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Gifts that are earth-friendly
 | Bicycles. A healthy gift that requires only human energy to operate
and gets people outdoors.
| Books. These gifts provide a lifetime of use with minimal damage to
the environment if printed on recycled paper. Books seldom end up in
landfills.
| Homemade crafts and food. Practical gifts that demonstrate genuine
holiday spirit.
| Reusable grocery bags. Cloth bags cut down on the use of paper and
plastic and raise environmental awareness at the same time.
| Plants. Oxygen producing, carbon dioxide consuming, peace radiating,
natural wonders.
| Hemp products. One of the strongest fibers on earth, hemp has great
durability. Hemp can produce more than twice as much fiber as cotton
from the same amount of land. Unlike cotton, hemp requires no chemical
pesticides or herbicides to grow efficiently. Hemp products include
paper, oil, hemp meal, rugged clothing, backpacks, surfboard bags and
hats - products as strong as rope and as fine as lace.
| Organically grown or recycled cotton products. Like organically
grown food, organic cotton growers use natural predators such as
ladybugs and other beneficial insects instead of chemicals to control
pests. Free of harmful finishes, bleaches and dyes, organic cotton
also has a unique and softer feel. Recycled cotton is made by an
innovative new process that spins post-consumer and post-commercial
waste fiber into new yarn. The process involves only hydrogen
peroxide, phosphate-free soaps, and tapioca starch.
| Recycled utilitarian gifts. Many stores and catalogs offer a variety
of recycled, environmentally responsible gifts. A random sampling
includes: pencils made out of 100 percent recycled newspapers;
"reclaimed" silverware wind chimes; recycled paper clips;
trash cans made out of recycled paper.
| Socially responsible gifts. Many nonprofit programs like Self Help
Crafts facilitate the sale of Third World handmade gifts. These
programs help market quality products while improving the lives of
poor developing world citizens. |
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Other ideas:
Buy reused
Shopping at thrift stores and second-hand shops is admittedly
unconventional and should probably only be considered for friends and
family members who value the earth-friendly nature of these gifts!
However, it is one of the most earth-friendly ways to give gifts.
Wrap them in Sunday comics and attach thoughtful home-made gift
tags.
Buy things your recipient would buy anyway
For example,
| renewing a subscription to a magazine they always buy |
| their favorite cookies or bakery item |
Time
For example,
| a coupon for free babysitting for a young family that finds it hard
to afford sitters for a much-needed night out |
| for elderly people, a night of companionship and a bring-it-along
meal |
From "Celebrating
with the Earth"
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