What every environmentalist's home needs

November 23, 2007 1:44 PM

Eco-friendly gifts for an increasingly devoted environmentalist?

My partner's birthday comes a few days after Christmas, which means December is the month I need to come up with all the gifts ideas I can. Her interest in environmentalism and sustainability has really skyrocketed in recent months and I'd like to get her gifts that go along with this. She's also very become extremely anti-plastic -- she has been moving to replace most of our plastic containers with glass containers and repurposed glass bottles.

To give you a sense of the sorts of things I'm thinking about, one thing I'm considering is a composting bin. Flowers and indoor plants for the home would be another. I know she's very interested in bamboo furniture. But I'm hopeful there are great, eco-friendly gift ideas out there that only the wisdom of the crowd can provide...

posted by anonymous to home & garden (22 comments total)

Inhabitat is a really cool site and often has links to cool gifts.
posted by billysumday at 1:58 PM on November 23, 2007

Oooh. Get her a worm bin and some worms for vermicomposting.

Sign her up for a CSA membership.

Get a cow or llama via Heifer.org.

Get something that's not a thing, but a service or something consumable like soap--minimize the STUFF you have lying around.

Commit to making some major changes yourself (shorter showers for water conservation, etc).
posted by Stewriffic at 2:05 PM on November 23, 2007

Why not make her a basket and include several gifts? You could even use a bamboo basket to contain them...

The composting bin is a good idea. You could also include a low-flow showerhead and a couple nice cloth bags for grocery shopping, if she doesn't already have those. There's a huge variety of natural/eco-friendly soaps, shampoos and cosmetics out there -- Jason's is a good brand.

Including a guide on green living might be nice too, so she could determine what else she could do.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living came out recently. I've read it, and it seems to be a pretty accessible and complete guide to this sort of thing. However, I may be biased, as I know the author -- I'm not a hardcore environmentalist myself.
posted by qz at 2:15 PM on November 23, 2007

Consider not buying a 'thing', but doing something in the person's name, like planting a tree.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 2:22 PM on November 23, 2007

EConsciousMarket might have some good ideas...half of the profits go to a charity of your choice.
posted by ms.v. at 2:22 PM on November 23, 2007

Seeing as you are presumably already intimately acquainted, perhaps Luna Pads would be a thoughtful gift. Depending on where you hail from, you may also be able to find them at your local cloth diapering/women's collective/LGBT emporium.

Cloth menstrual pads are excellent environmental savers, last for years and years, do not add to the laundry load (cf endless arguments about cloth diapers), and are really cozy on one's kitty. They are also fun to shop for on Etsy!
posted by DarlingBri at 2:53 PM on November 23, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you do flowers, make sure they are organic, because other flowers get enourmous amounts of pesticide.
If the new interest in the environment also sparked a new interest in cooking, I would recommend some great supplies for that, like a good quality long lasting kitchen knife.
posted by davar at 3:47 PM on November 23, 2007

You say bamboo furniture, but what about bamboo clothes? There appear to be a few different suppliers around the world. I have a shirt from the UK one, very comfy.
posted by wackybrit at 3:52 PM on November 23, 2007

Oh, and since DarlingBri mentioned Luna Pads, I'd probably recommend the Mooncup or Diva Cup (which those Luna Pad people seem to sell) as well if you're /that/ well acquainted. My girlfriend switched to one of these things lately and swears by it. Very eco friendly as no other gubbins are longer required!
posted by wackybrit at 3:53 PM on November 23, 2007

- Does she have a bike? Nice panniers to carry stuff home on it?
- Do you have a yard? You could build a gorgeous compost heap (lots of ideas online) and compost sifter. I've given one before and it was an unexpectedly huge hit
- Treehugger has a 2007 gift guide
- Don't get everything practical -- even us enviro freaks like to have a little something fun for our big days :-)
- BlueHouse and Branch have other ideas
- Does she have a really really nice travel coffee mug? This is the best one. It seals completely shut (completely) and can be thrown in a backpack or dropped in a car with no leaks. Keeps everything warm, easy to wash, all-around awesome.
posted by barnone at 4:20 PM on November 23, 2007

Recycled sail bags. Tarp bags.
posted by barnone at 4:24 PM on November 23, 2007

Recycled beer glasses!
posted by barnone at 4:27 PM on November 23, 2007

Market bag. Build a terrarium for her!
posted by barnone at 4:37 PM on November 23, 2007

Nice super-warm slippers, PJs and bedding (maybe even a mattress heater) so she can keep the thermostat turned way down in winter.

Lightweight silk camisole and tap pants so she can prance around the house without air conditioning in the summer.

A bike, if she doesn't have one already. A trike, if she can't ride a bike. A folding kick scooter (like a Razor or Xootr) that she can take easily on bus or train. Basically, some way to get her out of her car. Maybe a membership in something like City Car Share, ZipCars, etc, if she only needs a car occasionally but drives it all the time because, well, it's there.
posted by Quietgal at 5:37 PM on November 23, 2007

I don't know how much you want to spend, but I would love getting one of these solar powered messenger bags.

I should make the caveat that they only charge phones/ipods and not computers. Also, there are a lot more stylish brands out there if you look, this is just the first one that came up in google.
posted by aetg at 5:39 PM on November 23, 2007

Cloth napkins, really nice dish towels. Pottery platter or pie dish - great for potlucks, and not using throwaway aluminum foil. Body & bath products in beautiful packaging that can be refilled. Canvas bags for shopping. Down duvet so you can keep the heat low at night. Programmable thermostat. CF bulbs for all the lights in the house.

The most environmentally friendly things is to buy as little as possible, so 1 high-quality item is better than a bunch of stuff.
posted by Mom at 8:03 PM on November 23, 2007

Give her a box that has a bunch of handwritten gift certificates in it, for things like a massage, washing the dishes, running an errand for her, going for a walk together, etc.

We can't consume our way to a green future. Sure, if you need to get something, get the green thing. But it's better to buy less.
posted by alms at 8:45 PM on November 23, 2007

Cast iron cooking pans. Organic cotton sheets. A magazine subscription to Orion or The Ecologist or something. A membership to some environmental nonprofit (find out her favorites).
posted by salvia at 1:07 AM on November 24, 2007

I often buy people - that I know well, and know they won't be put out - a tree for birthdays, etc. You could go completely the other way and buy something like a longboard made out of bamboo - they're works of art even if you don't use them as an eco friendly way of commuting. Lush make really nice bamboo longboards.
posted by Elmore at 7:10 AM on November 24, 2007

buying things does not further the goals of sustainability
posted by LC at 11:11 PM on November 24, 2007 [2 favorites]

This year I'm giving shares in Lammas, a zero-impact planned community in the UK. They are really close to making this dream a reality, and giving shares in it helps me to highlight the importance of this work this holiday season.
posted by greekphilosophy at 6:51 AM on November 26, 2007

You could try Nigel's Eco Store (UK).
posted by paduasoy at 3:36 AM on December 2, 2007 [2 favorites]