Everyone is aware of the struggle of gift buying. However, we are all ignoring the most important thing that we should be focusing on; the environment. With everything we do, we should be aware of the affect it has on the earth. This needs to be our main priority, even when it comes to simple things like gift shopping. When people are going about their daily lives, they don’t think about their carbon footprint, but we need to start thinking about this even in small daily tasks in our lives in order to help our earth.

Many families have a tradition of giving and mailing out Christmas cards. However, due to the large number of cards being mailed out each year, it can become very harmful to the planet, especially if they choose to order them through a company that prints your photos on plastic paper. There are great solutions that are easy and affordable. By ordering these cards through eco-friendly companies that use recyclable, biodegradable paper, you are saving yourself the guilt of contributing to global warming this holiday.

Another simple yet great gift to give this year is cute, fun soap! In hotels alone, 182,500,000 shampoo bottles are used each year. Recently, industries and businesses have turned to using soap bars and shampoo bars rather than wasting unnecessary, useless plastic. Why would you purposefully spend your extra, hard-earned money on a plastic bottle when soap bars last longer and they come in fun shapes and colours? This is a simple yet fun gift, and most importantly, it’s eco-friendly!

Companies such as tentree, United by Blue and Amour Vert are all environmentally friendly, reasonably priced clothing stores. Depending on your style or the person you’re shopping for, there is most definitely an eco-friendly store out there for you. People tend to shop at the stores that are the most popular or trendy, but smaller, greener companies are still out there! There’s no harm at all in researching the companies you’re shopping at before you buy. You may be surprised at how badly your favourite stores are treating the environment- do your research!

There are countless gifts available to you. They may be slightly more expensive than regular items, but in reality, it’s a small price to pay to help our planet become greener.

Lastly, buying reusable kitchenware or containers is a way to get your friends to help the environment as well. Stores like Earth Easy sell various eco-freidnly products such as bamboo toothbrushes, beeswax candles, reusable sandwich bags and socks, any of which would serve as a great gift this year.

Consider briefly researching the items you buy and the companies they come from before you purchase an item. You’d be surprised at how many companies treat their workers cruelly, test their products on animals or release an extreme amount of chemicals that harm our planet. By avoiding the purchase of these products, we are supporting companies that promote positive, eco-friendly businesses.

Sources:

1. https://www.tentree.ca/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-4nuBRCnARIsAHwyuPquq4MnDAkOpoc2IjmRf0lA7YQjb2c93cJA_6bXrZxaNutyx07fNlQaAgMtEALw_wcB
2. https://unitedbyblue.com
3. https://amourvert.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=amour%20vert&utm_campaign=g_search_brand_NCA_exact&utm_content=227787257502&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-4nuBRCnARIsAHwyuPo0YBzkP-dCWN4QpZouNlISX1D6JP0nFkkrp-EB1abq3I0AqqbrbvkaAnWMEALw_wcB

https://eartheasy.com/gifts/