Jack Pat Wood | Eco Friendly ideas

TAG | Gifts

Sep/10

4

Eco Friendly Christmas gifts

Christmas gifts and the Christmas season for many, means that they will go to the end of the earth to get special and unique gifts for their loved ones. Shops will be crowded, roads filled with traffic and basically, mayhem everywhere. But all this activity does our planet very little good is something that we should take a second off to think about. All the pollution caused by vehicles and manufacturers in third world countries who produce really cheap products for us with scant disregard for safety and environmental protection rules has taken its toll on the environment. Minimising our carbon footprint is the new mantra everywhere and everyone is talking about being green, eco friendly and environmentally conscious. Isn’t it about time we extended the same to the Christmas gifts season?

Ideally we can follow the 3R’s and thus Reduce our consumption and Reuse used materials or Recycle it to make it reusable. Yu can make gift wraps and bags from scrap papers or cloth or even reuse a gift wrapper that you received once, by carefully removing it and preserving it. Another option would be to make your own Christmas gifts for your loved ones from scrap materials. All the pollution caused by vehicles and manufacturers in third world countries who produce really cheap products for us with scant disregard for safety and environmental protection rules has taken its toll on the environment. Minimising our carbon footprint is the new mantra everywhere and everyone is talking about being green, eco friendly and environmentally conscious. Isn’t it about time we extended the same to the Christmas gifts season?Christmas gifts and the Christmas season for many, means that they will go to the end of the earth to get special and unique gifts for their loved ones. Shops will be crowded, roads filled with traffic and basically, mayhem everywhere. But all this activity does our planet very little good is something that we should take a second off to think about.

A shuttle cock box or some old floppy disks can become a pen stand with some colourful patterns on it. Similarly some old compact discs can be joined together and painted on or one could stick some old family photographs on to them to make a unique photo frame of sorts. Such thoughtful Christmas gifts will surely gain more popularity among the loved ones!All the pollution caused by vehicles and manufacturers in third world countries who produce really cheap products for us with scant disregard for safety and environmental protection rules has taken its toll on the environment. Minimising our carbon footprint is the new mantra everywhere and everyone is talking about being green, eco friendly and environmentally conscious. Isn’t it about time we extended the same to the Christmas gifts season?Christmas gifts and the Christmas season for many, means that they will go to the end of the earth to get special and unique gifts for their loved ones. Shops will be crowded, roads filled with traffic and basically, mayhem everywhere. But all this activity does our planet very little good is something that we should take a second off to think about.

To read about christmas presents and other information, visit the christmas gift ideas site.

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Here are some ideas for gift giving that not only show your fondness for someone but also reflect your personal commitment to helping the environment.

1. Time

The gift of time to help with chores is always appreciated but you could add an earth friendly twist to it.

a. Help someone with a de-clutter project – offer your services to help organize a garage or a storage space. Help them recycle unwanted electronics, batteries and paints to insure they get to the right place.

b. Help make their home more energy efficient. Pay for an energy audit, buy them a programmable thermostat, share your electronic power meter that measures how much electricity is used, help them put in more insulation or better window seals.

2. Give Consumables

Take them to see a movie, watch a play, tour an art gallery, or explore on a day trip together. Give the gift of a memory rather than a ìdust collectorî to clutter their home.  Homemade jams, pies, fruit loaves are always welcomed.  Think of something theyíve enjoyed that youíve made and bring the ingredients over and show them how to cook it.

3. Give Reusables

a. Specially designed metal reusable water bottles and a pitcher that filters water in their fridge saves them from using plastic water bottles.

b. Give them a tree to plant in their own backyard or plant a tree in their honor through a forest or park regenerating project.

c. Help them go paperless- help them start up an online banking and payment program. Show them how to access catalogues and phone information on line. If you have an elderly parent with no computer, do it for them on your computer. Give ebooks or commit to a bi-weekly library visit with an elderly parent.

d. Make a set of reusable shopping bags to give as a gift. Most stores are charging for plastic bags now.

4. Charitable gifts

Make a donation in their honor to a charity which helps provide basic necessities to those who need it in the developing world. ìBuyî an acre of land for them in a threatened rain forest. Membership to an environmental organization or donations to programs designed to clean up the environment are perfect gifts.

5. Purchase Eco friendly products

a. From skin care to baby care, there are excellent chemical free organic products available.

b. A cloth diaper set is better for the baby and the environment and it prevents tons of diaper waste from going to landfills.

c. Give linens that were made from raw materials produced without harsh chemical treatments. Bamboo is very popular as an eco-friendly resource.

d. Solar-powered lights provide an environmentally friendly accent for the yard, patio, or balcony.

e. Choose wooden instead of plastic toys for children.

f. Buy books featuring craft ideas that are earth friendly.

Suzanne Bucciarelli is the owner of Green Living Ezine and writes articles and tips on how to save money and go green at the same time. Read Over 125 Ways to Go Green and Save Money at Green Living Ezine.

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Christmas shopping can be trying at the best of times but trying to buy green or shop for eco-friendly products can make it almost impossible, especially when it comes to looking for gifts for kids.

But even buying green gifts for children and teenagers can be easy if you know where to look. Young children are perhaps the easiest age to buy for especially with such  a wide range of eco-friendly toys now available.

There are a large range of toys such as eco-trucks and cars that don’t use batteries but rely on kinetic energy. These are great fun for young minds and are as just as appealing as their battery powered rivals.

And solar powered toys are great too. A solar powered helicopter or solar powered toy car makes a fantastic presents that will keep any young mind enthralled.

And for teenagers, desperate for the latest mp3 player, laptop of hand held games machine the perfect eco-friendly complement would be a solar powered charger. Solar power chargers are available that can recharge nearly every device – even laptops. And these solar powered lap top chargers even have the advantage of being able to charge devices whilst you are on the go.

There are also a wide range of natural bathroom products and cosmetics too. An all natural gift set that uses 100% natural products will still smell great and be the prefect pamper present for any young lady. Or you could buy some organic clothes or clothing made from bamboo which is completely sustainable and looks great too.

So Christmas shopping for kids and teens doesn’t have to be bad for the environment and by buying your eco friendly gifts online – it doesn’t have to cost the earth too.

Richard N Williams is interested in green innovations and writes about them. Please visit our website if you are interested in eco gifts and toys or other eco-friendly products.

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Have you been planning to give away gifts to a loved one or a friend? You are unable to decide what to give? Don’t worry. You can choose from a wide range of gifts. There are electronic goods, gadgets, bags and many things that you could give. You can also choose between a handmade item or a ready made item. There is another great option available to you. You can also give eco friendly items. These items are not only cheap but also environment friendly.

It is indeed a great idea to give eco friendly items that also contribute to the cause of nature. These items can be used again and are also not harmful to environment. You can give them for any occasion. Be it a birthday, wedding or anniversary. They last long and make a lasting impression. Many a times, the focus is on how expensive a gift is. When compared to eco friendly gifts, they are long lasting and also recyclable.

They are available in various kinds of designs and forms. You can also give such items to children. Toys are something most of the children like. If you wish to know more about the typed of gifts that you can give, you can also visit a store that provides such items. You could also look online to get more information about such types of gifts. You can get ideas on the gifts to give for various occasions.

Eco friendly gifts can also save the environment. They can also work out to be much cheaper. You could also walk around the stores to check the various kinds of products available. You could also end up buying a gift that is cheap an also has some long term usage. You can choose from various products such as purses, bags, clothing, hemp products, novelties, lamps, gift baskets and soaps. These items are recyclable and do not cause much harm to the environment.

You can buy such products from anywhere. You can also consider giving:

•  Grocery tote – these items make a perfect gift item as they are made up of cloth.  They are biodegradable. Carrying your own bag could save the amount of plastic that you would be wasting. We are all aware of the amount of pollution caused due to such bags.

•  Potpourri – These are also made up of seasonal plants and flowers. Rose pedals, cedar wood, pine needles, rosemary, lemon and lavender all make excellent scents. You can experiment with different combinations of your favorite scents.

•  Gardening kit – This is the best gift item that you can give to a person who loves gardening.

The choice is unlimited. You can choose from a wide range of eco friendly products.

Sadhana D, Expert Author, Platinum Status. For more information on Eco Friendly Gifts: Eco Friendly Bulk Gifts

Know about Electronic Gift items: Electronic Gifts

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Businesses are now taking environmental issues much more seriously than they used to.  It is no longer cool to give products away that are just going to be added to our already overstretched landfills.  This is why a lot of promotional products are being manufactured out of raw materials that are sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable and/or run off solar, dynamo or water power.  When considering promotional gifts for your clients, it is important to try to find products that serve a purpose so that they will be used and kept for a long time.   Do you see the added bonus here?  Gifts that are kept for a long time also promote your business for a long time.

It is worth noting that tying the gifts in somehow with what you do will help your customers remember you and your brand. Following are five product types you might like to consider for your top clients.  Although they may not all be ‘eco friendly’ there is a better chance that they will remain in your customers’ possession than a lot of the ‘eco friendly’ gifts on the market.

Organic Clothing:  The promotional gift industry follows trends.  Many of the products that are available for promoting your business were popular on the high street first.  There is a lot of certified organic clothing on the market for promotion.  These garments look trendy which means your customers are much more likely to wear them.  Look around and you will find everything for attractive pullovers to top quality organic cotton jackets.

Promotional Tools:  OK, it will be difficult to find an eco friendly tool but tools are normally kept and used for a long time.  By tools, I mean anything from a high quality screwdriver set to a wine set:  products that are a means to an end.  When purchasing good quality tools, think to yourself, will my customer be using this next year or is it too gimmicky?  Remember, ‘kept’ is good, landfill is bad!

Alternative Energy Products:  These are products that are charged by water, sunlight or a crank of some sort.  Alternative energy products are the in thing right now.  People love to show off a clock that runs on water or an MP4 player that is solar powered.  There are hundreds of such gifts available so have fun finding the best ones. Order early as the most popular are likely to sell out early.

Eco Desktop Products:  Whatever your budget, you should be able to find an eco friendly desk tidy or pen pot.  Again, just because a product is being sold as eco friendly does not mean it won’t find its way to your customer’s bin.  Look for useful products you know they will like and keep.

Promotional Bags:  Jute shopper bags are the bag of the moment.  They are inexpensive and a good eco friendly way of carrying the Christmas groceries.  But did you know there are also a lot of other eco friendly bags on the market that might be more appropriate depending on the business you are in?  There are good quality conference bags, laptop bags, suitcases etc that are manufactured in biodegradable and also organic materials.  Give your customers a quality bag and they will use it regularly.

Now I would like to invite you to visit my promotional gifts website. The site is packed with a large range of eco friendly gifts. You may also be interested in visiting my promotional pens website which features the UK’s largest selection of eco friendly promotional pens.

Dan Toombs is Managing Director of CompuGift Limited. Established in 1997, CompuGift was the first internet based promotional gift supplier in the UK.

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In this holiday gifts segment that aired December 17, 2008, Lauren Glassberg of ABC Eyewitness News talks to Kate D’Arcy of Toggery by Kate D’Arcy about her eco-friendly clothing line being a great gift for women this season. Everything is under $150, easy to wear and easy to size. The entire collection is sold at luxgreenliving.com

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Jun/10

16

A Sampling of Eco Friendly Gifts

Without a doubt, people are more aware with their surroundings today. Because of this, people are more conscious with their actions and, more generally, their lifestyle and their choices. Part of these choices is what one consumes or buys. As expected, a number of products harm the environment. That is why it is advisable to buy eco friendly gifts such as organic flowers. Obviously, products like organic flowers are beautiful, making it the most attractive presents, while eco friendly gifts are useful and helpful.

As the name implies, eco friendly gifts are environment friendly products. Products such as organic flowers are environment friendly because their production do not harm the natural cycle of life of nature. For example, a number of clothing items are not eco friendly because their production requires the harming and illegal killing of animals. In the same way, the production of eco friendly gifts such as organic flowers can be sustained through environmentally conscious methods.

But many might ask why is there a need to buy eco friendly gifts or give eco friendly gifts as presents besides the fact that they are environmentally-friendly. As the name might already imply, not only are eco friendly gifts, well, eco-friendly; they are also healthy and harmless. This is because most eco friendly gifts such as organic flowers are made from natural materials and ingredients. For example, there is no need to say that organic flowers are not natural. However, organic flowers are safer (and, more importantly, more beautiful) than other plant gifts because they are not grown using unnatural fertilizers or pesticides. This is to ensure that the product is all-natural and any part of the process in its production does not and will not harm the environment and, consequently, its users.

Of course, eco friendly gifts are not limited to products such as organic flowers. There are a number of eco friendly gifts, such as natural clothing, natural skin care products, organic beddings, organic chocolates and snacks, as well as other eco friendly gifts. Using such products is advisable especially when the user is sensitive to materials. Eco friendly gifts are made from organic materials, natural substances that are used and consumed in everyday life. Hence, this ensures users that they are safe. On the other hand, edible eco friendly gifts are healthy since do not contain harmful chemicals which could lead to health complications. For example, organic chocolates contain less fat and healthier natural alternatives to make the product as delectable as the traditional chocolate. The variety of eco friendly gifts helps consumers choose too, so every part of their decision making has a counterpart organic or natural product.

Lastly, eco friendly gifts such as organic flowers are more quality-centered. These product manufacturers are not concerned with brand names, so they make every product worth its cost. They cheaper, healthy alternatives to the common gift items people are accustomed to. And, certainly, eco friendly gifts are definitely unique gift items which will never fail to delight even the pickiest consumers.

Eco friendly gifts such as organic flowers are certainly unique and practical gift items. Visit our site to see our eco friendly gift offerings which are sure to tickle your fancy.

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When everyone on the earth is screaming green, how can an artistic mind remain untouched by the movement. So, if you are that creative person who loves to wrap gifts in unique ways, just be a little more aware and think of some eco-friendly ways to wrap your gifts. Save the earth and be proud of it! Here are some ways to go eco-friendly with gift wrapping, rest you can think yourself, the creative man as you are!

1. Find Corporate Gift Companies with Eco-friendly Wrapping Process
If you are thinking of wrapping up the most awaited corporate gifts, find a brand or company that will use recycled paper gift bags or even jute gift pouches to wrap up these gifts. Take help of Internet, search and search more – demands will sure make these companies adhere to your requirements.

2. Make Daily-Use Items Your Gift Wraps
Utilize your money as also your efforts buying daily use items such as pillow covers, beach towels, decorative bed sheets or organic cloth bags that can be creatively used to wrap up the gifts. This way, gifts as well as the wrappers can be use- double bonanza- did you say!

3. Reuse the Brown Bags, Holiday Gift Bags and Gift Wrappers
Next time, you get a gift, ensure you don’t throw away the gift wrapping bags or papers. Store them. Reuse them to wrap the gifts you’ll give away to your loved ones. If you don’t like the idea of using brown paper bags, just try your hands on finger painting or stamp painting (make stamps with as common a thing as erasers and potatoes). Dip your fingers or stamps in paints and make beautiful designs on the brown paper bags. Now use them for gift wrapping.

4. Unique Gift Tags made from Old Business Cards
Need gift tags to scribe on? Just get hold of some old business cards. Take two of them at a time and glue them on the printed sides with craft glue. Tie a string using the unused wool yarn or ribbon lying around, by punching a hole on the tag. Paint or paste some interesting graphics on the tag and now write whatever your heart wishes to communicate to the gift receiver.

5. Don’t just Wrap up the Attractive Containers
The manufacturers so interestedly choose and make the designs of their containers. Why waste all the efforts. Let them be attractive as they are. If giving something like cookies or chocolates, fill them in attractive bowls with lid – great gift container. Buy a watering can and fill it with gardening supply for your nature loving friend- he’ll sure like the gift as well as the gift holder. If they don’t give the looks of a gift like this, just tie a ribbon or a scarf in an innovative style around the container, hang a gift tag made of old business card and just give it away.

Don’t forget to attach a note with each gift to explain what you have done. Personalize them with tiny paintings, messages and crochet touches, etc. Also request the recipient to recycle or reuse your wrap. It’s their turn to save earth now!

For more eco-friendly craft items like business organizers, kids gift items, letter head, greeting cards, file folders etc.

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May/10

22

Top 10 Eco-Friendly Gifts List!


All links can be found here: www.ecobold.com The best eco-friendly products gift guide. The coolest green shopping guide. Lots of organic, recycled, biodegradable, eco-friendly gifts for your holidays!

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This Valentine Day, gift your sweetheart something unique and different and make her feel really special. And also start a green and eco-friendly revolution by giving her these exclusive organic gifts.

Eco-friendly Rose : Give her roses which are grown without any harmful pesticides. Because an attempt to smell your hidden love inside the ordinary rose may make her feel dizzy.

So make her feel your love in a green way and gift her an organic rose. Buy a Valentine rose with VeriFlora Certification. This certification ensures that it was grown organically.

Eco-friendly Heart-shaped Candles : Go for eco-friendly candles for the candlelight dinner. Paraffin candles made of petroleum residues, are very hazardous for the environment. Hence, switching over to eco-friendly candles is a better idea.

The conventional candles add more to an already polluted environment. Smokeless and biodegradable organic candles are so much useful. She can light some of those on this Valentine Day romantic dinner. Try some organic candles available in heart shapes. Also you can have candles made of veg-based wax, soy wax or beeswax.

Eco-friendly Pillows And Sheets : Sheets made of organic cotton and bamboo fabrics are also a wonderful idea for Valentine day gifts. Nothing could be better than to sit on these smooth sheets hand in hand. These organic sheets feel very comfortable. Even you can gift her a pair of organic pillows to make a perfect setting for green love. Go for a green pillow fight.

Eco-friendly Jewelry : Nothing could be better than giving her a beautiful range of organic fashion jewelry made of recycled metals and glass. In this recession period, they are a hit as no jewelry is as cheap as these are.

These affordable jewelry are available at almost all the jewelry shops. They look colorful and sophisticated. Moreover, gifting her jewelry made of natural things such as beads and seashells could be an exciting idea too.

Eco-friendly Fashion Apparel : The comfort of hanging out in organic clothing has got no parallel, if you compare the sheer elegance of various fabrics. Gift her some beautiful and colorful dresses made of bamboo fabrics or soy fabrics or organic cotton and ask her how she feels like. “It feels next to your smooth and kind touch,” could be the answer.

Believe me, you will see no dearth of these organic clothing. Buy her a dress or a tunic or a jeans or whatever you can. They are dyed using organic hues.

Eco-friendly Accessories : Gifting her a range of organic fashion accessories could be an icing on the cake. Buy her an organic designer belt made of completely green materials.

Even the buckles of such belts are made of recycled metals. You can also give her handbags, handkerchiefs and scarves made of organic materials.

Eco-friendly Reading : Last but not the least, comes a book. I don’t know which type of paper Jodi Helmer has used to print this book. But one thing I am sure of that anybody who reads “The Green Year” will instantly become a dedicated follower of green lifestyle. So make her read this green book this Valentine Day and see her developing into an aware and conscious green citizen.

Check out some nice dresses, cosmetics, jewelry and footwear on Fashion Products.

For more Valentine Day Ideas, check out my blog Exploring Fashion.

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