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By: Sydney Leto, Green Contributor
The times have changed, and a gift that is good for both you and the environment no longer needs to be braided from hemp or made from broken bottle glass. No matter the holiday(s) you and your family celebrate, consider some of these gift ideas this season.
To begin, check out http://inhabitat.com/greenholidaygiftguide/. From eco-friendly ear buds to tune out the family chatter, or the new Kindle to download your beach reads, this website compiles the coolest finds for your holiday shopping.
If your family is like mine and has a sweet tooth for chocolate, try Divine Chocolate, a leading Fair Trade brand who practices socially responsible enterprise. Being a Fair Trade brand means the farmers involved in the production of cocoa have a secure source of income that continues to grow with each year, allowing them to build schools for their children, wells for clean drinking water and providing mobile medical clinics for farmers in remote villages, through the sales of the Fair Trade products. Many grocery stores carry Divine Chocolate, or you can buy it online.
http://shop.divinechocolateusa.com/Christmas/c/DivineChocolate@Christmas
If you’re like my roommate, who lines our walls with peace flags and likes things that look “worldly,” check out the Global Goods Partners website, which allows you to shop handmade crafts made by women from all over the world. Alpaca shawls, decorative baskets, beaded earrings- this website allows you to look at an assortment of gifts by country or item. If you are interested in learning about the artisans and their communities, this website also shares with you the story behind the product you are buying.
http://www.globalgoodspartners.org/template/index.cfm
If you are in need of a hostess gift for your neighbor, high school boyfriend’s mother or an old teacher, consider buying a pretty handmade soap. As silly as it sounds, soap is always an appreciated gift for its usefulness and aesthetic appeal in a guest bathroom during a holiday party. A Wild Soap Bar is a family operated, eco-friendly microbusiness located near Austin, TX. This company makes sure to carry out the most environmentally respectful practices from the preparation of the product to the packaging and seeks to provide you with truly natural products. In the end 1% of their annual profits to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Clean the World.
Though it is absolutely disgusting, it is so awesome that I just had to share it with the Wake Forest community. Mr. Ellie Pooh is another Fair Trade business making exotic gifts and paper made partially out of elephant poo! Compared to using virgin wood, paper made with 100% recycled content uses significantly less energy, produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and uses half as much water.
And finally, if there is anything I learned from watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas on ABC family, it is the importance of making use of all the trash we already have in our world. That said, check out eBay to find that expensive gift on your shopping list. You might be surprised by the many options of “used” items already on eBay that are in great condition (or even better, be that person to post all of your “used” things online and make some extra money this holiday season!)
With exams around the corner, the race to get your Christmas shopping done will be here sooner than we know it! Take a few minutes as a study break and check out these great websites. Not only will you be avoiding the ridiculous lines in the department stores, but it’s not like you’re really getting your studying done in the ZSR anyways.
Love, Christmas Carols and Elephant Poop.
