Much as I enjoy going through the huge selection at Amazon, there’s something to be said for supporting smaller businesses, especially green ones. So today I decided to look around at some of them.

Gifts for All

Etsy

Great fun for those who love to give handmade gifts. They won’t necessarily be green, but many will be, and you’re buying from the person who made the item most of the time.

Etsy has gift for all ages. Lots of the crafters make toys. Lots of them make home decor, jewelry and so forth.

Merchants at Etsy set their own prices. They pay just 20 cents to list each item, then a 3.5% transaction fee for each sale. That’s a much better deal than what people are getting from eBay these days, where you pay an insertion fee based on your starting auction price, then 8.75% of the closing price for the first $25, less as the price goes up.

You can also of course go to local craft fairs if handmade is what you enjoy giving but want more than what you would make yourself.

Reusable Bags

This company offers reusable bags and more. They have great shopping bags and lunch bags. You can also find Sigg, Klean Kanteen and more for family and friends who could use to drop the buying bottled water habit.

Fresh and Green

Green for all around the house, apparel, pets and so much more.

Green Nest

More products for around the house. Also sells a range of air purifiers and water filters.

Our Green House

Products for your home, pets and family. Very good range in the selection.

Green Batteries

Rechargeable batteries make great gifts for parents you know or anyone who really loves their technology. Just think of how many batteries iPods and such can go through! A good recharging system is an excellent gift for most families these days.

Apparel

Greenloop

Ethical fashions for men and women. Prices go from “not bad for eco-fashion” to rather high.

Stewart + Brown

More ethical fashions for women. Also donates at least 1% of sales to non-profit, non-governmental environmental and social welfare organizations

Skin Care

Arizona Sun

Skin care, bath products and more, with ingredients that include aloe vera and jojoba.

Juliet’s Room Organics

Promises organic skin and body car products that don’t use parabens, phthalates, alcohol, synthetic fragrances, or animal testing.

Jurlique

Skin, body and hair care products made from natural ingredients.

Seaside Naturals

Woman owned, family operated. They offer skin and personal care as well as products for cleaning around the house.

For Gardeners

Seed Savers

Help to preserve garden biodiversity by giving your favorite gardener heirloom seeds. The selection is delightful.

Green Gifts for Kids

Let’s face it – the younger a child is, the less likely he or she is to understand the fuss about green in the first place. It’s also a bit easier to find green toys for children young enough to enjoy wooden or cloth toys rather than electronics.

Magic Cabin

This site has a great selection of toys to encourage creative play. You can go through the toy selection by age group, going as far as ages 9 and up. They have play silks, natural fiber dolls, kites and quite a bit more.

Happy Valley Toys

Not strictly green, but they have great classics such as LEGO, K’Nex and Lincoln Logs. Great selection of nonelectric toys that should encourage your child’s imagination.

Hazelnut Kids

A focus on natural, wooden and organic cotton toys for children. They also donate 1% of each sale to land conservancies right now.

Heirloom Wooden Toys

Wooden toys with a focus on quality. They offer toys that encourage imaginative play and will last for years.

Gifts for Pets

Only Natural Pet Store

For the pet lover in your life. Natural and organic pet foods and toys.

Olive Green Dog

Green supplies for dogs.

Make a Difference

Gifts don’t have to be something just for the person you’re giving them too. There’s a great article on gifts that make a difference over on Eco Child’s Play.