Earth Friendly Gifts: Ten Ideas for $100 or Less
Guest Post by Sarah McGrew of Get Real Image
Happy day, dear reader!
I am so excited to introduce you to a fellow Image Coach and blogger, Sarah of Get Real Image. We met on-line quite a few years ago, and in person while completing the practicals portion of our color training. I was impressed by Sarah’s down to earth nature and enthusiasm for life Her love for empowering women, and living lightly on our precious planet inspires me! I asked Sarah to share some of her environmentally friendly shopping tips with us here! Soooo, without further ado…
Earth Friendly Gifts: Ten Ideas for $100 or Less
I’m so honored to be writing a guest post for Liz at Closet Play Image! We met a little over a year ago while finishing our image consultant training with the Academy of Professional Image. Although we live in different parts of the United States, we do our best to support and encourage each other as women operating small businesses as personal stylists. Thanks for the opportunity, Liz!!
First, let me say that I’m worried about the impact of the fashion industry on the well-being of people, animals and the environment world-wide. The fast fashion industry is particularly destructive, as these clothes are often only worn for a season before they literally fall apart and must then be disposed of in some manner. I participated in Fashion Revolution week earlier this year and learned so much. Rather than bore you to tears with data here, if you’d like to know more I highly recommend installing the Good On You app. It will help you look up your favorite brands (if your brand isn’t listed you can suggest they add it) and give you information about the brand based on its treatment of people, its impact on the environment, and its kindness toward animals.
To make it easier for you to buy earth-friendly gifts this holiday season, I did some research and found these items for you. Several of them are made by artists in southeastern Ohio, my corner of the planet.
Earth-friendly Gifts for Women
(1) The Harriet Top from Coral Marie. To put it simply, Coral Wedel makes beautiful clothes! Yes, they’re made with organic material and thread, but she really has an eye for design and I can attest to the fact that she’s just as lovely in person. I own two of her tops and they are some of my favorite pieces.
(2) Canvas Go-To bag from FEED Projects. Each purchase of this bag will provide 40 lunches to hungry school children. On her travels around the world as a World Food Programme (WFP) Honorary Spokesperson, Lauren Bush Lauren witnessed the effects of hunger firsthand. In places like Cambodia, Chad and Guatemala, she saw a program making a dent in child malnutrition: school meals. When a child is given a free, nutritious school lunch, it can break the cycle of poverty she was born into and empower her to change her own life. Lauren founded FEED in 2007 with the simple idea of creating products that would engage people in the fight against hunger in a tangible way.
(3) Earrings from Plays With Glass. Amanda Buchanan also hails from southeast Ohio. She makes one-of-a-kind glass earrings that are unique and reasonably priced. Amanda doesn’t sell her jewelry on line yet, but you can follow her on Facebook using the link above. She’s going to start a VIP club in January 2019, where she’ll post one piece and whoever pays first gets it! I own several pairs (see my latest acquisition here) and always give them as gifts during the holidays.
Earth-friendly Gifts for Men and Women
(4) Anker PowerPort Solar Lite – a USB 15W solar charger will charge a variety of electronic devices using solar power technology. How cool is that?
(5) Weekender Duffle from Rareform – A duffle bag made from recycled vinyl billboards?!? Who can resist? A unique gift – perfect for the traveler and exercise enthusiasts on your list.
Earth-friendly Gifts for the Spa Lover
(6) Silver Market Co. Kelsi Boyd has been selling her handcrafted skin care items on Etsy since 2013. You can put together a gift basket of items made from organic ingredients – the bath bombs are the best! I met Kelsi at an open house at Coral’s studio. It turns out that she grew up in Leon, WV, which is where my father’s family is from. Leon is barely a crossroads on the map. But what a strange (and happy) coincidence that she and I can trace our roots back there.
Earth-friendly Gifts for the Foodie
(7) Give a gift basket from Serrv. Serrv International is a nonprofit dedicated to fighting global poverty through fair and ethical trade. One of the first fair trade organizations in the United States, Serrv was established in 1949 to help displaced refugees trade their handcrafts for income after the Second World War. As a founding member of both the World Fair Trade Organization and the Fair Trade Federation, Serrv has steadily increased its impact in the fight against global poverty. Today, Serrv employs and empowers nearly 8,000 artisans and farmers in 24 countries.
(8) Send chocolate from alter eco. These look delicious, decadent, delectable… and deserving of recommendation as an earth-friendly gift! For every gift box purchased, alter ego will plant a tree in the Peruvian Amazon as part of its reforestation project. Hurrah!!
(9) Stained glass stars from A Mother’s Work Folk Art Studio are the perfect accent for a sunny window. Cindy is another artisan from my neck of the woods. She’s an original in so many senses of that word. Cindy creates one-of-a-kind pieces of art using recycled picture frames, pieces of glass, old jewelry and other unique items she finds while thrifting. Her art comes in all sizes and to accommodate all budgets and tastes. Her unique stars are not as earth-friendly as they require heavy metal use in the construction, however they are the cutest things ever! I hope you enjoy shopping her delightful creations. There’s a wide variety in sizes and colors of stars. And there are lots of gorgeous options for handmade stained glass if you’re spending a little more. Just call or email her to place an order, and tell her Sarah sent you.
Earth-friendly Gift: Your Time!
(10) I highly recommend giving experiences as gifts! My son, his girlfriend and I went ziplining at Hocking Hills Canopy Tours this past spring, and in September we saw John Prine live at the Ohio Theater. In my opinion, sharing an experience with people you love (and gifting it to them if you can), is one of the best ways to say, “I love you”, any time of year.
Happy Holidays to you, to your loved ones and to our mother Earth! And thanks again to Liz Klebba for letting me be part of her journey 😊
Confidently Yours,
Sarah
Thank you, so much Sarah, for researching and sharing these lovely gifts! Experiences are some of my family’s favorite gifts, but that duffel bag may just make its way onto my wish list…
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