The planet is in big trouble thanks to years and years of pollution and every little bit helps when it comes to reducing the impact of pollution. There are many environmentally friendly habits that you can incorporate into your life. You have to think about how to start small so that you retain these good habits. One such practice is how you give gifts.
There are many sustainable methods that you can follow for gift giving. When it comes to gifts, we tend to give things that people will not usually buy for themselves and these gifts are often luxurious or expensive. Gift wrapping is also a big part of gift giving. What you may not think about is how much wrapping paper is discarded by people and how easily this can pile up as a lot of waste.
So when it comes to eco-friendly gifts you have to think about the overall experience and how it can be sustainably managed. There are so many trees that are used to produce wrapping paper and this is a never ending cycle. And paper can only be recycled so many times as the fibers can degrade after each time. Some eco-friendly options you can consider are reusable gift boxes and gift bags, organic gift wrap and decorative cloth.
There are also pre-owned or second hand items that can be gifted. For example, vintage clothes are very popular these days and if you know someone who loves vintage fashion or loves to experiment with their clothing; this is a great gift to consider. Other pre-owned gifts include electronics, antique ornaments or furniture and even old heirlooms. However, not everyone will like this option. There are also environmentally friendly gifts that you can find on the market. This depends on the material that they are made out of. You can gift organic cosmetics to somebody who loves makeup or steel items such as lunchboxes, travel mugs etc. These are reusable items that can be an everyday fixture in someone’s life.
If you have the time, homemade gifts can be the best thing you can give because it signifies that you spent a lot of time and love on the gift. If you are good at knitting, you can gift a unique sweater or a scarf. If you have a beautiful garden, you can brighten somebody’s day by creating a lovely floral bouquet. You can also gift potted plants whether it is herbs or decorative plants. But make sure you include instructions on how to care for the plant. You can even gift an experience. This is essentially a beautiful memory that you are gifting. You can cook dinner for somebody or take them to a movie. Maybe you can purchase tickets to their favorite artist’s concert or a sporting game that they have been looking forward to.
You can even give a day off housework for an overworked new mum which can be a very thoughtful gesture. Even if you don’t have a lot of artistic skill, there are crafts that you can create which can be incredible homemade and thoughtful gifts.
