10 Gifts for the Environmentally Conscious Friend
Shopping for your friend who lives an eco-friendly lifestyle can be difficult because many gifts include plastic or chemicals that are harmful to the environment. However, it's become increasingly popular for companies to offer plastic-free and reusable products that aren't wasteful. Giving presents that are useful and help support your friend in their sustainability journey will be sure to make their day much more special!
Metal Straws
Save the turtles! Disposable plastic straws often find their way out of the landfills and into bodies of water. Sea life can mistake these bright pieces of plastic for colorful fish and eat them, which can cause choking, digestion issues, and death. Make the switch to metal straws to avoid unnecessary waste and reduce costs. Plus, this set comes with a brush so it’s easy to clean out the interior!
Available on Amazon for $8.99.
Silicone Ziplock Bags
Single-use Ziplock bags are pointless. You use them once to hold a bunch of chips or a sandwich, then you quickly throw it away. After a few years, it can become expensive to buy plastic bags every few grocery trips. Purchase a set of silicone bags once, you will never have to buy more. Fill them with fruit, carrot sticks, chips, etc., and your snacks will stay fresh without contributing to the landfills.
Available on Amazon for $16.99.
Produce Bags
Next time you reach for produce bags to wrap your bananas or bunch of spinach, consider purchasing reusable bags to avoid unnecessary waste at the grocery store. These lightweight bags are made of a fine mesh, so they protect your produce from dirt and bacteria, while still keeping them fresh.
Available on Amazon for $9.99.
Countertop Compost Bin
This is the perfect gift for the friend who has a small garden and eats a lot of fresh produce. Instead of paying money for soil fertilizer from your local hardware, why not make it yourself? This compost bin sits prettily on the counter (and neutralizes odors, don’t worry!) and uses the nutrients from vegetable peels, seeds, fruit rinds, and more to create a natural fertilizer that their plants will love.
Available on Amazon for $21.95.
Hydro Flask
It’s time to ditch the disposable plastic bottles. Not only are they wasteful, but they don’t even keep your water cold for more than an hour. A hydro flask water bottle is the only water bottle you’ll ever need, because its insulated interior can keep cold beverages cool for up to 24 hours and hot beverages warm for up to 12 hours.
Available on Amazon for $34.95 (24 oz).
Bite Toothpaste
Over 1 billion toothpaste tubes are thrown away in the U.S each year. Plus, they typically can’t be recycled because they’re composed of multiple materials, such as aluminum and plastic. This glass jar is filled with all-natural toothpaste tablets to avoid plastic and metal waste. Simply bite down on each tablet and brush like usual, and it will foam up just like regular toothpaste. Bite is much better for your smile too, because it is formulated without preservatives and chemicals.
Available on bitetoothpastebits.com for $30.
On-the-Go Utensil Set
Quickly grabbing takeout from most restaurants includes plastic cutlery, Styrofoam containers, and aluminum foil to-go lids. While it may not seem like a big deal to toss your Chinese leftovers in the trash once, going out to eat a couple of times per week adds up. This utensil set is compact enough to keep in your bag, so that you can be prepared to choose reusable stainless steel over plastic. You might want to consider bringing a Tupperware container from home, so you can avoid the unnecessary plastic waste.
Available on Amazon for $11.89.
Beeswax Food Wrap
Plastic wrap is a thing of the past. There are more sustainable ways to preserve your food that don’t require you to throw away plastic after every time you’re done using them. These beeswax wrappers can keep store food perishable foods such as avocados and apples, or it can stretch over bowls of leftovers if you want to save your meal for later.
Available on Amazon for $18.00.
Reusable Glass Containers
Have you noticed that plastic Tupperware containers seem to always be greasy or stained, no matter how many rinses? Plus, plastic can’t last forever, so there’s a good chance you have to replace your bins every few years. Glass containers can fix all your leftover-storage problems. They’re incredibly durable, easy to clean, and they last forever.
Available on Amazon for $31.99.
PhoneSoap
A dirty phone can cause skin irritation and spread sicknesses, so you need to sanitize it regularly to keep germs and bacteria at bay. Say goodbye to Clorox wipes and rubbing alcohol pads to clean your phone; it’s wasteful to throw away each wipe. PhoneSoap uses UV-C light to kill 99.99% of germs and bacteria in only 10 minutes, without any need for expensive wipes.
Available at PhoneSoap.com for $79.95.
