Category Archives: Green Gift Ideas

Teens Gone Green?

My kids are quite a bit too young for this one, but there’s a book about to come out that might be a welcome gift to any green teen you know. It’s called The Green Teen: The Eco-Friendly Teen’s Guide to Saving the Planet.

Obviously, I can’t review the book; it’s not out yet. But it looks promising. The description says it will give tips on making eco-friendly decisions on a tight budget and schedule and how to get concerns recognized by decision makers.

Given that kids these days are very aware of the need to help the environment, I’m glad to see a book like this coming out.

Parents, what other titles do you recommend for teens? What about younger children?

My Kids Picked a Green Gift for Daddy

I love it when my kids pick something green out to give to someone. We try so hard to avoid an excess of plastic junk, and it’s great to see it rubbing off on my kids.

Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. I took the kids shopping to figure out what they wanted to get him. They of course first looked through the toys… we’re talking about kids, after all. But they couldn’t think of anything that Daddy didn’t have already that they thought he would like.

So we went to the garden center.

The kids weren’t too certain, until they came upon the strawberry plants. That did it! They each picked one out for him.

Then we passed some grape vines. Once again, they couldn’t resist.

I just love that the strawberries are in the peat pots so that we don’t have to figure out what to do with the pots once the strawberries are planted. We have too many of those already. I know my daughter is eying them for crafts, but we do not need more.

No, we didn’t wrap them. I rarely wrap birthday gifts for grown up family members. It’s really just not that necessary. They’ll be surprised one way or another. If I must, a gift bag from our reuse stash will do the job.

Ethical Shopping Help

Christmas isn’t the only time we need to be thinking about ethical shopping. It’s something to work on for the entire year.

This is a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot, mostly due to the sheer consumerism of this time of year. This year is probably better than most, since so many people are cutting back and even looking at used gift items and thrift stores. It’s a nice change, but so much more can be done.

Going through the books at Amazon, I found The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference. By the reviews, it looks like a good book.

The book gets into choosing the right bank, buying the right groceries, alternative transportation and more. Sounds to me like the kind of guide a lot of us need to cut back on the guesswork.

I have no doubt that bits of information in it are already out of date, of course. More and more stores have been adding organic selections, for example. The current economy has put many companies out of business, and others are looking for ways to cut costs, which often comes at the sacrifice of environmental efforts. But even with that I think the information is going to be good.

One reviewer didn’t like all the small changes, but as others have noted, small changes are often what lead to big changes. This looks like a nice way to get moving on more small changes.

It’s going on my wish list. Not quite in the budget yet.

Practical Green Gifts

It’s almost Christmas, but there’s still time to find gifts for those you care about. My favorite kind of gift to give combines green with practicality. It’s not always an easy combination, but finding it can be great.

You have to know, of course, what will be welcome. Giving CFLs is green and practical, but not everyone is going to appreciate being given light bulbs, no matter how much money they’ll be saving.

Reusable shopping bags can work. Interest in these has been increasing as cities look at banning or having stores charge for plastic bags.

A composter can be a great gift for the gardener in your life. You can find models that will work indoors or out, depending on the space available. It’s really amazing how much food waste happens just incidentally, as well as from failing to use food up soon enough. Seeds from Seed Savers would be another good idea.

Cloth diapers can be a great help to the expectant mother… says the expectant mother. If you know the type she wants, so much the better. You could also make some cloth wipes at home and include a recipe to soak or spray them in for use on baby’s bottom.

And of course, many of the ideas I gave in my post on Green Gift Ideas to Give to the Non-Green will work just as well for the enthusiastically green.

The most important key here is to think about what is needed. So many people have much more than they need, but you can probably find something practical and green, rather than something that will sit about, unused. Give it some thought and try not to rush into something just because you need to buy SOMETHING. Think about books you can give, gifts of time and other such things. Sustainablog has a great post on holiday gifts that keep on giving.

Green Gift Experiences For Green Children

Even for children, Christmas gifts don’t all have to be about the toys. You can get them plenty excited about experiences, or special times with their families. Think about the experiences you and your family could share that will help your children to continue to grow and love the environment.

I’ll try to avoid experiences that absolutely require travel out of your local area. The idea here is things that will be very affordable with minimal concerns for the impact of doing them. It’s for parents who are trying to encourage green behavior, after all!

1. Zoo passes.

Not everyone likes zoos, but modern ones do a lot of work toward conservation and have helped to keep certain species alive.

The best zoos to get passes for, of course, are the ones that have modern cages that put some serious effort into making life comfortable and interesting for the animals. I remember going to the San Diego Zoo as a child, when the cages were pretty dull for the animals. These days they are much more complex, with appropriate scenery for many animals, and lots for them to do. They’re also far more beautiful than the old style. They’re still working on improvements too.

2. Snorkling or SCUBA diving.

You can often rent rather than buy equipment if you aren’t going to be doing this regularly. This would be great fun for kids who really love the ocean.

3. Visit to local nature centers.

The availability of nature centers may vary widely by where you live. I can think of a few nature preserves in my area. Some are free to get into while others do charge a small fee.

These can be great for hiking, and some may include educational literature so you can learn about the wildlife your family is seeing.

4. Camping trips.

Whether you go to a National Park or a local campground, camping is a great time to get in touch with nature. If your child has a favorite place to go camping, make up a gift certificate for a trip there at an appropriate time of year.

5. Gardening supplies.

Pick them by the space you have. Even an apartment can often support an herb garden in the kitchen window, patio or balcony.

My kids love learning about herbs, and during the growing season know which plants they are allowed to pick leaves from to eat, and which they must ask first… plus, of course, which plants they simply may not touch at all. You do have to be careful about the eating part with young children, and emphasize the rule that they have to ask about specific plants, not just what they think the leaves look like.

If you have the space, a back yard garden is great for the entire family. Growing vegetables in your home garden is a great way to get superior quality produce.

Don’t forget appropriately sized garden tools. You can get a decent quality of tool for children too.

6. Birdwatching.

You may have to pick up some binoculars for this if you don’t have them already. You can spend quite a bit or just get an inexpensive pair appropriate for a child’s use. A book on bird identification can be helpful as well.

If you’re lucky, this can be done in your back yard. If not, start keeping an eye on local parks, fields and nature centers where you might get to see some interesting birds.

7. A Library Card.

Sure, you should have one already for your kids, but if not, get one and commit to going to the library regularly! Free access to books and even movies at many libraries. And all it costs is time.