ALT-2 Green Gifts for an Eco Conscious Couple
Buying gifts for others usually challenges the grey cells at the best of times. For eco-friendly gifts, you just need to put your green thinking cap on. Here are some ideas to help get started.
1. Charitable contributions
One of the best gifts for an eco-conscious couple is no gift at all. Rather, contribute to a green charity in their name. Not only does it save on the wrapping paper and the gas (you can do it on-line), you can be quite creative with it. Adopt a panda for them from the World Wild Life Fund, plant trees with American Forests, or support a green entrepreneur with a loan from Kiva on their behalf. Alternatively, invest in a local charity or cause that you know has personal meaning to them.
2. Memberships, subscriptions, etc
So you want to buy them something that they can enjoy but would still prefer not to waste packaging or fossil fuels, which you know they will appreciate as well. How about memberships in a club, organization or service that promotes greener living. Depending on their habits and interests, there are quite a few to choose from. Ideas include a national parks annual pass allowing them entrance to U.S. national parks, a membership to the local food coop, a Sierra Club membership or a local variation of any of these.
3. Help Them Out
Another variant of the no gift-gift is to provide them with a self-made gift certificate entitling them to your help or assistance for a time period, initiative or event. For example, give them one or two weekends worth of gardening or deliver home-made organic baba ghanoush every week for a month or help them set up a rain barrel. Use your strengths and interests to create a personal, eco-friendly present..
4. Feed them
What could be cleaner, greener or more delicious than helping them to access nutritious, local food. They have to eat anyway. There are some great ways to do this easily. Purchase them a share or half share in community supported agriculture (CSA) so they get weekly portions of local produce. If there are no CSAs nearby, the waiting lists are too long, or this was beyond your budget, how about a gift certificate for a local organic market? You can also help them grow their own food. For apartment dwellers, an indoor herb garden adds to the value and taste of cooking. For those with gardens, buy a selection of plants-organic tomatoes, green beans, whatever works.
5. Transport them
Helping them get from one place in an eco-friendly way is always welcome. If you have money to burn, what about a bicycle built for two? For urban friends, think about metro passes. For those occasions when they need to burn jet fuel , buy them a supply of carbon offsets they can apply to their trip.
5. Re-gifting
Finally, reduce waste by giving them something of yours that you love or know that they love such as a copy of a gently used book, a DVD, a hand-made jewelry box or whatever is of value to them. When re-gifting, it is really important to make it personal. In other words, this must be a gift of measurable personal value to the recipient. For example, last winter I received a book and its corresponding PBS series re-gifted from a friend who had already read/watched it and knew the subject matter was of great value to me.
