Gifts for Environmentalists
Environmentalist Gift Guide
If you know someone who says Greta Thunberg is their spirit animal, you might have a hard time buying a gift for them. Environmentalists don't collect "stuff" the way the average person does, because buying less physical items is a major part of reducing your carbon footprint. But there are still several ideas for useful items that will help a person reduce their impact on the environment. The ideas below are also useful if you are new to environmentalism and looking for ideas to help you reduce needless waste.
Environmental Care Package
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Waste is ever-present in society, but there are some tools that help reduce waste. From reusable bags to metal straws, putting together items to help a person reduce their waste would be a very useful gift for anyone. The adage Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle is in order of importance, so using reusable items can help a person reduce the use of wasteful items. Creating an "environmental care package" with several items that can be used in place of common disposable items is an excellent gift idea for the environmentalist in your life.
Reusable Bags
These reusable bags fold into fun shapes to be decorative and useful. Instead of a bowl of fake, plastic fruit by the door, a person could have a bowl of these reusable bags to have quick access to grab one or more when they are going to pick something up from the store. Below are reusable bags that can be folded into strawberries, fish, and flowers.
For bigger shopping trips like grocery shopping, there are these sturdy bags meant for carrying a lot of items. The bags featured here are capable of carrying 50 pounds. The bags on the left are machine washable.
Reusable Straws
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Reusable straws are a great replacement for single-use plastic straws that are damaging to the environment. Featured here are a collapsible, metal straw that comes with a carrying case and brush. To the right is a reusable plastic straw that opens so it's easier to clean. Either of these would be perfect for taking on the go to use when visiting a restaurant. Whether you have sensitive teeth or just don't want to put your lips on a restaurant glass, reusable straws will help a person ditch their reliance on disposable straws.
Cloth Napkins
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Napkins are something everyone uses everyday, usually multiple times a day, so replacing paper napkins with cloth napkins can save a lot of waste. These fun, colorful cloth napkins can also save a good amount of money in the long-term, replacing single-use napkins for years and years, potentially saving hundreds of dollars over the years.
Reusable Ziploc Bags
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Reusable ziploc bags are great for sack lunches or storing leftovers. The bags featured here come in a pack with multiple sizes, so there are bags big enough for a sandwich and smaller bags for a snack. They are freezer safe, so they can also be used to store food in the freezer. Easy to wipe down, these bags are just as convenient as the disposable ziploc bags without the additional waste.
Reusable K-Cups
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K-cups are convenient, but produce a lot of waste - and can be expensive if you drink a lot of coffee. If you have to use a Keurig coffee maker, whether because that's all there is in your office or because you wanted a fancy coffee maker so you bought a Keurig, you don't have to use a disposable K-cup. Reusable K-cups are easy to use and allow you to buy a bag of your favorite coffee and use it in a Keurig. The reusable K-cup featured on the left is a universal K-cup, so it would be best for use in an office Keurig machine. It has removable parts so it can fit in any Keurig. To put it in the machine, you have to remove the part of the Keurig that holds the K-cup (the part with the needle). It doesn't look like it comes out, but it does. Then, the universal K-cup fits in the space where the K-cup holder was. The purple ones to the right are great for what most people would have in their home, but they don't fit commercial Keurig coffee makers.
And don't forget a good reusable travel mug
to go with the K-cup.
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All links, including pictures, are affiliate links, but still thoughtful recommendations.
Beauty Care Package
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Beauty products can be the source of a lot of waste. There are many disposable beauty products, but a lot of commonly one-use items can be replaced with reusable items. A package of reusable beauty products for common beauty items would make a wonderful gift for someone seeking to make their life as environmentally-friendly as possible.
Reusable Cuticle Tool
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To remove excess cuticles, everyone knows about the disposable wooden sticks. But, there are reusable cuticle tools. These are better for the environment and better to use, too, than ordinary wooden sticks. The item featured to the left side is a glass cuticle tool. The less pointy end easily pushes back your cuticles, and the material on the very end acts like a softer nail file so it can buff away dead cuticles. The cuticle tool to the right of that is metal and not quite as fancy-looking, but is still an effective cuticle pusher.
Reusable Makeup Remover Pads
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Single-use cotton balls or cotton pads can be replaced with washable makeup remover pads. The microfiber pads featured here can remove makeup with just water, or they can be used with a favorite cleanser. They can also be used to apply toner or moisturizer. Machine washable, these are a very convenient alternative to disposable cotton balls. They are well-made, too, so they'll last through a lot of uses.
Facial Exfoliator Brush
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Exfoliating your face is a great way to keep your skin healthy
and glowing, but exfoliating soaps sometimes contain microplastics that are bad for the environment. A great alternative is an exfoliator brush. The brush featured here has two sides, one with soft bristles for a deep cleaning and the other side has exfoliating silicone bristles. Great for sensitive skin, this exfoliator brush is an excellent replacement for exfoliating scrubs.
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Oil-Absorbing Face Roller
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To take care of oil on the skin, disposable blotter paper is often used. To replace blotter paper, there's this oil-absorbing roller with a volcanic stone. It's reusable, and the stone comes out so it can easily be cleaned. It won't mess up any makeup on your face, so it can be used whether you're wearing makeup or not. Convenient and simple to use, this roller can be tossed in a bag and used throughout the day.
Digital Gifts
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Of course, if you're not buying "stuff" for someone, you can always buy digital gifts. A Fandango gift card can allow someone to add their favorite movies to a digital collection. Or for someone who is an avid gamer, an Xbox gift card would be perfect. For a more personalized digital gift, you can gift an ebook. Both Barnes & Noble and Amazon allow you to buy ebooks to give to others. For Barnes & Noble, select Buy as Gift, and for Amazon, select Buy for Others. Then during the check out process, enter the recipients email address and they will receive a link to claim the ebook.
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Greta Thunberg Books
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Speaking of ebooks, these books about Greta Thunberg would make a great gift for the environmentalist in your life. The book on the left is No One is Too Small to Make a Difference, a collection of Greta Thunberg's speeches that she has delivered over the years. The second book is Being Different is a Superpower, a Greta Thunberg biography. Both are available in ebook form for quick and easy gifting.
Extra Greta Stuff
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The issue of Time magazine where Greta Thunberg was featured as Time's Person of the Year is available on Amazon, as well as this cute print that can be framed to put up on a wall.