The Perfect Eco-Gift Ideas

Becoming well-versed in Eco friendly gift ideas is an effective way to share your passion for eco living in a light and positive way. It allows you a chance to softly spread your values and evoke change gently and passively. It is a beautiful way to show others how to celebrate and embody an environmentally conscious lifestyle. 

Gift giving, in its purest essence is a beautiful exchange that fills both parties involved with more joy than what the gift itself could give on its own. There is something magical in the process of giving a gift. Thinking about someone and pouring energy into choosing and organising the perfect gift for them is not just a way to brighten their day, but it opens an opportunity to plant a seed.

"It's the thought that counts" 

And it is.

The thought that we give for ourselves, others and the planet.

It took me some years to train my loved ones out of their habit of burying me with new, material possessions each time I circle around the sun. I had to learn to manage the distress of feeling guilty, ungrateful and frustrated every time someone handed me something I didn't need wrapped in non-recyclable paper and plastered in stickytape. Nowadays those who surround me understand my wishes and we live in harmony together, giving gifts to appreciate each other while respecting the Earth.

There are an abundance of eco friendly gift ideas for every type of person and once you begin to think outside the box, I know you will come up with your own. Before we begin...wrapping paper...a waste of beautiful trees. Get creative and upcycle some used paper, use a pillowslip like a Santa sack or get them to close their eyes. I love embelishing my gifts in organic things; binding with grasses or natural twine, wrapping in paperbark or slipping in some dried herbs or fresh flowers. If you do need tape, look to paper masking tape or cellotape (made of plants).

Here are my categories

☆Eco products to kick them off☆

The best way to show others the way is to gift them something to get started. It plants a seed, and shows them it isn't so scary or difficult to switch to conscious products. It might feel funny to give someone a kitchen scrubbing brush for their birthday but if you make a groovy themed hamper, you can actually change the way people live. 

Here are some fun ideas:

~Reusable cup

~Aluminium drink bottle

~Self care hamper (bamboo toothbrush, bamboo hairbrush and louffer)

~Kitchen hamper (wooden spatula, compostable scrubber, cloth produce bags)

~Day pack (plastic-free lunch box, bamboo cutlery set and a bamboo straw)

~Market go-pack (eco produce bags, a tote, decorated upcycled jars in a basket)

~Stationary hamper (recycled paper book and some pencils)

☆Homemade goodies☆

Depending on your level of DIY enthusiasm, you may want to play with making gifts yourself. The benefits are that they are incredibly special and personal for the lucky recipient and generally a lot cheaper for you. It also encourages and normalises the culture of making things from scratch. I absolutely love doing this and often end up being asked for the exact same gift next year.

I collect upcycled jars or compostable packages and fill them with:

~Plant based treats (chocolate, bliss balls, dehydrated crackers, hummus, muesli bars)

~Body products (scrubs, deoderant, tooth paste, moisturiser, beard wax, lip balm)

~Arty/ crafty things to warm the home (macrame pot hanger, wax wraps, artwork, painted potplants)

☆Ways to help them change their habits or inspire thoughtfulness☆

~Donate on their behalf to an environmental organisation like Sea Shepherd or a carbon offset company

~EGift card for a bulk store

~Take them to a market and shout them a weeks worth of veggies

~A box of fruit (this is possibly my favorite gift to receive)

☆Something to start them on a new adventure☆

There's no better motivator than a card full of free yoga classes. Go with them and make it memorable.

~Class pass to a studio (yoga, dance, fitness, martial arts, art)

~Second hand bicycle

~Herbs for a herb garden (the gift of plants are magical)

~Used books (A book you have read is always a lovely way to connect. I have given Sapiens to so many people)

☆Experiences☆

Possibly my favorite eco gift idea. This is my go-to as it offers endless possibilities and to make it extra special (for me and them) I do it with them! Here are a few ideas (including some of the most memorable I have given or received)

~Going out to dinner

~Tickets to live performances

~Massage

~Pottery class

~Camping adventure

~Stand up paddle boarding or canooing

~Scuba diving

From thoughtful low-cost heartstring-pullers to the zero waste ultimate experience or kit-out, there is a way to say I appreciate you in a way that appreciates the Earth too. What are your eco friendly gift ideas?