As you're buying holiday and Christmas gifts this year, you have an amazing and exciting chance to make choices that HELP, not harm, our Earth. Every time you spend your money on junk, you're telling the manufacturer to make more junk. But every time you spend your money on the good stuff, you're opening the door to more good stuff being designed and produced.
So here's what's on the top of my list of gifts to avoid because they harm the Earth:
- Kids' toys packaged in layer after layer of wasteful plastic and cardboard
- Artificially-scented candles that contain chemicals harmful to people and planet
- Cheaper than dirt t-shirts that were made by low-paid labour working in poor labour conditions, shipped half-way across the globe
Happily, I have lots of options with gifts to enjoy & give because they help the Earth including:
- Boston fern and English ivy plants that add a feeling of coziness to a room and clean the air of pollutants and toxins
- Natural health-care products like lotions and lip balms that contain healthy ingredients
- Good books that will be shared and passed around amongst my friends and family members as part of our informal lending library.
- And of course, plantable paper gifts from my favorite shop Botanical PaperWorks
To help you find Earth-friendly gifts this year, we've put together the 2009 Green Guide Guide featuring our best plantable stationery products.
Each product in the Gift Guide was made with 100% post-consumer waste, is embedded with wildflower or herb seeds, will grow a colorful plant AND is packaged in reusable or compostable packaging.
Click here to read the 2009 Green Gift Guide.
As you shop for your loved ones, remember that with each gift you buy, you have the chance to make choices that help, not harm, our Earth. Best wishes to you this season!