To Shop or Not?
How to Stay Green During the Holiday Shopping Season
Tips for gift-giving that's environmentally responsible without being Grinch-like.
Activists who believe we're addicted to shopping encourage people to buy nothing on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. and traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. But is buying nothing the best way to live green?
It all depends. If you have children in the family, it'll be hard to justify a no-gifts holiday. And if your loved ones live overseas, exchanging home-baked goodies or mailing heavy packages of bamboo cutting boards or fair-trade coffees might mean ending up with gifts that aren't fresh or required a lot of fossil fuels to get to their destinations.
So what's the answer? Consider these suggestions as you start mulling your holiday gift list:
- Make your own gifts when appropriate. Giving your best business customer a jar of homemade potpourri might not be the best idea, but there are probably plenty of other people on your holiday list -- parents, neighbors, close friends, etc. -- who would welcome gifts you made yourself. Hand-made doesn't have to mean cheap or cheesy, either; the Internet is loaded with Websites offering beautiful project ideas and unique recipes. Check out sites ilke Recipezaar's collection of non-food recipes, the DIY Network, CraftGossip's Recycled Crafts and Kitchen Crafts 'n' More.
- For some, think used. Again, giving used items to some people won't be appropriate, but spouses, parents, siblings and your own children probably won't mind. Nor does "used" have to mean "yucky." Many resale shops specialize in upscale items, and can be the perfect place to find a like-new, designer-label purse for your sister or sterling silver cufflinks for your husband. Buying from stores like these saves resources, money and gas miles while also supporting locally owned businesses.
- Give of yourself. If you have a friend or family member who insists on no gifts or doesn't need more "stuff," consider giving something useful that can't be wrapped: your help. Maybe you can offer to take care of your neighbor's pets during her next vacation, or can make plans to visit an ailing uncle once a week so your aunt can get out to grocery-shop or socialize a bit. There's probably someone on your list who would appreciate a gift like that more than any bow-tied box under the tree.
- Shop locally owned. Keeping your holiday purchases in locally owned stores can be both environmentally kind and good for your community. Look for items made by local artists and craftspeople, rather than those produced in factories overseas. These types of goods -- hand-made soy candles, vegetable-oil soaps, sculptures made from locally grown wood -- tend to make better gifts anyway, because they're not things you see in chain stores across the country.
- For the rest, go green. If none of the above suggestions works for a particularly hard-to-shop-for person on your list, stick with the most eco-friendly retailers you can find. A great place to start is Co-op America's National Green Pages, which lists green and fair-trade businesses selling everything from recycled-rice totes to organic wines and beers.
The copyright of the article To Shop or Not? in Green/Simple Living is owned by Shirley Siluk Gregory. Permission to republish To Shop or Not? must be granted by the author in writing.
