A Gift Guide for a Happy Planet
Welcome to the “official” start of the holiday shopping season! Whether you’re shopping for co-workers, family, friends, or that special someone, we know there’s no feeling quite like the one you get when you realize you picked the perfect gift for someone important to you. But even if that gift is perfect for them, odds are that its environmental impact isn’t exactly perfect for the planet.
But we’re not here to guilt-trip you into giving up handing out presents this year. We’re not asking you to stop giving gifts over the holidays — we’re just asking you to gift better. Santa was right, it pays to check your holiday list twice. Once to make sure the recipient will love your gift, and a second time to make sure Earth will too.
Here’s how.
Eliminate Waste / Don’t Give People Actual Stuff
We know, we know. This is a tough one, especially around this time of year. But remember: sometimes, the best stuff isn’t “stuff” at all. Consider avoiding physical gifts as much as you can this year — give the gift of experiences, your time and talent, or donations to an organization that means something to the recipient. We’ve got a great climate change fighting gift center set up on our site where you can find tons of awesome ways to give gifts that give Earth a fighting chance this year. But if you’re looking for something more tangible because you absolutely need to have those stockings stuffed with something, don’t worry: you’ve still got some options for gifting better this year.
If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around the fact that the holiday season helps Americans contribute an extra 1 million tons a week to our landfills, just take a quick look around most rooms after a gift exchange. But it’s not only wrapping paper that contributes to our excess around the holidays — sometimes, it’s what’s on the inside that truly counts.
Cheap plastic gifts and toys are a major culprit for waste (not to mention the emissions associated with their production) around this time of year. About 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced each year, close to the combined weight of every single person on the planet. If current trends continue, there’s a decent chance that our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050. When picking out presents this year, do what you can to pass on the plastic.
And while you’re at it, let’s talk about powering all those newly gifted gadgets. Every year, around 4 billion disposable batteries are shipped to the United States, meaning that the average person throws away close to 50 batteries a year. A simple switch to rechargeables will not only cut down on that waste, it’ll save you some money in the process. It’s greener for the planet, and it keeps a little more green in your pocketbook.
Shipping
When it comes to gifting, timing can be everything. We understand the importance of getting the perfect gift delivered right on time, but any emissions benefits that come from shopping online instead of driving to the mall are lost when you switch to two-day, one-day, or same day shipping. So get those orders in ASAP, consolidate your items into as few shipments as possible, then choose a slower delivery time to minimize the emissions of its shipping.
Shop at Stores That Offset Their Footprints
Even better than trying to reduce the emissions from shipping gifts to your front door: let the stores themselves offset the cost of your shipping, or frequent stores that have robust offset programs in place. Being as carbon-neutral as possible is a growing trend among retail stores, so try and find a few that will help you keep your gifting as green as possible. Showing loyalty to brands that are verifiably taking action for the planet is a great way for you to stay on Earth’s “Nice List” this year — and luckily, we work with quite a few of them:
Offsets
Even if you take every carbon emissions fighting action possible this year, buying a gift is still going to create a carbon footprint of some kind. Even the most green-focused gift giver is going to have trouble making sure their holiday gifts make both their recipients and Earth smile, but that doesn’t mean we’re asking you to file a formal complaint about the office’s Secret Santa program this year. This year, all we’re asking is that when it comes to giving eco-friendly gifts, do your best — then offset the rest and help give the gift of a happy planet this year.
