Choose an Eco-Friendly Holiday Gift Idea This Year

Do you need a holiday gift idea that won’t collect dust on a shelf, or worse, end up buried in a landfill? Perhaps you just don’t want to spend time at the mall buying plastic goodies this year. If so, here are four guilt-free, eco-friendly gifts to choose from.

Everyone needs a set of reusable shopping bags.

As more and more cities around the country are eliminating or charging customers for plastic shopping bags and as consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of using disposable bags, reusable cloth shopping bags have emerged as an Earth-friendly alternative. For an eco-friendly holiday gift idea, consider buying someone on your list a set of chic yet sturdy, reusable shopping bags. Buy a set of five or six shopping bags as a gift, and the recipient will have enough bags to handle a large haul from the grocery store.

Give a subscription to a local CSA.

For a gift that supports local, and often organic, farms, consider giving a year’s subscription to a local Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. Recipients will receive a box of fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables from a local farm each month. This is a great way for your loved ones to sample unique produce that they may pass by on a trip to the grocery store.

Purchase carbon offsets.

In today’s world conveniences that we take for granted like flying on an airplane, driving a car, or heating or cooling our homes, not only consume precious resources, but release quite a bit of carbon dioxide that is harmful to our planet. For a truly green holiday gift consider purchasing carbon offsets. These offsets contribute to research in alternative energies such as solar and wind power, and reduce consumer guilt.

Give the gift of charity.

For a personalized gift, why not donate to your loved one’s favorite cause or charity? If you are unsure of their preferences, you can even purchase charity gift certificates that enable the recipients to choose from a list of charities to which they’d like to donate.

Choosing any of these gifts will help you contribute to the well-being of our planet and preserve its resources as you do your holiday shopping.