The Best Way to Feel Connected to Others and Help the Planet
Tis’ the season for giving and I am excited to share with you some of my favourite sustainable gift ideas in this holiday Sustainable Gift Guide.
Giving feels good
According to a 2008 study at Harvard, gifting to someone special brought more joy than spending money on themselves. That’s because the act of giving releases oxytocin, a hormone linked to feelings of warmth and connection to others. Make the joy of gifting even greater by shopping for sustainable gifts this holiday season, helping the planet and the people who live on it.
Sustainable Gift Guide
Gift ideas that are good for the planet, and perfect gifts for:
- The Hard to Buy For on Your List
- The Tea Lover on Your List
- The Culinary Connoisseur on Your List
- The Natural Medicine Lover on Your List
- The Animal Lover on Your List
- Every Parent On Your List
Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Hard to Buy for on Your List
Some of the best sustainable gifts are edible. If you’re skilled in the kitchen, gift some home-baked cookies, granola, or jam. Or, you could create a basket of edible treats! Fill it with all of your favourite brands who produce quality foods in a sustainable way. Consider including cans of sustainable seafood with the traditional artisan crackers and cheeses. It’s easy to find sustainably sourced fish – just look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue fish label on seafood products for options that are good for you and the ocean too. Elevate your basket with a bottle of infused organic Cayenne Date Nectar from D’Vash made with ‘ugly’ yet delicious dates, that would otherwise be thrown out.
Building a basket for someone feeding a younger crowd? You’ll want to include Made with Local granola bar mixes. From Gingerbread to Chocolate Coconut, the flavour of these bars or easy to bake at home granola bar mixes are irresistible for kids of all ages. Made on the east coast of Canada, with the social consciousness at front of mind, Made with Local is a certified B-Corp company. Made with Local sources their ingredients in a way that gets the whole rural community involved from local farmers of oats to cranberries. They also love to support their local community food centers and encourage others to ensure those in need don’t go hungry.
Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Tea Lover on Your List
Warm your loved one’s hearts through their mugs by giving a sustainable gift like fresh tea from Millennia Tea. This is tea done differently. It’s organic fresh tea leaves produced with the environment in mind. Their packaging is created with organic ink and in ways that reduce waste. Even the shipment of these flash-frozen fresh tea leaves comes in boxes with packaging that’s compostable. Creating a business that’s good for the planet and it’s people, Millennia Tea has created direct trade relationships with the farmers helping create more sociably responsible economies.
Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Culinary Connoisseur on Your List
Kitchen items are a delight to the culinary lover on your list. Have you tried bee wax wraps, yet? An excellent alternative to plastic wrap (which isn’t great for the environment, or our health), bee wax wraps are easy to clean, and create excellent seals around bowl edges, as well as that half a cantaloupe that never fits in a reusable storage container. Nature Bee Wraps is a small Canadian, woman-run company trying to make an impact on plastic pollution and build stronger communities. Nature Bee Wraps loves to make the world a better place by helping us reduce our use of single use plastics. With gorgeous patterns to choose from, if you’re not already a fan, than you will be once you hear they work with Lalmba Canada to support rural communities in Africa.
Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Natural Medicine Lover on Your List
If your loved ones are fans of natural medicines, consider a gift from a sustainably conscious brand, such as Nature’s Way of Canada. Committed to the planet, their unusual square bottles are made from recycled milk jugs. Nature’s Way donates 1% of their sales (1% for the Planet) that supports causes like the David Suzuki Foundation, and their facility in Nova Scotia, Canada is powered by green energy.
Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Animal Lover on Your List
The perfect gift for the animal lover on your list is a pair of soft socks to sit fireside, or a toque (what us Canadians call a winter hat) for a sleighride. Pudus is a Canadian company that creates warm winter essentials using cruelty-free materials. They are a PETA-approved vegan brand. Looking for something for the little animal lovers on your list? You can adopt an animal, through the Canadian Wildlife Federation which comes with a soft animal stuffie for them to cuddle all winter long.
Sustainable Gift Ideas for Every Parent On Your List
Nothing says you’re appreciated like a gift that says take some time for yourself. A gift of luxurious body care products with beautiful scents is the perfect gift for every parent on your list. Have you tried Basd yet? This brand was created by two of my friends, Ash and Phil. This Canadian brand of body care products is made with plant-based ingredients, and is truly clean (scores a perfect 0 by Think Dirty). Plus, their new tubes are made with recycled post-consumer plastic – a great sustainable gift idea for every one on your list in need of a little self-care.
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