Tag Archives: shopping

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I have no doubt that bits of information in it are already out of date, of course.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.

Supporting Smaller Businesses for the Holidays

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.

Planning My Avoidance of Black Friday

That’s right, I loathe Black Friday. It strikes me as just another example of excess consumerism, and a chance for people to start overspending early. That and I spent too many years in retail during college to have any appreciation for large shopping crowds.

My husband on the other hand intends to head out. I hope I can get him to call me before making too many decisions about Christmas gifts. He’s not so good on a budget and we need to be good this year. Really, really good since we’re still recovering from his being out of work for 6 months earlier this year.

I don’t mind keeping an eye on the online deals, although I almost never buy anything. It’s mostly stuff beyond what I’d consider for presents.

This is a year we are cutting way back on Christmas anyhow. My sisters and I have discussed options for simplifying things. My inlaws have announced their intention to simplify this year. They were shocked by my highly enthusiastic reaction.

But I figure it should be more about the holiday anyhow. Let’s face it, most adults these days in this country can buy their own needs and an awful lot of wants. That’s a part of why so many people are having trouble with credit now, but nonetheless so many Christmas gifts merely add to the clutter.

We’re looking a lot at gifts of help or fun times together this year. Might paint at my mom’s house. Might take the kids out for mini golf. Things that are fun, but don’t add to the mess.

Green Gift Ideas to Give to the Non-Green

Not everyone wants to go green, even now. That can make them harder to shop for when you’d rather keep things green. So I’ve been thinking on things that just about anyone can appreciate.

Gifts for Non-Green Adults

Reusable Bags

I know this can seem a bit odd, but I’m seeing people who would rather not be called environmentalists using these now. My inlaws, for example. They’re not remotely into the environmental movement, but recently found out about reusable shopping bags and utterly adore them.

Brita Pitcher Plus Reusable Water Bottles

Put the two together for the people who just cannot stand the thought of drinking straight tap water, and you might just help them break the bottled water habit. Brita is about to start taking back pitcher filters, so make sure to let people know! They may or may not do it, but it’s worth the try.

It may help to get a nice looking Sigg or Kleen Kanteen, so the appearance is a motivator for it to be used as well. Don’t forget to buy some for the kids in the family. My daughter adores her Kleen Kanteen.

Cast Iron Cookware

You can often find this in local antique shops. It’s great for people who love to cook. Cast iron skillets and dutch ovens are the most popular. I own a cast iron skillet that had been my grandmothers, and it’s my favorite. They really do get to be nicely nonstick with age and proper treatment.

Organic or Fair Trade Chocolate

Who could resist? If you have a Whole Foods nearby you can probably find a decent selection, but I’ve also seen Green & Black’s at other stores in my area, such as Target.

Green Skin Care

Many people love getting skin care products. Shop around a little and it’s not too hard to find some that are fairly environmentally friendly as well as kind to the skin. Who needs all those chemicals anyhow?

You can buy a preassembled gift basket or make one of your own. I tend to enjoy assembling gift baskets when I give them, so that I have total control over what goes into them. Makes it a bit more personal, too.

I’ll cover gift ideas for kids in another post. There are some really great shops out there that offer wonderful, environmentally friendly toys for children.