10 Sustainable Holiday Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List
by Shannon Sullivan
This sustainable gift guide will help you give with the environment in mind this holiday season.
In my family, I’m known for two things: my commitment to the environment (I’ve taken bags of
frozen food scraps on public transportation to the nearest compost site) and my gift-giving skills.
I wanted to combine these two aspects to choose the perfect sustainable gifts this year—and I
thought I’d share my expertise!
Here are my top 10 sustainable holiday gift ideas for every recipient:
1. Recycle, but make it fashion: Ideal For The Project Runway Binger
For a fashion-forward friend, consider clothing made from recycled plastic bottles or
upcycled fabric. More and more brands are adding pieces made from recycled materials,
from athletic wear by Girlfriend Collective and Patagonia to luxury fashion from Prada
and Gucci. Who knew sustainability could be so chic?
2. Steel drinking from plastic: Ideal For The Sustainability Beginner
Tired: plastic water bottles.
Wired: stainless steel water bottles.
They’re sleek, stylish, and more eco-friendly than reusable plastic bottles. Stainless steel
bottles also tend to be insulated, so your recipient can use it for coffee, tea, or soup.
3. Waste not, want not: Ideal For The Gardener/Home Cook
You don’t need a backyard, or even a lot of space to compost! A composter makes the
perfect sustainable holiday gift for someone who wants to minimize their waste or up
their gardening game. Compost, made up of nutrient-rich organic material, soil, and
water, is excellent plant fuel.
4. DIY it up: Ideal For The Hardest To Shop For
One of the most heartfelt—and sustainable—gifts you can give is something that you
make yourself! Tap into your creative side to make something tailored to your giftee, be
it their favorite cookies, a piece of art, or a product of your cross-stitching hobby.
5. Go all the way waste-free: Ideal For The Activist
The most sustainable gift is one that has no packaging at all! Donating in your giftee’s
name to an environmental nonprofit or projects, like the GlobalGiving Climate Action
Fund, goes even further by protecting forests and endangered species and helping
communities around the world become more sustainable.
6. The gift of responsible relaxation: Ideal For The One Who Needs To Take A
Breath
Put together a kit for sustainable self-care! Pick a few minimal or no-waste favorites like
bath bombs, solid lotion, bar soap, and solid shampoo and conditioner. You can even add
a safety razor for a waste-free shaving option. Bonus points if you can find a Do Not
Disturb sign made of sustainable bamboo.
7. One in a billion: Ideal For The Social Media Star
For the person in your life who is attached to their phone—so, just about everyone—
check out these sustainable phone cases. One billion phone cases are produced from
plastic each year and will end up spending far longer in a landfill than they did in their
user’s pocket. Cases made from cork or plant-based materials can be recycled or
composted!
8. Zero-waste starter pack: Ideal For The Recent Sustainability Convert
If your recipient is committed to a plastic-free lifestyle but doesn’t know where to start,
look no further than a zero-waste kit! With basics like reusable sandwich bags, cloth
produce bags, shampoo bars, and beeswax wrap, a kit is a perfect gift to set someone up
for their waste-free journey.
9. Along for the ride: Ideal For The Adventurer
Giving an experience rather than an object is the ultimate sustainable gift. Check out a
masterclass, an annual pass to national parks, or you can both try. After all, the greatest
gift is being able to spend time together!
10. A virtual gift for the virtual age: Ideal For The Socially Distanced Giftee
Another waste-free gift option is a digital gift card. Bought and used completely online,
you don’t have to wrap it or worry about it arriving on time.
A GlobalGiving Gift Card lets the recipient choose from thousands of nonprofit projects—
working for every cause from coral conservation to forest regeneration—to support in 170+
countries. You can give the sustainable holiday gift that keeps on giving with a GlobalGiving
Gift Card.
SHOP GIFT CA
Shannon Sullivan was raised in North Carolina and currently resides in Washington, DC. After
graduating from New York University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s in French, she interned at the
Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York and then spent several months in France.
*Editor’s Note: Wise Owl Factory is not associated with GlobalGiving and this is a guest post from a fellow climate change associate. Thank you.
Wants and needs can be so difficult for families to manage during the holidays. The anticipation of gifts can create some behavior issues in the classroom, too. The post at this link has a free holiday wants and needs printable to help with economics understanding for young children and primary grades.
Poverty in America affects many of our schools. Students with a better understanding of how poverty affects people can have increased empathy towards those who may be suffering in one or more areas. Class illustrated discussion guide free instant download at this link.
This sustainable gift guide will help you give with the environment in mind this holiday season. Informational blog post by Shannon Sullivan.
