I recently had occasion to purchase a wedding shower gift for our neighbor’s daughter. Many of us have been there… that occasion where we labor over 12 pages of “wishes” and try to find something that you honestly feel wasn’t a “whim wish” and an item that won’t actually find itself shoved in a corner closet after the bride realizes it wasn’t really something she needed.
While we certainly can’t control what the bride selected, we can certainly choose how to spend our money. And as I poured over the list, one item caught my eye immediately: Bamboo Kitchen Cart with Wine Rack. I was thrilled to know that I could actually buy something useful, as well as something “sustainable”!
I need to remind myself that I do have choices every time I purchase a gift. A few extra minutes with a list or some special attention and you can be pleased that the gift suits you too! Look for the bamboo cutting board or cutlery. Look for the organic cotton towels or sheets. And whoever said you HAVE TO buy off the list?! Buy something that you’ll be happy to give. Just be sure that your gift is useful. Remember this: An used gift amounts to house clutter that will eventually be cast off.
Other ideas to keep your gift greener:
- Consider a reusable bag instead of wrapping paper.
- Simply wrap things (like towels) in themselves.
- Scraps of fabric lying around after crafty endeavors? Wrap the gift in it!
- A bamboo kitchen towel or two would even do the trick for any gift. For bigger gifts, a table cloth will cover it!
- Use biodegradable raffia instead of ribbon or reuse ribbons you’ve salvaged.
- Use a photo or image from a card you received to make a gift tag.
- Skip the bow and use a pretty flower from your garden instead. Even twigs, berries or pinecones make great toppers with simple brown craft paper for the wrap.
My big thing has always been that “it’s about choices”. And even if the bride’s choices leave you rolling your eyes, your gift can keep your eyes sparkling “green”!
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While it can be hard sometimes to give your non-greenie friend an eco-friendly gift I think you can almost always at least make it some what green. I love shopping at etsy.com for gifts. You can get something that they won’t have seen and it’s handmade which is great. Of course if I didn’t think some of my friends would hate me I would buy them all Sigg bottles, reusable bags, To Go Ware, CFLs, cloth napkins, etc..
Thankfully I can give those gifts to my mom and one of my best friend and they are super happy. I have found when all else fails, give organic candy. I haven’t had one person that wasn’t happy with organic food.
Lisa – I agree! But sometimes you can give green gifts and the recipient won’t even realize… although, yes, the reusable bags, bottles, napkins, might be a dead giveaway!
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Yes I think giving an eco-friedly gift to a friend or relative would be a great idea. When I usually wrap my gifts during Christmas, I often uses recyclable boxes and gift wraps, then sometimes I’ve made some drawings and then colored it. In that way, I feel the spirit of Christmas within me and it also made me feel more satisfied with it. As an addition for an eco-friendly gift idea, I’ve known a site which offers products you can give to the people you care. These products are stainless steel tiffin containers. They are really a perfect gift idea, you can afford to buy it and much valuable to any ordinary gift presents. If you have time you can check the Happy Tiffin
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[...] constantly purchasing gifts for some sort of occasion. The problem is that we often feel pressured to fulfill someone’s wish list, but there is nothing wrong with fulfilling some of our own wishes too, so how about using [...]
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