Green Gift Giving
As far as holidays go, Christmas is by far the most wasteful. Each year, Americans throw away hundreds of thousands of tons of gift wrapping alone. That doesn’t include plastic and cardboard packaging or even the toys that get played with for a couple of weeks and then forgotten.
The frenzy to buy, buy, buy gets more intense each year as people struggle to fill lists that get longer and longer. The result is a huge amount of waste. In addition, to combat theft, manufacturers have ramped up their packaging to the point that its size eclipses the actual product being purchased. And much of it ends up in the landfill.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Just like we’ve learned ways to reduce the environmental imprint our tree and lighting decorations make, we can do the same with gifts.
The market for eco-friendly gifts has blossomed in recent years. Now, it is possible to get incredibly stylish gifts in just about any category. The best part about giving green gifts is, in addition to the high quality gifts themselves; the receiver gets the personal satisfaction of sustainability and civic mindedness as a bonus.
To help ease your introduction to green gifts, we’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 coolest presents that should be on your list this year.
Novothink Solar Surge: For about $70, you get a cutting edge solar panel skin for your iPhone that uses the sun’s power to keep your device charged.
TerraCycle Speakers: These portable speakers are made from recycled snack bags “upcycled” into a very cool green-minded product. These speakers, that retail for about $14, are also shipped flat to help reduce pollution.
Handpresso Wild portable espresso maker: Make high quality espresso anywhere using only boiling water and a hand-held pump device that ensures the correct pressure to brew perfect espresso. The Handpresso Wild retails for about $130.
Bamboo Bottle: This eco-friendly water bottle is comprised of a sustainably-grown bamboo cover and (dishwasher safe) tempered glass core with other elements made of recycled plastic. This product that retails for about $25 does not contain harmful substances that may leech into liquids.
Wonder Wash: This patented hand-cranked clothes washer can handle a 5-lb. load in just a few minutes. This washer is ideal for small loads, or for use with delicate items and on camping trips. The Wonder Wash retails for about $43.
