Green Christmas Gifts Part 2

Only eleven days to go! For those of you still shopping, here are some last minute ideas. The following are gifts for those just starting to go green all the way to the green guru. I also wanted to remind you all to get creative on your gift wrapping. Tons and tons of gift wrap end up in land fills after the holidays. I remember last year I was cringing when we were at my in-laws and there were way too many bags of wrapping paper going in the trash. So look at buying recycled gift wrap, reusable bags, or even use the Sunday comics with some reusable bows. You will save money this way as well! If you are really good, you can carefully remove tape and save the gift wrap for next year. Of course this would mostly pertain to adult gifts since our kids tear through everything! Fish Lips and Green Girl offer some cool recycled gift wrap. So here are my green gift tips:

Stocking Stuffers
-Cargo Plant Love Botanical lipstick available at Sephora at Southpark Mall. $2 for every sale is donated to St. Jude’s – awesome! There are flower seeds embedded in the outer carton, so you can moisten, plant and flowers grow! Choose your favorite celebrity inspired color for the holiday party.
-Origins products at Southpark Mall
-Nourish soap from Savannah. 20% off now.
-Pacifica soaps, candles, etc. Available at Earth Fare.

The Gadget Lover
-XTerra Solar Charger with LED- can recharge MP3, GPS or cell phone using solar energy. $50 at REI.
-Solar charging backpack- can power an iPod for 3 hours and cell phone for 1 ½ hours.
$249.95 at the Discovery Store.

The Book Worm
-It’s Easy Being Green and The Eco Chick Guide to Life at Barnes & Noble.

For the Work Place
-Add this to his/her desk to add a little green. The Ecosphere Pod called Beachworld. It’s a miniature biosphere. Very cool. Available at Target for $59.99.

The Green Diva
-Le Sport sac made from 100% recycled polyester and designed by Stella McCarthy. $150 at www.lesportsac.com.
-Soy and organic cotton v-neck long sleeve shirt by HT Naturals.
– Still looking for that cute little black dress for the holiday or New Years? Look no
further. Bamboo black wrap dress at www.greenwithglamour.com for $133.

Jewelry
– They used to be the enemy but now Wal-mart is turning very eco-conscious. They now even carry a line of jewelry called Love Earth made of either 10K gold or sterling silver. The gold and silver can be traced by you back to the mine of origin. Mining of precious metals is highly polluting and conditions for the workers are less than optimal. According to a recent article in Fortune magazine, Tiffany and Co. and Wal-mart are the only companies able to track the origin and thus monitor the conditions. Very similar to buying conflict-free diamonds. For more info check out www.loveearthinfo.com.

The Green Dude
– Check out the gadgets listed above but a last minute gift would be an iTunes gift card. No more of the nonrecyclable CD jewel cases.

Hostess gift
-Check out Mrs. Meyers Holiday Clean Up Kit at www.organize.com. The smell of ginger and cinnamon keep the holiday cheer coming.

Here are a couple of toys I missed listing last week that are great ideas as well:
– The Kettler Go Green Trike for $79.99 on Amazon.
– The Wonderworld Doll House- an eco house with recycling, tree planting, solar energy and solar energy themes. $129.99 at www.toysrus.com.

If you are really short on time, here are a few suggestions that I am sure will be a big hit!
-Make your own gift basket with organic wines, chocolate and coffee from Earth Fare.
-Make a charitable donation in the person’s name to their favorite charity.
-Plant a tree at www.treeinstead.com
– Homemade food gifts.

Thanks and let us know if you have green ideas you would like to share!

P.S. Don’t forget to register for the Paper Twist Smarty Giveaway:
Paper Twist is giving one lucky Smarty the perfect mommy package, valued at $195. You’ll be organized, dressed in a sassy tee and ready to send out a darling thank-you note from you and your precious child. Click here to enter – contest ends at 11pm on Wednesday, 12/17.