eco friendly gift ideas for your loved ones

Many gifts end up unused and unloved which turns our beautiful holiday gifting seasons into a mess of over-consumption. The good news is that more people are becoming aware of their environmental impact and are trying to do better for the environment. If you have a friend who is TRYING to live an eco conscious lifestyle, you might want to impress them with your next gift by gifting them something they will never forget.

Before we dive into the Eco friendly gift ideas for your loved ones, let me share with you a story about a personal thoughtful gift I recently received that I still can’t get over (insert an emoji of a lady’s heart pumping with appreciation).

If you follow me on instagram (@belindasmetana), you might have seen my post where I shared a gift I recently received from a friend who went to a local artisan in a town called Malindi, Kenya. The friend sat on the sand by the beach with the artisan and created four beautiful pieces of jewellery gifts. Besides each gift coming with a personal story, I still have memories of the friend telling me how they bonded with the artisan. Now these gifts will forever remain in my heart because I know their story, I know it’s not some item made from a factory where workers can’t even take a break, I know it’s not a fast fashion item made from modern day slavery.

If you want to touch the heart of that eco conscious friend, here are some gift ideas to go for:

Reusable water bottle

According to procon.org, Americans consumed 14.4 billion gallons of bottled water in 2019, up 3.6% from 2018, in what has been a steadily increasing trend since 2010. This is alarming causewe haven’t included the world. You can be part of the solution by trying to avoid single-use plastic bottles whenever possible.

Your eco conscious friend will appreciate being part of the movement that helps in reducing the use of single-use plastic so go ahead and grab that water bottle for him/her as a gift.

SUSTAINABLE LUXURY HEELS MADE FROM PINEAPPLE PEEL

Receiving my gift of luxury sustainainable heels was heartwarming because I love style and I try as much as I can to be stylish with less negative environmental impact. These shoes from joannevernay.com are comfortable, sexy, colourful, and kind to the environment because the fabric is made of pineapple leaves.

Eco spa treatment

Why not drop a gift voucher to a good eco friendly spa? An eco friendly spa is a wellness space that strives to conserve natural resources, adopt energy conservation practices and incorporate fixtures & fittings that comply with such practices. They also have water conservation practices and they share their concern for the planet’s wellbeing with guests by setting ongoing examples of Green living & Green thinking.

An Eco holiday gift package

We know that flying around the world polutes the environment but travelling is one of the best ways for humans to interact with different people, uplift a destination economically, and learn more about other cultures. It is also one of the top source of income for millions of people around the world. We can travel responsibly by trying to cause very minimal damage to the environment. If you would like to read more about Sustainable tourism, check out 5 Tips for a sustainable Travel and How to stay on the right side of green when on holiday.

Your loved one will appreciate an eco travel gift package. A good example is an impactful travel adventure in Kenya by Travel4purpose. I will be taking a trip with them soon and will share a whole article about my experience.

Upcycled denim jacket

Part of your friends eco commitment might be paying attention to the impact their clothes make on the environment. Denim is one of the worst fabrics for the environment because of it’s production process. Some creative eco brands that are fighting overproduction have taken the initiative of giving life to old denims that we would normally dump in landfills. Try picking up a new but not so new denim jacket for your friend 😉

Compost bin

I made my own compost bin from an old tank. Your friend will appreciate a nice sealable compost bin as a gift. They will be blown away by your thoughtful gift.

Sustainable travel bag

I say no one adopts a fully sustainable lifestyle overnight because I believe everyone involved is trying to do better in whatever way they can. Some travel lovers like me would like to keep travelling but do it responsibly. Your friend will appreciate a functional travel bag that is not meant to fall apart so you can purchase a new one in a short time. I have three brands that I can personally recommend checking out. I never recommend anything I haven’t used more than six months so have a look at Reclaim Mallorca , Paktbags and Projectkin for your friend.

Mina menstrual cup

This is a woman’s best friend. Any woman who has learned how to use this cup says it has saved them money, they feel cleaner, no period cramps, they feel like they have control of where their blood ends up and they can swim while wearing this cup. You will not go wrong with gifting this cup. I was gifted by my sister when she heard my rant about me trying a few menstrual cups and not finding the right one. I have never looked back since then. Another advantage with Mina cup is that if you buy one, you are automatically gifting a girl in need one cup. I would highly encourage you to grab a cup on Minacup.com. If you live in Kenya, the menstrual cup can be found in any Lintons Beauty shop.

What other gifts or brands would you recommend? Are you selling any eco friendly gifts or do you know some links to eco friendly gifts shops we can check out? Please share in the comment section and I’ll update the posts after having a good look. Let’s help each other through this journey.

Thanks for reading as always. If we are not connected yet, let’s connect on my social pages below.