My favorite gift to give my nieces is a homemade gift certificate for a "movie date". They absolutely LOVE them. They can be used at any time for a movie with a treat of their choice and they get to go alone - no sister! They "save" them until just the right movie comes out and then call me saying it's time for our "date". No fuss, no muss and I get to spend quality time with them.

This year I am giving my duaghter some Bamboo towels. Yes, they makes Bamboo towels and I found a seller on Ebay who sells them at a very moderate price. Once I got them, I washed and dryed them to see how they would hold up. Perfect! They are just as soft and silky as when I first bought them. I was given a tip that you could put them in a mesh bag to wash and dry them, and that way they would last longer. I have bought 800 gram Eqyptian cotton towels, and they already have snags in them from the dryer. Bamboo is never treated with pesticides and chemicals and is naturally antibiotic, from what I have read. So, that is my "green" idea, although the towels are a cream color. HAHA! Happy Holidays to all and many thanks to Debra for all her work and research!!

My favorite green gift was the one I received from my daughter who had sent money to a conservation organization to plant a tree in my name. My favorite conservation organization is The Nature Conservancy because they buy land and restore it to ecological balance, sometimes connecting the parcel with others to form continuous natural land links, and they also work with landowners to help them care for their land in more ecologically sound ways. Either way, all of wildlife benefits, and, by extension, so do we. And they have a very low overhead and are given a 4 star rating by one of the major rating agencies. Thanks for the question

I try to make most, if not all, the gifts I give sustainable or eco-friendly in some way. My niece and nephew got a game and a toy (respectively) from Global Exchange in honour of their baptisms. I just got a beautiful new backpack for my husband from www.earthpak.com--the fabric is spun from recycled soda bottles.

I haven't figured out a good way to explain to my family and my husband's family that I would like sustainable gifts, natural fiber or recycled clothing, etc, so I just appreciate whatever gifts they give me.

In your ponderings about gift giving, you mention giving an unwanted gift to someone who would appreciate it. I think this is a great idea, and am saddened by the recollection that this isn't considered socially acceptable in our society. Most of us "regift" and yet it's considered taboo.

I dislike wrapping paper with a passion. I seldom wrap gifts I give to people, and if I do, I just place the item(s) in a gift bag and hope that they'll reuse the gift bag. This leads me to another thought I had yesterday. I'm seeing reusable cloth gift bags nowadays, and think it's a great idea--two gifts in one. I fear, however, that people will not realize that if they're given a cloth gift bag, they're free to use it to give a gift to someone else. WE place a high value on things that are given to us--or at least people pretend to. I think this is good. There are things I've been given which I value highly, because I enjoy the things and because they were given by someone I care about. AT the same time, gift-giving in this fashion doesn't follow a sustainable pattern because the loop is so small, between two people, and two people only. Okay, now I'm venturing into philosophy, so I'll end with my favourite baby gift...a gift set from www.bamboosa.com

More than 20 Environmentally Conscious Gift Ideas


- Gift certificates: wine making shop, used bookstore, music lessons, etc.
- Membership: golf, gym, spa, massage therapist.
- Baskets of healthy foods.
- Services: Dog walking, babysitting, housecleaning, etc.
- Yellow CFL’s for exterior lighting that is energy efficient and reduces bugs around entrances or seating areas.
- Slippers/sweaters (the recipient is less likely to turn up thermostat).
- Family recipe book (w/photos of family).
- Give or purchase a living tree (it removes carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, ozone and nitrogen oxides). A living Xmas tree can be donated to individuals, the city, schools or parks when the season is over. Alternatively, plant it in your own yard for privacy, shade or erosion control.
- Toys and games with positive environmental or education values and those that emphasize cooperation, exploration or creative thinking.
- For the new homeowner - thermostat control that automatically turns the heat down at night and tubes of caulking or weather stripping. Hot water tank and hot water pipe insulation kits are another good option.
- A low flow shower head attachment, timers and soaker hoses for landscaping irrigation, a rain barrel.
- A draft cozy (placed in front of doors to prevent drafts).
- Dimmer switches or compact fluorescent bulbs; don’t forget those 3-way CFL bulbs for lamps.
- For the gardener - subscription to an organic gardening magazine or a membership to a seed organization. Bird, bat and butterfly houses, baths and feeders – or the patterns to build them. A composting worm bin or a membership with an environmental group.
- Tickets to a performance, restaurant gift certificates or services such as lawn care and tree pruning, cloth diaper laundry services, house cleaning, music lessons, exercise or dance classes, dog training classes, tune-up or tire rotation services.
- Dehydrated, canned or preserved foods, especially those you have grown, make excellent gifts. Frozen homemade meals are treasured gifts for time-suppressed or physically limited individuals.
- Brazil or cashew nuts as they promote a living tropical barbarrel.
- Books (i.e. Trash Talk – by Dave and Lillian Brummet, or Simply Green Giving by Danny Seo).
- A reusable coffee filter and whole organic coffee beans.
- If you choose to purchase electronics, consider those powered by solar or rechargeable batteries.
- For holiday photo memories, avoid disposable cameras. Instead use a digital camera and load directly to your own computer and CD burner. Alternatively, use a normal camera and have the pictures put on CD’s at the development outlet. By choosing CD’s you reduce chemicals, paper and cost. Choose 36 exposure film rolls and reduce both packaging and waste.


~ From Dave and Lillian Brummet, authors of Trash Talk.