With Christmas just around the corner, it’s definitely time to start thinking about presents. Sometimes present shopping can be a tiresome and boring job but with the help of this eco-friendly and sustainable gift idea guide, we hope we can inspire you! We have tried to think out the box with this blog, fewer products, and more lifelong presents or things that your loved ones can experience! Ps. You will also be helping save the planet while you’re at it, so it’s a win-win for everyone!
1. Ocean Sole Home Deco
If you are looking for something colorful to spruce up your home then look no further. Ocean Sole is a social enterprise based in Kenya whose mission is to clean our beaches and waterways. They also employ over 1000 people in high-impact areas! But here is where it gets really cool, Ocean Sole creates art from recycled flip flops!! Yes, you read that right! And to date, they have upcycled over 638 TONNES of flip-flops! Also, spending as little as $20 cleans up 146 pounds of trash!
2. Home-made Gingerbread Cookies!
Hear me out on this one, because you might be thinking what an effort but it’s really not at all. Ingredients to make cookies are affordable for starters and not only would they be fun to do, but you can gift this present to hundreds of people. I would suggest this option if you have a lot of friends to give presents to or maybe even your colleagues! They can also be customized too with icing sugar and sprinkles! Then you can bag them up in nice brown paper bags with a ribbon on the top! So cute!
3. Adopt an animal!
Adopting an aminal is a great gift idea for many reasons. Not only will you be contributing to the protection of a potentially vulnerable or endangered species you will be educating someone else on the importance of it. I think this present is a great idea for kids because, at the end of the day, the future of our earth does lay in their hands. If you need an idea of who or where to donate to, The SoleMate Project is a good place to start. The Solemate Project aims to make large-scale replicas of over 200 endangered and vulnerable species from recycled flip flops that are collected from waterways and beaches! They work closely with conservationists around the world, so 50% goes to these charities and the other 50% helps clean beaches and waterways!
4. A Plant!
This is such a fun gift, especially as having plants has become all the rage! And of course, they last forever (hopefully) so your friend will remember you every time they water it or put it out in the sun! Several plants purify the air too and will also do their bit by taking Co2 out of our environment! You can also add an extra splash of flare by customizing the plant pot for them! Here are a few names of plants that do well indoors and are easy to look after:
Snake Plant
Corn Plant
Philodendron
Chamaedora
Succulent or Cactus!
5. A Voucher or Gift Card
With this option you can either choose to buy a loved one a voucher for an experience, now I’m not talking about anything like a helicopter ride but what about a whisky tour or horse riding adventure? I would suggest supporting local businesses if you decide to go for a gift card or voucher because now more than ever your local businesses will be needing your help! A gift card is also a great way to let whoever you are giving it to choose what they would like to buy! Easy!
6. Mushroom Grow kits!
This is such a fun gift, especially if you have mushroom-loving friends or vegan friends on that note! There is something so satisfying about watching the mushrooms flourish out of their little box and there is little to no maintenance! Plus they are ready to eat in around 10 days! There are lots of different mushroom growing kits online but I would suggest going for Back to the Roots!
7. Seed Bombs!
You can find seed bombs all over the internet and they are really very cheap! This is such a fun gift and although it’s not the best time of year to plant seeds, you can keep them safe till spring and make a day out of it! Find out what trees and plants grow best in your area and go for seed bombs that are appropriate! You can also make your own seed bombs to gift to loved ones. Here is how you make them, in a bowl mix together 5 cups of compost, a cup of seed, and some clay or soil. Slowly stir in water until the mix becomes sticky and you can form them into golf ball-sized balls. Leave them to dry in a warm place until they are hard and boom you’ve got yourself a seed bomb!
So, there you have it! I hope we have inspired you with some great present ideas this Christmas! Time to get moving!
