This year our family has decided to scale back Christmas giving. It has made us all a little more creative and has the added benefit of being better for the environment. Unchecked consumerism is bad for the earth. The manufacture, transit, and eventual disposal of all the products we buy this season will have a big impact.
When our family discussed spending caps for all gifts it made me wary at first because "cheap stuff" usually has a larger impact on the environment due to cost cutting on the production end. I know I'm generalizing, but stay with me. Mostly these items are produced halfway around the world. They also are not held to strict environmental standards in the developing countries where they are produced. Working conditions are also a factor.
Some ideas I've come up with so far:
1. "green clean" basket. I filled a bucket with vinegar, baking soda, lemons and other natural cleaning products along with a sheet of instructions and recipes.
2. Goodies from Goodwill. While I was at Goodwill the other day, I spotted some cookware that matches my MIL's incredibly hard to find set. I went to her house to walk her dog midday, so I checked to see if she needed anything. I went back to Goodwill later that day and purchased her gift.
3. Getting crafty. I re-purposed a pair of my daughter's old jeans into a purse for her. I had scraps of ribbon so I made it really tacky (just the way she likes it!).
4. Paperless reference book. For my veggie sister, I purchased a flash drive and filled it with lots of delectable vegetarian recipes. There is still some unused space for her to add her favorites as well. This can easily done for a number of subjects.
What are some of the ways you plan to green your Christmas?
1 comment:
We have a really great used CD/DVD store near us. Our boys are used to the fact that any music or movies that end up in their stocking are previously owned. They also love going to that store and picking out birthday gifts for my husband and me.
I also plan on giving fair trade organic coffee as some gifts.
I make my sons' teachers and crossing guards pumpkin bread each year as a gift and use mostly organic ingredients.
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