Socio and Enviro-minded Gift-giving

by | Dec 15, 2011 | Sponsored | 3 comments

Consumption.

Tis the season.

Which has me thinking… about gift giving.

A lot.

I think about nation-wide retailers vs. my neighbor who greets me at the door of their own business. And I think about “stuff” through the eyes of someone who is becoming more and more unnerved by the waste our stuff is creating.

I would not identify myself as green. Though I am pretty good about recycling. But I feel I am shifting to a greener mindset. It is as though blinds are being pulled back from my eyes. I find I am …

  • thinking twice about the crap that tempts me in the check-out lane.
  • thinking twice about tossing the leftover felt from a project.
  • becoming less likely to consider a broken item as trash.
  • dreaming about composting more each day.
  • moving toward making small changes … in my immediate environment and in my own community.

SOCIALLY-MINDED GIVING:

Shop local.

Think about it. Who do the schools and local charities primarily go to for donations for auctions or other fundraising efforts? LOCAL BUSINESS. Who do these local charities benefit? Our children. Our community.

Not only does local business keep communities thriving by supplying the local consumers with things they want and need… local business also plays a key role in helping meeting local need.

How is local business able to give back? Customer support. No customers, no business, no donations to help raise money for the local elementary school.

The circle of life is not limited to the animal kingdom.

So. Looking for a socially minded way to find a gift? Shop local.

ENVIRO-MINDED GIVING:

There are the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.

  • The gift of experience is a great way to reduce waste.
  • Giving a pre-owned gift is an optimal way to reuse… Or making something new from an existing item. (Have you ever used the arms of an old sweater to make leg warmers? No? Well, Flibbertygibberish has!)
  • You cannot recycle most wrapping paper. Instead, consider using fabric (a bandana is CUTE!), paper bags, newspaper… plain paper! Allow the kids to decorate the package, tie up with natural fibers (twine is SO cute!)… Oooh! How about baker’s twine?!
allora handmade giftwrap

Charming Gift Wrapping at Allora Handmade

Please note: you don’t have to be crafty or creative to reuse.

Enter eBay.

The benefits here are twofold. With eBay, sellers list to get rid of items they no longer want or need. Buyers purchase used items they want, and a cost that is a fraction of the new product price. When buying used items on eBay, one reuses AND saves money. Oh, and did you know eBay has it’s own Green Team? Their Green Team pages are loaded with information on how to buy green and sell green. Oh, and the eBay box is wicked smart AND cute.

Have you completed your holiday shopping? Have you thought about shopping local and/or incorporating the 3 Rs into your gift buying and giving?

I suppose a good follow-up to this post should come in January… as I pour more of myself into eBay as a seller so items my family no longer uses can be reused by others instead of being used by the local landfill. Oh, and not to mention the opportunity to make a few extra post-holiday dollars.

*I am an eBay Parent Panel partner. This post is sponsored by eBay. Thoughts, opinion, and convictions are my own.

eBay parent panel logo

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