The holidays are approaching fast and this year I’m determined to be more eco friendly. But there’s a lot of different ways to go about being zero-waste/plastic-free/eco-friendly and I don’t want to overwhelm myself with good intentions. As usual, my main goal is to reduce plastics and single-use waste. So I’ve given it some thought… And I’ve decided to focus on using 3 eco friendly gift strategies.
Granted, while all of these strategies are great for supporting sustainability, both environmentally and in the community, they do have limitations. For example, they might not work too well if you have a shopping list with very specific gift requests, like electronics.
But if you do have flexibility for your gift giving this holiday season, definitely give these strategies a try!
Eco Friendly Gift Strategy #1 – Shop Local
When I was thinking about different eco friendly gift strategies that also cut down on plastic, several of the options kept pointing to shopping local. Most of us have heard about how shopping at small businesses helps to strengthen the local economy. But I think it would be interesting to further explore the environmental impact of shopping local as well.
Craft Shows and Artisan Markets
Some local options that come to mind for cutting down on packaging are craft shows/festivals. These have lots of opportunities to find handmade gifts. I’ve also been seeing more artisan markets and flea markets pop-up in my area, which means even more handmade gifts! Another local eco friendly gift option is shopping at thrift stores. Thrift store shopping not only cuts down on the cost of gifts it also cuts down on plastic packaging (usually). Along with creating a circular economy, the proceeds from most thrift stores go to support charitable causes.
And lastly, let’s not forget the local bookstores. Don’t think of books just for the bibliophiles in your group. Books can make a great addition to gift baskets as well! Don’t have a bookstore in your area? Check out bookshop.org* as a way to support independent bookshops when you order books online.
Downtown Gift Cards
This is probably my favorite gift to give for shopping local! If your town/city has an official downtown, then most likely they have some type of downtown gift card. Most of the people I’m giving gifts to would rather have a fun outing or dinner than an actual item. Which makes this the ideal type of gift card because it offers more versatility to the recipient and gives them more of an experience.
Eco Friendly Gift Strategy #2 – Easy (and meaningful) Homemade Gifts
As I mentioned above, most of the people I know would rather have something like a nice meal for a gift. As much as I love the gift cards, it can get a bit expensive. So I’ll go with the next best thing, a ‘meal in a jar’ the whole family can enjoy. Or, if not a meal then a baking mix in a jar. Then add a fun cookbook (ideally from your local bookstore or thrift shop) and now I’ve got a whole gift basket to give.
Are you more of the crafty sort? Are you shipping a lot of gifts and don’t want mail a glass jar? Or, do you have a lot of food allergies in your group? Maybe you don’t want to go the ‘meal in a jar’ route. But don’t worry, there are a lot of gift basket options to work with! You can make gift baskets with different themes, personalized to the recipients interests of course, with a little homemade craft for that extra bit of TLC. If you have time to make something that is, otherwise it will still be a great present.
Eco Friendly Gift Strategy #3 – Reusable Gift Bags and Wrapping Paper
Let’s not forget the festive coverings all these gifts are going to need. You can combo your crafting skills with this strategy by making cloth gift bags and fabric baskets. More of a paper crafter? You can decorate the boxes for the gift baskets or make fun card holders for the gift cards. There’s also the popular Furoshiki technique to wrap the gifts in cloth. Trust me, as simple as the technique seems, you do want to watch a tutorial on it. Once you figure out how to tie that knot correctly (don’t worry it’s a simple knot) the presents come out looking so nice!
Throughout this month of December I’ll be exploring these 3 strategies in more detail. But this should help to get you started with ideas for your own eco friendly gift options in the meantime.
Let me know in the comments which strategy you are looking forward to trying most!
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