Green Gift-Giving

A roundup of earth-friendly ideas

Posted: 11-Dec-2005; Updated: 02-Nov-2006

You can adhere to eco-conscious values and still give great gifts. Our staff supplied us with a bounty of ideas and sources. The list is meant to inspire and is by no means exhaustive -- nor do we endorse any of the products.

Naturally, giving intangible presents cuts down on those stacks of socks and scarves sitting unused in the closet. You might donate your time or money to a charity in honor of the gift recipient (we think Environmental Defense is a good choice). Or give a pair of tickets to a play.

But for those on your list who want a box to unwrap, there is a wide selection of goods that tread more lightly on the earth. Two ideal stocking stuffers are compact energy-saving fluorescent lightbulbs and tire gauges (driving with tires properly inflated saves gasoline, helping to cut greenhouse gas pollution). And who would turn down an eco-vacation or a hybrid car? But here are ideas for everyday budgets.

Board games for the child in all of us

Two board games make play of weighty subjects, showing how cooperation rather than narrow self-interest can make the world a better place.

The new global warming game, Keep Cool: Gambling with the Climate!, was developed by two scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research as an educational tool to convey the risks of global warming. Remember, this  is only a game -- it does not predict how strategies and risks might play out in real life. Up to six people play world leaders choosing "black" or "green" development. Along the way, they contend with lobbyists like the oil industry and environmental groups. As temperatures rise, players cope with severe droughts, floods, heat waves and wildfires. Ruthlessness leads to disaster and everybody loses.  Available through New Mastodon Books and Fine Art in Los Angeles, $39.95 plus shipping; to order call 323-525-1948 or  order through web site.

In the classic 1978 board game Save the Whales, working together is essential to saving eight great whale species from things like oil spills and hunting ships. Husband-and-wife team Ken and Jann Kolsbun invented the game when they were raising three daughters and looking for alternatives to get-rich-quick games like Monopoly. Unable to find pastimes that instilled the importance of environmental protection, the two created their own. Again, the game is based on real-life challenges, but it's not a rigorous tutorial on species preservation! $30 plus shipping; order through web site.

Children's books 

Dr. Seuss’ rhyming classic The Lorax spins an unforgettable tale of a world once lush with truffula trees. A greedy manufacturer turns them into “thneeds, which everyone needs,” and customers can’t get enough. The verdant world is blighted: “The wind smells slow-and-sour when it blows and no birds ever sing excepting old crows.”  Don’t worry, it ends on a hopeful note. The story is a whimsical way to introduce complex environmental ideas to young children.  Available in bookstores everywhere, $14.95 or less.

Adults enjoy Lynne Cherry's entertaining and gorgeously illustrated books as much as children do. Our wildlife expert Margaret McMillan can’t choose among Groundhog’s Garden ($10.85), “where Squirrel teaches Little Groundhog—and us—the many benefits of growing one’s own vegetables”; The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle ($10.88), which shows us the intricate workings of an underappreciated ecosystem; or Making a Difference in the World ($14.95), Cherry’s autobiography recounting how her interest in the natural world led her to write children’s books. For more information, visit Lynne Cherry’s web site; books available in bookstores everywhere.

 

Goods made with organic cotton

A sampling of the many products made with organic cotton (see box for more information):

• Child’s organic cotton longjohns by Hanna Andersson meet Oko-Tex Standard 100. $36; order by phone 800-222-0544 or on web site; 
• Baby mouse and duck toys by IIKH are handcrafted with 100 percent organically-grown cotton (IIKH, $8 plus shipping; order at 212-675-9400 or from web site)
• Organic-cotton t-shirts by TS Designs. You can get them lettered in water-based ink. Order from web site.
• See a list of other companies that sell organic cotton products.

Clothing and accessories

Billions of plastic bottles and tons of paper end up in U.S. landfills every year -- each person in the U.S. on average produces about 4.5 pounds of garbage per day.  A couple of fun items that reuse materials otherwise destined for the trash heap: 

• Ecoist handbags are fashioned out of misprinted candy wrappers, food labels and packaging ($28 - $235; order from web site).
• Patagonia’s Storm Jacket is made of recycled plastic soda bottles, old polyester garments and even tents ($275 available on the web site or in stores across the country).
• Get a list of more resources for greener clothing and products made from recycled materials. (See also The New York Times article The New Wearing of the Green -- registration or subscription required.)
  
  

Earth-friendly chocolate, coffee and flowers

Mass-produced coffee and cacao beans are typically grown with heavy use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on clear-cut forest land. Organic beans are cultivated without use of chemicals, and shade-grown beans help preserve the forest canopy that shelters migratory birds and butterflies. Some coffee and chocolate producers that adhere to earth-friendly standards:

 

• Dagoba Chocolate - produced from organic, shade-grown beans in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Endangered Species Chocolate – shade-grown and organic; available in stores (check store locator);
• Grounds for Change coffee, tea and chocolate – shade grown, organic and fair-trade.
• Find more sources of earth-friendly coffee around the country (from Audubon)

The bulk of cut flowers sold in the U.S. come from Ecuador and Colombia, where floral workers are heavily exposed to hazardous chemicals. One study revealed that nearly 60 percent of floral workers surveyed in Ecuador showed poisoning symptoms such as headaches, hand-trembling and blurred vision.  Organic Bouquet and Local Harvest are two sources of more sustainably produced flowers; check individual offerings for specific green certification.

Imaginative wrapping: Think outside the gift box

When you think recycled, let your imagination roam beyond plain newsprint!

• Wrap gifts with colorful magazine pages or the ga-zillion mail-order catalogs you lament getting so many of. If you’ve got more time, create personalized collages and get your children involved.
• Re-use those old linens in your drawer with holes that you will never use again. A vintage cloth can make a beautiful wrapping, particularly if you are giving to a quilter or someone who crafts items from scraps of materials. (Or if you are very crafty yourself, make puppets or potholders from scraps or old linens.)
• Instead of bows and ribbons, attach a sprig of berries or some pretty leaves or shells. Your imagination and good green judgment are the only limits!
  

More sources for green-gift ideas

• Treehugger, a green lifestyle site
• Grist Magazine's November 2005 green-gift guide "Gift Rapt"