Green Living Series: Last Minute Green(er) Gift Options
A day before Christmas and like most of us, the Christmas rush is real. The scramble to find some very last-minute gifts can get pretty daunting and extra stressful. And that is why HEI is here to help with some Last Minute Gifting ideas that will take less time and will even cause a lesser carbon footprint so you can enjoy a Truly Green Christmas.
1. Easy Do-It-Yourself Gifts
While for most, DIY gifts can take up a lot of time and effort, there are some easy ideas that you can whip up in literally a few minutes with materials readily available at your home.
“Love Coupons” - you can either write it down using recycled greeting cards, folders or paper and you can customize it according to your loved ones' interests and hobbies. Something you can gift them (tangible or intangible) in the future or something you both can enjoy.
Examples - “Free lunch at the restaurant of your choice”, “Free Massage”, “Date Night Friday”, etc.
Plant Propagation Cuttings - all you need is some clean scissors, and if you’re a plant mama (or papa) then you already have this, snip those fast-growing indoor plants you have that have grown wild and are due for a trim anyway (pothos and monsteras, I’m talking to you), clean an unused recycled bottle and just pop the plant in with water.
Cocktail Kit - with the numerous dinners and get-togethers you have been to since pre-Thanksgiving, there are for sure numerous half full (or empty, depending on the type of person you are) bottles of liquor lying around in your bar. Make use of those recycled empty bottles lying around and make your own cocktail mix. Decorate it with dehydrated slices of citrus, cinnamon sticks, pine and what not and you got yourself a fresh new cocktail mix to gift, or keep.
Transform Old Clothes into Reusable Tote Bags - may take more time than the others since it needs basic sewing, but if you’re handy with your scissors, show off those stitching skills and convert any old clothing to a nice bag they will definitely use in their next Farmer’s Market trip.
2. Electronic Gift Cards
If DIY-ing is not your thing, then the quickest way to grab that last-minute gift is through electronic gift cards. More and more brands have been offering this super easy and efficient way of gifting store credits (or sometimes even actual items) straight to the receiver’s email in a matter of seconds. Here are some of our favorite B-Corp brands - brands we support because not only are the products really good, we also believe in their company’s ethos.
Global Trunk - a mission-based company that focuses on collaborating with artisans, non-profits and cooperatives from Mexico and Guatemala to produce apparel, accessories and home goods.
REI Coop - an organized consumer’s cooperative where everything you can possibly think of that a person might need for his/her/their next outdoor adventure can be found.
Girlfriend Collective - size inclusive, quality athleisure-wear made from recycled water bottles.
Blueland - revolutionary, plastic-free home cleaning essentials
Misfits Market - organic produce & sustainably sourced groceries delivered to your door
Inesscents - plant-derived skin care products and essences that focuses on "conscious consumerism"
3. Gift of Experience
Gifts need not be tangible items but fun experiences your loved ones can enjoy by themselves or something you can do together in the future. There’s always something out there for everyone:
For hikers and adventure-seekers, gift them the America The Beautiful pass that gives them access to all National Parks and most State Parks in the US.
For the homebodies, online subscriptions are the best gift to give. From e-books, audiobooks, online magazine subscriptions to Skillshare, the options online are endless and can keep them preoccupied the whole year-round.
For those into city culture, then one of the most helpful resources we found is Bucket Listers- they cover a variety of cities (LA, San Francisco, NYC, Chicago, to name a few) and is a one-stop shop for a wide range of events and local activities - art installations, wine tasting, mini-concerts, stand-ups, you name it, they’ll probably have it. You can gift your loved ticket/s for a future event/activity that you know they will love to do, by themselves or with you! Plus, you get to support local businesses and events so that’s always a win for everyone.
4. Gift of Goodwill
And last but not the least, the gift of goodwill is probably the most impactful gift you can ever give especially if your loved one has a cause or an organization that they love to support. You can make a one-time donation or subscribe to a monthly contribution, on their behalf. Some of our personal favorite organizations to support are:
Elephant Cooperation - is a non-profit devoted to raising awareness of the African Elephant crisis and supporting existing organizations that embrace this cause. They take a “cooperative” approach by researching, vetting and collaborating with other organizations with the same mission through funding.
Sea Legacy - is the global marketing, education, and communication agency for the ocean, creating strategies and content that instill hope and move audiences into action to create climate actions and sustainable solutions for the ocean.
4Ocean - is an ocean cleanup company dedicated to ending the ocean plastic crisis by harnessing the power of business to fund global cleanup operations. The goal is to clean or recover millions of pounds of plastic and trash from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines.
While there’s obviously no scarcity of creative, greener gift idea alternatives, here at HEI, we urge everyone to give the gift of being present and extra kindness, always. We all need a little additional love and support, especially during this holiday season and those are the best gifts anyone can give and receive.
