[PRODUCTS] Green Gift Guide

I feel more confident than ever that the power to save the planet rests with the individual consumer. – Denis Hayes, environmental advocate

Holidays are full of stuffing: we've stuffed turkeys last Thanksgiving, stuffing our stomachs with holiday foods, and stuffing stockings with gifts. In this season of greetings, love AND consumerism, I want to emphasize the importance of consumer purchasing power. Individual shoppers have the ultimate power to decide what to buy, where to buy, and how to buy gifts and impact the environment one way or the other. The U.S. Post Office estimates this year that they will deliver 900 million packages between Thanksgiving and the New Year this year. That's a lot of carbon emission and wastes of packaging! Treat yourself and your beloved this holiday season, but choose to practice off-line shopping, purchase sustainable gifts, and opt out for expedited shipping.

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THE GGG: The Green Gift Guide

1. Do you still have friends who use plastic straws?

If your keeper friends still mindlessly reach for plastic straws in cafes, instead of reaching into their purses for reusable versions, this is the perfect time to change their behaviors! Help them join the movement of saying NO to single use, disposable straws and pop out their rose gold stainless steel straws this holiday.

2. Feed two birds with one scone

PETA suggests using animal-friendly languages now. So instead of killing two birds in one stone, we are going to feed two birds with one scone! Anyway, there are many ways to do this buy purchasing amazing gifts and donating for goods at the same time. Lush, a UK based cosmetic brand, is a prime example of eco-friendly retail business that turned super successful. Not only do they use organic ingredients to make wonderful cosmetic products that did not go through animal testings, but do they also give percentage of their profits to charities advocating for the environment, animals and people in need of help. For this Christmas, Lush is selling Charity Pot, a moisturizing body lotion, and giving 100% of the purchase price to charities. They also have various gift set options that contains fragrant bath bombs, shampoo bars, and lotions. 3. Popping water bottles

Drinking more water is a common New Year's resolutions. Help your families and friends actually accomplish that goal by giving them these light, collapsible, and colorful water bottles! Que bottles meets all the criteria the mother nature approves: BPA-free, plastic-free, and 10% of profits going to The Ocean Foundation.

4. Recycled fashion

Let your fashionable friends stay high fashion all they want and still be kind to the environment. Recover collect used plastic bottles, shred them into flakes, melt flakes into pellets, extrude pellets into yarn, and make T-shirts, socks, and hoodies! 8 plastic bottles can make one cute T-shirt of the color of your choice. Allbirds are also eco-friendly brand that makes comfortable sneakers with sustainable materials pulled straight out of nature. Recycled bottles, cardboard, bean oil and ethically earned merino wool are involved. Spreading garments produced through thoughtful process can be a huge impact. It's not just the products you will give, but also sustainable influence!

5. No more chapped lips

I hallelujah-ed when I discovered this vegan lip balm stick contained in paper tubes! My lips get chapped badly in winter and can't live a day with lip balms, but most lip balms are contained in plastic containers or materials that seem difficult to recycle. Mother nature, I can moisturize my lips all I want without hurting you!

6. Shared solar power

Suggest the next picnic trip or beach trip to your beloved when presenting this portable Bluetooth speaker that is SOLAR-POWERED! The internal battery can store up to 8-hours charge under the sun, so your music can play all night. To make things better, it also has a USB-charging outlet so you can charge your cell phone. If you aren't sold yet - the speaker is made out bamboo tree!

7. Present a pencil to give something bigger

Sprouts pencils aren't just pencils. They grow into thyme, basil, cherry tomatoes, daisy, sunflower, carnations, and forget-me-nots! Wouldn't the plant ladies and gentlemen around you love these to bloom next spring time?

Hoping you can give more than what's physically inside the colorful stockings.

Happy holidays!