Be honest. How many gifts have you received that you immediately need to find a shelf for? Conversely, how many times have you given a gift because you felt you needed to, but knew in advance it was not something the other person really needed? Following is a list of ideas for affordable, and desirable, green gifting ideas for real people.
1. Activities.
This gift idea has the added benefit of including things the recipient might not be able to carve out cash for currently, but would love to be able to do. Sometimes when we are really pinching pennies, fun is one of the first things to be cut from the budget. Some ideas? National or state park passes to go hiking or take the kids and dogs on a picnic, season theater tickets, restaurant certificates, massage appointments . . . get the idea? Another bonus is that certain items in this category can provide a tax deduction, particularly the non-profit performance companies. Love that!
2. Seeds.
This was actually what we chose for a wedding favor when we finally made it back from Europe (already married) to throw a bash for the family. Rather than go with the little plastic trinkets that do nothing but get pitched in the trash, we went with nice seed packets which were printed with a wedding wish from us, and decorated tastefully on the front. They were for a perennial flower, so people could take them home and plant them, knowing they would come up every year and they could think of us. Bonus? Having an extra plant in the world is a good thing.
3. Make it known you are open to receiving DIY gifts.
Obviously, I’m not recommending you stand up and start announcing to people you want them to get you gifts. That would be tacky. What I am saying is that since some people aren’t comfortable bringing it up, you might need to break the ice by offering the idea yourself. Keep in mind, I’m not just talking tea cozies here. This could be anything from a set of designer style drapes, to a custom paint job in your living room, to a hand done mural. Are you great at web design, or data management? If you have a skill that people would routinely pay for, then chances are somebody would appreciate receiving a gift that benefitted from them.
4. Engraved, refillable pens.
I have Nora’s previous article to thank for this idea. Although interestingly enough, my mother has been doing this for young family members coming of age for years. Use it for graduations, new jobs, anniversaries, etc. Bonus? These are really a classy gift that people will use. You can also do the same thing with refillable pencil products. Just buy the individual retractable leads to refill them with. Think of all the cheap plastic pen casings that won’t be out there in the landfills!
5. Give the gift of green consumable products.
Think yummy fair trade coffee, soy based candles, or eco friendly bath products. This goes back a bit to the first item. When people are on a budget, they don’t necessarily feel comfortable indulging in these little yummy treats. This way, the gift is affordable for you to give, and provides the recipient with a large chunk of wow. At the risk of shamelessly plugging my own article, this soy tea cup candle pictured above gave me another idea for using all those extra cups and mugs I have kicking around the house.
6. Preserve a piece of family heritage.
I’ve documented this a time or two on our family blog, but one of my favorites is turning an item of clothing from a grandparent into several smaller treasures for younger family members. Think Christmas ornaments, or stuffed bears for the grandkids. Digitally archiving old family photos so everyone can enjoy them is another cool strategy that blends family history with newer technology like the digital photo frames.
While I'm sure there are loads of product specific ideas out there, these were categories I felt provided for a wide range of unique ideas and budgets per strategy. If you have any other great suggestions, remember to spread the love in the comment section below so we can all benefit.
Thanks for the wonderful ideas, Myscha! It always makes me excited when I see eco-friendly gift ideas!
Fair trade gifts are wonderful, too. Many of them are eco-friendly as well (think 100% recycled paper stationery, wall decor made from old oil drums, etc).
Thank you again for your ideas. I look forward to reading more!
Megy Karydes, Founder
www.World-Shoppe.com
Fairly traded and handmade gifts, women's jewelry and home accents by artisans in more than 22 countries.
Myscha, I love the activity gift ideas! Not only are they something fun to do or experience; many of them are things people don't often purchase for themselves but would love to enjoy on a regular basis. I also loved the soy candle in a tea cup idea. Cool!
I loved the edible option too. This xmas we went for exclusively edible stuff. So gourmet dijon we got in Alsace, honey combs nicely packed, icewine, etc. We also received only edibles (bio/fair trade exotic fruits and nuts, chocolate, wine, special coffee blends, etc.) and books. Its great because you won't cram anyones house anymore with junk. At the end you just eat it and it is yummie.
On #1: My understanding is that if the money you give to a nonprofit represents a purchase of goods or services, it is not tax deductible. If you make a donation and get some kind of prize (e.g., you donate $500 to the symphony and get a pair of season tickets valued at $150 each), you must subtract the fair market value of the premium from the donation.
Edible ones are great too. Regarding the tax thing. . . I was advised years ago that this could work. I admit to not having looked over the reg for a year or two, and I am not an accountant myself, but I believe there are ways to make this work. I think one of them was related in some way to business activities. I do know that there is a section in the regs on it, if you want specifics. I do think I have seen something similar to what you are saying too, in certain situations. Definitely check with an accountant.
These are some great ideas (especially giving activities rather than objects). You have even more green options if you're willing to talk to gift recipients in advance. It's worked great for my family and coworkers!
Glad you liked it. I tried hard to come up with mostly categories because that would fit a multitude of budgets and gift types without listing a bunch of specific gifts, although that is a totally valid and helpful post too. When I first started writing this post, I wanted to focus strictly on specific gifts. I may still do another one like that, but this one seemed more appropriate for now.
This Christmas my husband and I made coupon books for our three kids (two of whom have Jan. bdays, too). There were twelve coupons, one for each month. We chose a number of activities, most of them family activities, and promised to do one each month. Some were bigger ticket than others. For example, in January, we took them to our local high school for a basketball game. In February, we're going to the movies, and in June we'll go on a family bike ride. One month was a coupon for summer camp, and another was to have a friend for a sleepover. For us, the benefits were numerous: we get to delay some spending and still give a cool gift, the kids get to look forward to some fun times, and it helps them understand that the stuff we do all year long for and with them are gifts (not all gifts come in a bag with tissue!). It was their favorite gift, despite being showered with toys by grandparents (including a Wii!). They are still talking about all the cool stuff we're going to do! I'm going to do it every year!
How about giving someone an electric scooter for a few hundred dollars so that they no longer have to fill their tank during a commute. If you're interested in giving green gifts and living green, checkout 10 tips that will save you money at the pump at http://20somethingfinance.com.
That's a fabulous idea! For many reasons, I really like the coupon book. Less packaging, celebrating the gifts given throughout the year, deferred spending, etc. Really a cool idea.
I love your ideas. I assembled a list of ten gifts for kids least likely to wind up in landfill, and there's some nice overlap. I followed it with bad ideas for kids' gifts, based on my childrearing experience.
http://moneychangesthings.blogspot.com/2007/11/ten-kid-gifts-least-likel...
and
http://moneychangesthings.blogspot.com/2007/11/great-gifts-with-really-b...
love the way your comment section looks! it's really elegant and beautiful.
Betsy
