Green Gifts
NRDC Holiday Guide Click through for useful information about how to make your whole holiday as green as possible.
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Global Green
Ten Thousand Villages offers fair trade, handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor, art and more. All are handmade from artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East--38 countries in all. Unicef's Gifts that Give Back – From finger puppets to jewelry, Unicef has a wide range of gifts to choose from. All money raised through UNICEF's holiday “Gifts That Give Back” program will help in its mission of reducing the number of daily, preventable deaths of children under five from 21,000 to zero. The Hunger Site has a huge variety of gifts for both "under-the-tree" and "over-the sea" giving.
The Rainforest Site preserves at least 1,145 sq. ft. of rainforest land for each item you buy. Your purchases help great charities: The Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Conservation Fund, & World Land Trust-US. They offer a huge variety of gifts for everyone on your list. Ethical Ocean Shop for a variety of gifts that make the world a better place. Donation Packages World Wildlife Federation offers these great adoption buckets. For $50 you get a wooden bucket with a plush tiger, panda and polar bear, adoption certificate and information about the animals. Its a great gift, the proceeds go to saving those animals, and you can teach your children or nieces and nephews about conservation. NRDC More than 50 great gift ideas from NRDC all aimed at saving the environment. From defending polar bears to protecting clean water ... from reviving rainforests to promoting renewable energy … you will find the perfect gift for a friend or loved one who cares deeply about our planet's future. International Rescue Committee help refugees and others who have been impacted by war and natural disaster. Holiday shoppers can choose a gift that will go to a person, family or community in need and dedicate it in honor of a special person in their lives. Each honoree receives an acknowledgement e-card with the gift giver's personalized message. The carbon footprint is tiny, but the impact is huge.
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Give and Give Bogo Lights are amazing solar-powered flashlights that are lighting up dark corners of the world. Buy one, and one will be sent where it is needed. Toms Shoes also operates on a one-for-one business model. For every pair of shoes purchased, founder Blake Mycoskie donates a pair to a child who would otherwise be barefoot. |
Great Local Gifts
Twice the Gift
Buy a wonderful gift and help someone make a better life at the same time. It's a double whammy.
Blackstone Bicycle Works is a youth education program of the Experimental Station. In the context of a full-service bike shop dedicated to promoting ecological practices and empowering youth, Blackstone teaches mechanical skills, job skills, and business literacy to boys and girls from the underserved Woodlawn neighborhood and Chicago's broader south side.
Bright Endeavors is a Chicago non-profit social enterprise, manufacturing and marketing eco-friendly home and bath products, helping adolescent parents (aged 17-24) transition into economic stability. Through its parent agency, New Moms, Inc., Bright Endeavors provides on-the-job experience to some of Chicago's most at-risk youth. Their products are available at Whole Foods,and through Global Girlfriend, and SERRV.Blue Sky Bakery & Cafe features a rotating selection of freshly baked pastries and tasty made-to-order salads and sandwiches. Seasonal and organic items are used whenever possible. The Blue Sky Employment Program provides homeless and at-risk youth with employment through which they gain valuable experience in cooking, baking, customer service and cash-handling.
Inspiration Kitchens helps individuals gain valuable skills and experience that lead to employment in the food service industry. It also serves incredibly good New American food. Take the in-laws to dinner on Christmas Eve.
Very, Merry Green
The Chicago area has some very fine green-oriented stores with gifts for kids, for friends and for all your family.
Greenheart Shop is Chicago's only nonprofit eco friendly, fair trade store. Greenheart is fair to producers and good to the earth through its support of local, social enterprises and global fair trade partnerships. Offers clothing, hats, mittens, scarves, tablecloths, cloth napkins, purses, dishes, jewelry, and journals made of recycled cotton rags, in addition to organic and fair-trade coffee, tea, and chocolate.
Building Blocks Toy Store carries Green Toys brand items including a dump truck and indoor gardening kit for kids made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs and made in California. They also carry Maple Landmark Woodcraft name trains for children. Maple Landmark Woodcraft toys are made in Vermont. Most toy stores are filled with plastic toys made in China by workers who work long days in poor conditions, not to mention the CO2 emissions needed to transport a toy from China to the US.
Green Sky is Andersonville's entry in the green gifts lineup. Lots of local artists and a variety of gifts & functional items from handmade decorative tiles & vases to outdoor furniture made from recycled milk jugs and toothbrushes & razors made from recycled yogurt cups.
Healthy Green Goods in Evanston has everything from mattresses to No-VOC paints and more gifts than you could imagine would fit into their store.
Green Home Experts in Oak Park is a specialty retailer in environmentally friendly building and home supplies.However, they also have a lot of small products that would make great gifts.
And for more about buying local, go to UnWrap Chicago!
