergencies as well as earth-friendly)

7. rain barrels (especially valuable in areas hit by the current drought)

8. compost bins (available at many gardening centers)

Source: Footnotes: The Newsletter for the N.C. Sierra Club. November 2007 (adapted from www.duke.edu/web/ESC/2005-12-06holiday.html)

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6 Great Tips for Earth-friendly No-Shopping Gifts

Just got back from shopping for a presentable-looking little table to put my laptop on, so I can take down the hideous card table in the living room. I'm addicted to working on my laptop while I watch TV in the evenings. But I can't leave the rickety card table up while family are here for Thanksgiving. It's just too ugly.

Never did find a little table, but the shopping almost did me in. There's very little in life that I hate more than shopping, especially on a day when traffic is clogged. I found a scratched-up black TV-table at Goodwill for $8 that tempted me, and a perfect cherry "hall table" at the Amish furniture store for $269. Get real! I can't afford that. So I came home with nothing. Perfectly good waste of a beautiful Wednesday afternoon.

Anyway, contemplating more shopping makes me want to gag...so I'm re-thinking the upcoming holiday season. I'm beginning to contemplate holiday presents that don't involve shopping. A gift list that doesn't require shopping will not only contribute to my serenity, but I'll save the fossil fuels required to drive around town endlessly. And if I get environmentally conscious gifts - all the better.

Here is a list of a few eco-friendly gift ideas that don't involve shopping:

1. Adopt a gorilla in a loved-one's name:
http://shop.awf.org/adopt/

2. Contribute to local Habitat for Humanity green building projects

3. Adopt-an-acre of rainforest: www.rainforest-alliance.org

4. Plant a tree or a special garden together: www.kidsgardening.com

5. Give a membership to Sierra Club, your local land conservancy, the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, World Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Society, Waterkeeper Alliance, or the American Bird Conservancy.

6. Give a gift certificate to a local grocery that carries organic foods exclusively.

Next post: suggestions for socially conscious gifts.

Source: Footnotes: The Newsletter for the N.C. Sierra Club. November 2007 (adapted from www.duke.edu/web/ESC/2005-12-06holiday.html)

Key words:: earth-friendly gifts, no-shopping gifts, eco-friendly gifts, environmentally conscious gifts, sustainable gifts, holiday gifts, shop from home