Green Your Holiday: Valentine's Day

Valentine's day is this Thursday. For this holiday people in the U.S. will spend over $14 billion on gifts for their sweethearts. While that's nice, that can also lead to a lot of waste and a large carbon footprint. Today we have a few greener options to keep in mind when spending money on the ones you love this holiday.

1) Organic/Fair Trade Flowers

Flowers tend to be a traditional gift for this holiday, so spend a little extra time to look for those that are organic/fair trade. They're out there and fairly easy to find, you just have to look! While the impact isn't huge, it does make a difference! You can even buy these flowers online! Check out this guide to buying organic/fair trade bouquets online.

2) Local Wine

Another common tradition is wine. If you're over 21, try to purchase a local winery's wine. It's a great way to explore what's available in your community, support a local business, and green up, considering the transportation of importing bottles from all over the country and world. 

3) Eco-Friendly Jewelry

This one sounds odd, we know, but it's very important. Low carbon footprints and friendly sourced gemstones can make a large impact on the environment, but it can all make a positive impact as many sustainable jewelry is also carefully sourced to be conflict free. This article has some great information on why and how to purchase green jewelry. 

4) Something DIY-ed

Homemade presents still carry a lot of sentimental value, even in today's world. Make your own present for your beau and they'll be touched, and you can be a little more green! Check out this website for upcycling craft DIYs- and reuse something while you're creating that perfect gift.

5) If You Can't Do, Buy

With the rise of sites like Etsy, it is also easy to find that great reuse present, without requiring you to have any skills at DIY! Looks around on sites to find a cool, reused object item and your green loving Valentine will love it!

Do you have any other eco-valentine present ideas? Share them in the comments!

Green Gift Wrapping Ideas

During the holidays it is easy to excuse that ever growing pile of barely used, discarded paper because we use it to wrap presents. However, most of this paper isn't recyclable and is heading straight to the landfill every year. Instead of filling a landfill, why not try one of these green gift wrapping ideas?

Brown Paper Packages tied up with string

There is something classic about presents wrapped this way. They're simple, but still nice looking. Using a heavy stock brown paper can be a great choice if you have some careful gift un-wrappers. You could re-use this paper for shipping items, but for the holidays they can be used to make pretty parcels for under the tree. You could also reuse old paper shopping bags to wrap with brown paper. This paper is also recyclable, so you don't have to send it to a landfill once the gifts are unwrapped!  If you like the gift tags on these check them out here. They're free to download! 

Use What's in Your Recycling Bin

Old newspaper can make some surprisingly elegant wrapping! It reuses something that you can recycle, and it curls like ribbon, so it can be just as festive! This picture tutorial explains the method pretty well. 

Reusable Shopping Bags

Reusable shopping bags make great gift bags- it's a present in itself! Another great idea might be a purse. These can be tied simply with a ribbon and they look festive and bright, but don't end up getting tossed out the next day. 

Recycled Wrapping Paper

There are many vendors who now offer 100% Recycled paper with a minimum of 50% post consumer waste. These papers are already recycled and you can find them in a variety of styles, thickness, and colors. The top vendors we've found include Fish Lips, Botanical Paperworks(which offers seed paper, so your giftee can plan the paper later) and Of The Earth.

An Old Sweater

You know your friend who's a bit of a wine collector? Well, now you have a sustainable method for their gift! Sections of an old sweater can be great gift wrapping. The sleeves work especially well for bottles, check out this easy tutorial to make the wrap pictured above here. 

These are our favorite green wrapping ideas, do you have some other ideas? Be sure to share them in the comments! 

Homemade Gift Ideas

This month is a big one for gifts. If you're trying to be green or just avoid the stores, homemade gifts can be a good and heartfelt option for gifts. If you're stumped on what to make for a homemade gift, check out some of our favorites!

Cork Trivet DIY

 Maybe you have someone on your list who's a total foodie, or maybe just someone who has their own kitchen for the first time. Either way, one easy and useful gift is this trivet. It works well for your hot pots and pans, and it has a fun and almost rustic charm.

Clay Pot Snowmen DIY

We love these adorable little snowmen that can be used to decorate your home throughout the winter season. We aslo think it'd be easy to make these guys a little bigger- using a bigger pot, ball and sock, to make a fun winter lawn or entryway ornament.

Cute Coaters DIY

 These fun coasters make great gifts for everyone because you use scrapbook paper to make the tiles, so you can personalize it to anyone you know!

Pantone Chip Magnets DIY

 This gift is great for the designer or artist you know, and it's a fun and easy little craft that looks so nice that it could have been bought from a store!

Teacup Lights DIY

 These fun little candles are a great way to use old cups that have darling details but might not match your dish ware.

Knit Cowl DIY

 As the weather turns chilly it is always good to remember that cowls and scarfs make great holiday gifts! This cowl looks like it would keep you cozy and warm even on the coldest of days.

Fabric Key Chain DIY

Reuse scrap fabric and make cute little gifts. This is great because it will definitely make the keys stand out, and can be very personal for your giftee!

Garden Path Stepping Stones DIY

Perfect for the gardener in your life, these stones will brighten up any garden! This tutorial is pretty basic, so you can personalize as much as you'd like!

Candy Plant DIY

 Gifting candy can seem almost too easy, but not with this craft! While the craft is easy for you, it shows the effort behind the simple idea. Fun way to gift food during the holidays and year round!

Bath Salt DIY

Who doesn't love a relaxing bath? Now you can give the gift of one with these great bath salts! Give everyone their favorite scents in a relaxing bath.

Lanyard DIY

 The tutorial page presents this as a craft for teachers, but really it seems like it could work for anyone with keys! It's fun and can include the recipient's favorite colors or patterns!

Reversible Coffee Cup Sleeve DIY

This is the perfect gift for the coffee drinker you know. Imagine all the cardboard we could save from the landfill if people used these instead of coffee cup sleeves. 

Bird Nest Necklace DIY

If you're particularly crafty these birds nest necklaces are beautiful and elegant little gifts that everyone is sure to love!

Do you have any other great DIY gifts? Which of these is your favorite? Be sure to share in the comments!

Plant Gifting Guide

Finding  a great gift for a coworker, family member, or friend can be tough, and this time of year you have to purchase gifts for a lot of people. Plants make great gifts, and they can still be very personal. Check out our favorite plants for gifting.

Golden Pothos

These plants are great for a new plant owner, or a distracted one. They require very little care and flourish well on their own. Give them a Pothos with water retaining soil and they can water the plant very little, keep it in low to medium lighting and it will thrive. These plants are also known to purify the air as an added benefit! 

Amaryllis

This plant is quickly becoming the new poinsetta. Around the holidays you can find them everywhere from gardening centers to superstores in brightly colored pots. It is important for this plant to go in a sunny, warm spot (somewhere between 68-70 degrees on average). This plant requires light watering until it's stem appears. After that, increase the watering. A flowering Amaryllis needs daily watering. 

Paperwhites

Paperwhites are another low maintenance plant that is easy for beginners. Given lots of sunlight and adequet watering, this plant will brighten any room. When planted for use indoors they grow best in loose materials, like soil, pebbles, tumbled beach glass, things like that. Make sure you keep whatever you plant it in watered. The base of the bulb should be moist but not the entire bulb.  

Mixed Herbs

Herbs can be an extremely useful plant for a foodie who also has a bit of a green thumb. Pick the herbs you choose based on the skill level of the gift receiver. If they're an extremely skilled gardener they could handle a little more challenging herb, but if not there are plenty of herbs that are pretty hard to kill. Visit a local garden center for advice on what to gift for each skill level. The good news- you can plant a variety in one container, so it's a bit more varied of a gift. 

Kalanchoe

This hard to pronounce plant makes a great gift. It comes in a variety of colors, and since it is a succulent it is fairly hardy. Give them light and some water and they'll be good to grow. Plus you can grow a couple varieties, so you have one of all your favorite colors.

These are just a couple of plant you can gift, but they're definitely some of our favorites. What plants will you be gifting this year?

Featured Article: Green Gifts that People REALLY Want

With the holiday season officially upon us, the Internet has a wealth of gift ideas for your sustainable friend or family members. However, one often wonders how practical these gifts are, or if people really want them. This article was a breath of fresh air. Apartment Therapy asked their Green Living readers what they wanted for a gift. From reusable cups to home compost turners, this list gives you a gift at every price point.

This list is nice because it covers a wide variety of choices and price points, so if you have a sustainable friend with a black thumb, plants aren't your only option.

What will you be giving your sustainable friends and family this year for the holidays? Share your gift ideas in the comments!

Check out the full article here.