There are many ways to be a responsible global citizen, one of which is to reduce our cumulative impact. Giving gifts to others that reduce their carbon footprint can also be part of that effort.

Our Editor-in-Chief created this wonderful list of green gift options: 

An LED lightbulb

SmartFaucet

Handkerchiefs

Bicycle

Coffee Carafe

Kitchen counter compost bin

Cloth napkins

Water bottles

Travel mugs

Tupperware

Power strips

Chico bags

But don’t stop there. In fact, getting grandma and grandpa a ductless heat pump would be a pretty grand gift too. Not in your budget? Get your siblings together and spend a weekend adding insulation to their attic or crawl space. (Talk about a gift that generates warm fuzzies!) Offering to change all their lightbulbs to LEDs would certainly be a big hit as well.

Hawaiian wind chimes from shells

If your gift list includes an artist, hobbiest or crafter, try to think out of the box.  Lots of my friends fit into this category. I have given things like a beautiful old piece of wood (a wood turner), old material I had lingering in my linen closet (an amateur seamstress), pressed flowers and leaves (greeting card maker) and ceramic glazes (a sculptress).

Here are a few items available in our local artisans’ markets that may help you re-examine your thoughts on ‘trash’:

• Purses made from old album covers
• Purses made from jeans, decorated with costume jewelry
• Greeting cards with pieces of gift wrap and found objects like old keys and buttons
• Planters made from boots
• Wreaths made from grape vines, long grasses, willow branches
• Wind chimes made with old kitchen utensils and pots
• Art made with recycled objects of all kinds
• Baskets woven from pine needles and cedar bark
• Gift baskets of heritage  and other garden seeds

Then there are the things in your closet like old dish sets you never use, favorite books in boxes in the garage, digital photo albums your family would love or even summer flower bulbs your neighbors so admire. There are so many things we have already that when shared reduce the need to manufacture ’stuff’.

Please share your gift ideas that have helped you reduce, reuse and recycle.

Other Articles of Interest:

Gifts without Guilt!

Green Gifts for Humanity

Gifts of Art, Recycled Materials & Heirlooms