Tuesday, December 04, 2007 5:51 PM
Gorgeous green gifts
This year “green” seems to be the big buzzword in holiday gifts—great news for the planet, and for those of us who are trying to keep our shopping eco-conscious. Only problem is that some of the green options out there aren’t as beautiful or indulgent as what your friends or loved ones are probably hoping to get from you (you probably know the fugly type of stuff I’m talking about). Luckily, I’ve been able to scope out some green gifts that are eco-friendly and totally chic. A few of the things on my shopping list (I hope my relatives aren’t reading . . ):
For my sister: This chic, flattering wrap cardigan (above) made of 100% organic cotton, from Barney’s Co-op (and the organic Earnest Sewn jeans are a possibility for my husband).
For my girlfriends (and myself): Limited edition holiday makeup palettes from Josie Maran—a new cosmetics line that’s totally free of harmful chemicals, and way more glam than any of the other eco-makeup out there.
For my mom: Like most moms of a certain age, she’s all about comfortable shoes, so I’m gifting her with a pair of Tom’s. She’ll love that every time you buy a pair of these stylishly simple slippers an underprivileged child is given a pair for free.
For my dad: Since he loves to chef up juicy meat dishes, I think he’ll be into a TruBamboo meat cutting board, made from sustainable bamboo.
For my daughter: A hip modern dollhouse, made out of recycled wood, from Plan Toys. Though I’m worried that she’s still a little young for a dollhouse, so I may get her this kitchen from Oompa instead—the wood isn’t recycled, but at least it’s not made of plastic!
As for where I’ll buy it all, I wrote a couple weeks ago about how great it is if you can shop locally, but it turns out that that’s only really true if the products you’re buying are actually made locally. I just read on Ideal Bite that if what you’re buying is getting shipped from another state or country, it’s more eco-friendly to purchase it online than to drive to a store. Ecommerce warehouses use 1/16th of the energy that retails store do, and even overnight sipping uses 40% less fuel than the typical car trip to the mall. So save yourself stress while going easy on the planet and buy as much as you can from the comfort of your desk.