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Eco-Friendly Holiday Shopping Guide

Lindsay Nunez

Dec 6

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Save Our Happy Place is a climate action newsletter dedicated to making it easy for you to help protect the places you love from climate change, written by Lindsay Nunez. Read on for simple yet effective climate actions, and sustainable + eco-friendly lifestyle tips.

Seasons greeting turtle doves! Welcome back to Save Our Happy Place your weekly pop of environmental and climate activism. Navigating gift-giving during the holiday season can be quite the conundrum for the eco-minded reveler. While leaning into the thoughtfulness and generosity of the season, we can also indulge in the fun. We do this by giving gifts that can be used over and over again or don’t create waste in the first place. Check out our guide below for navigating gift giving and stay tuned for my favorite eco-friendly gifts next week.

5 Tips for Eco-Friendly Holiday Gifting

It’s no secret that mass consumerism and waste are involved with the holidays. To the surprise of no one, product sales skyrocket this time of year. Americans alone toss 25% more garbage between Thanksgiving and New Year's than any other time of year. Infinite growth and consumption on a finite planet aren’t what the holidays are all about, but the sentiments of giving and generosity are. Here are a few ways to keep the generous spirit of the holidays alive without contributing to massive waste:

1. Experiential Gifts

This one is my personal favorite and is great for anyone whose love language is quality time. Experiential gifts offer you additional time to bond with your loved ones through an activity you might not get to partake in regularly. The gift itself needs no wrapping paper and has minimal impact.

Ideas: Tickets for a concert, sporting event, museum, or festival. Day trips to wine vineyards, outdoor activity centers, camping trips, or nearby towns. Spa days or hobby classes.

2. Second-Hand Gifts

In case you haven’t heard, vintage and second-hand items are all the rage. Whether this means regifting or handing down something you already have, this is now a perfectly acceptable route for gift-giving. Plus it keeps these items out of landfills and decreases the market demand for new items. Try checking out your local thrift stores, yard sales, Facebook Marketplace, or online second-hand shops like Poshmark or Thredup.

Ideas: Antiques, books, clothing, home decor, art, or games.

3. Local Food and Beverage Products

Everyone loves a tasty treat. Go to your local farmer's market, gift shop, or grocer to find products made in your area. Try to go for local, organic products, with minimal packaging.

Ideas: Beer, wine, chocolate, produce, flowers, honey, coffee, or sweet treats.

4. Zero-Waste Swaps

Zero-waste swap products take the work and thinking out of picking out and acclimating to a new sustainable practice. Plus for newbies to the practice, it completes the hardest step - getting started. Start out by gifting your own favorite zero-waste swap, so you can talk about how much this has made your life easier and greener.

Ideas: Plastic-free razors, glass or silicon-based kitchenware, reusable toothbrushes, bamboo straws, or water bottles.

5. Gifts Made By Local Artisans

If you’re looking to give something super unique, this is a good way to go. You support the local economy, take mass shipping emissions out of the picture, and are able to give the recipient a nice surprise that they didn’t see coming. Farmers’ markets, craft fairs, boutique shops, and Etsy are all great places to look for gifts made by local artisans.

Ideas: Pottery, bar soap candles, stationary, cutting boards, mugs, jewelry.