“Giving,” simply put is perhaps the most fundamental way to pass something on from one person to another and has undoubtedly become the biggest tradition of the holidays. For some of us, giving is often much more fun than receiving, which means we spend a lot of time and effort carefully planning out that perfect gift for everyone on our list. This year I challenge you to find the ultimate gift that combines usefulness and influential creativity. Without sounding too cliché- focus your energy on the gift that keeps on giving. Learn what it really means to give green and give it by passing on the importance of our impact on this planet and how we can all work together to make big changes happen, even with little choices. My green gift guide will offer you many solutions to gift ideas and will also offer you the knowledge you need to be able to get through your gift buying frenzy and know when a product really is green or when its only claiming to be. To start our give green section, I’ve created a small list of key points you should remember all the time when buying green. For specific gift ideas, visit my section on weekly trends for this seasons greenings!
· Buy local first.
· Look for fair-trade symbols on products.
· Organic and Sustainable items (make sure these are USDA certified, otherwise you may be getting suckered into the green-washing machine!
· Consider buying movies, books and other educational materials on environmental conservation and global warming. The 11th hour is one of my favorites and it’s narrated by green pioneer, Leonardo DiCaprio. Bonus!
· Is it really necessary to use wrapping paper and an enormous amount of tissue paper for a gift the size of a golf ball? I’m not saying you should get rid of all packaging (by all means, do so if you can), but please cut back and re-use! Open gifts you get early without tearing through the paper and use it on another gift.
These are 5 simple steps to help you start. Check my gift guide frequently and look for hot new items and trends that are, well, all things green!