Why Green Gifting Matters and What It Is

The best part about giving (and finding) green gifts is that they are unique and fun, but they also give the gift of a healthier life & world. As you select gifts for your loved ones this holiday season, find gifts that reflect your values and help take better care of all of us. Buying local is one of my favorites and we love to shop craft shows for handmade items too.  I always seem to order some of our gifts online too. To help you, we’ve put together our (now) annual 2023 Green Gift Guide with items we’ve curated. There’s even more ideas in the Gift and Fun section of the Everyday Green Home Shop. 

Several years ago, I worked with Kathy, who was learning all about a healthier home and lifestyle through her daughter (and then me when we worked together). She was inspired by her daughter’s focus on healthier, green choices at home since starting her own family.One year for the holidays, her daughter asked for “no stuff,” for gifts. But you have to open presents during the holidays, right? So Kathy started considering how to change the way they do the holidays and created an opportunity for greener gift giving.

Listen in on our podcast to hear some of the solutions Kathy come up with!

Greener Gift Giving = Rethinking

We all have that person on our list who is impossible to shop for. They already have everything, don’t need anything, and yet, you still need to give them a gift. To boot, when considering how to reduce your impact when it comes to gifts, it really comes down to shifting your thinking. Many people are past the idea that stuff matters; instead, they want experiences. Some of our favorite experiences to give are:

1. Local classes of workshops pertaining to a hobby – gardening, cooking, painting, writing, pottery, etc.
2. Tickets to a favorite play or concert
3. Yearly family passes to the State Parks in your state or a state nearby
4. Memberships to a museum or local attraction
5. Online memberships to heirloom seed clubs or other clubs that support hobbyists
6. Gift certificates for AirBnB
7. A tour of a local attraction that they’ve never been to
8. Give apps like Story Corp or StoryWorth to document family history and stories

Experiences are one of my favorite gifts – to give and to get! My sisters and I have been giving our parents experience gifts for years.  I also love what Katie Wells of Wellness Mama comes up with for experience (and gift gifts too).

In the midst of holiday gift-giving, I can’t help but think how often well-intentioned gifts eventually lead to more stress. Both for the giver and the receiver. So much so that over time our family decided to give experience gifts instead of material ones as often as we can. After a few years of trial and error, this is now the norm in our family… and the results are amazing! 

Green Your Holiday Gift-Giving with Sustainable Choices

It’s really important to understand where what you buy comes from. Most of us don’t need more stuff. Our homes are already packed to the gills with stuff we don’t need or use. So, as you buy gifts for others, it’s important to make sure that you understand where the products you are buying are coming from. If items have to travel a long way to reach you, that’s not sustainable. If the company you are buying from employs child labor, well, that’s not what you want to endorse. If the company that you are purchasing products from has a record of environmental violations, that’s also not a green choice. It’s not just what you buy, but who you are buying it from and where it is coming from that should play into our gift choices.

Some “hacks” to look for more sustainable gift choices (this works for everyday items and home stuff too!). 

• A company that is B Corp certified – since they have gone through all of the great work to become B Corp certified, typically their products are better and often sustainable or even certified.  B stands for “benefit”. So they are companies that exist to benefit mankind, not just to solely turn a profit.  Over 7000 companies have certified.  Find your favorite B Corp Certified Company. 
• Look for independent third-party certifications such as FSC for wood and paper products, GreenGuard for products with lower off-gassing and GreenSeal for healthier, more sustainable choices for many products in our homes and businesses. 
• Keep it as close to “nature” as possible. Materials from nature with natural, organic finishes or no finish. Wood toys with no finish or natural finish would be an example. These are often found in local arts and crafts shows too…which leads us to “local.” 

Keep it Local 

My favorite shop in my hometown of Oklahoma City is Plenty Mercantile and I’ve gotten to know Traci and Brittany – the mother daughter duo behind this great shop and venue. They are one of only a handful of B Corp Certified businesses in Oklahoma and they offer online shopping for those not in OKC. 

Many green gift choices also support your local community and the business owners that serve your local community. Green gifts keep dollars working within your communities.

If stuff is important to the people on your list, you can keep it local. When you shop locally, more money is kept local. On average, 48% of what you spend locally stays within the community, as compared to 14% of purchases as chain stores.

Local consignment and second hand stores tick off two boxes: keeping money local and recycling goods.

Look to the Internet

In a pinch for greener gift giving? Try an ebook or audio book. There’s no need for anything to be shipped, and you’re still providing a type of experience. And if you’re not sure what the gift receiver would prefer, a gift card allows them to choose the perfect book. The internet offers many other options for e-gifts too. 

Make Greener Gift Giving at Home

Everyone appreciates handmade gifts. Whether it’s your favorite cookie recipe or a hand-knitted sweater, something that is made with love is warmly received. Not personally talented? Gather favorite family recipes or record an older family member’s stories for the next generation. You’ll combine greener gift giving with legacy, and that’s always a perfect fit.

Green Your Holiday Gift Wrapping

Gift wrap and all the packaging that goes into giving gifts is a huge source of waste. The more gifts you give, the more important it is for you to make greener choices with your gift wrap. 

Some of our favorite ways to make gift wrapping greener are:

1. Wrap in fabrics, not paper
2. Use old maps, newspapers as gift wrap
3. Buy recycled brown paper to as wrapping paper
4. Save gift bags for re-use.
5. Buy recycled wrapping paper.
6. Recycle your wrapping paper.
7. Use mason jars, buckets, clay pots or other items that go with a gift to “wrap” it.

Simplify, Don’t Accumulate

One of the biggest gifts we can leave our children is to simplify life and unburden ourselves of so much stuff. Our kids and grandkids don’t want nearly as much stuff and it only creates more work and waste to deal with generations of the stuff that we have in our lives.

Even if you have things you want to pass down to the next generation, here’s a great way to green your holiday gift-giving and make it meaningful for your family!

The next generation doesn’t want to drag Grandma’s china to their 6 apartments in 3 cities before they get married and settle into a tiny house! So, instead of leaving a ton of stuff, we think it’s a great idea to identify one special heirloom piece – a teacup, painting, letter, etc. that you want to be meaningful to that child. Then write out the heritage of that item and why it was special to you or Grandma, or Uncle Bob, and give them the one thing they can cherish, along with the documentation of the sentimental value to your family. It’s much more likely to be cherished and displayed with care, than an 88 piece set of china that no one has room to store and will never get used.

The holidays are a very special time of year and gift giving is a huge part of it. Re-thinking how you gift may be a very meaningful connection and be more sustainable too.  

Happy Gifting and Happy Holidays from Marla @Green Home Coach