Despite my last post focusing on moving away from physical gifts, I wanted to give some suggestions on gifts that are more eco-friendly. Not only can they be more eco friendly but they can help your friends and family transition into a lower waste life-style. REPURPOSE on a BUDGET: For those who are crafty, a nice DIY project may be a great option. I love visiting the Aberfoyle Antique Market just outside of Guelph. They carry all types of vintage household objects. A favourite craft projects that is perfect for your mother, grandmother or sister are tea cup candles. Make sure to use beeswax or soy wax instead of paraffin. Paraffin is a by-product of petroleum and therefore is not sustainable. Paraffin wax also emits chemicals that are not healthy to breathe. For more details on the cons of using paraffin wax candles heres a link to the Asthma Association of Canada: https://asthma.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/asthma_candles_eng.pdf
For more ideas, Pinterest is a great platform to gain inspiration and experiment with your creativity. REPLACE: Sometimes we just need a little help on looking for replacements for plastic based house hold items. Kitchenware is a perfect place to start reducing plastic, some options are replacing plastic sponges with coconut fibre scours or reusable scrubbies. My current favourite is Skoy Scrubs which can be used for many years and you can clean it in the dishwasher along with your load of dishes. However, the downside is that they are not compostable after usage. Other options are dish soap blocks or wooden scrub brushes. There are so many options and with so many zero waste stores popping up there are more options for you to shop from locally. Other gifts could include cotton makeup rounds which is perfect for those who wear makeup or love skincare. Here is a list a few stores that carry these products:
Guelph :
Molloy's Bulk Refill and Soap Supply
Goodness Me
The Stone Store
Bulk Barn
Lush
Waterloo:
Zero Waste Bulk
Truth Beauty Company
Bulk Barn
Toronto:
Unboxed Market
Bare Market
Bulk Barn
Lush LUXURY: Finally for people who want to buy more luxurious items there are clothing companies who work in a more sustainable and ethical manner. Patagonia is a Californian company that recycles plastic bottles and returned Patagonia clothes and uses the rendered plastics into reusable polyester that is then reworked into newer clothing items. (How Neat!)
https://www.patagonia.ca/environmentalism.html Ten Tree is a Canadian company that promotes sustainable production. Similar to Patagonia Ten Tree uses sustainable materials including recycled polyester, cork, hemp, coconut and tencell. They don't just stop there, Ten Tree pledges to planting trees in variety of countries while also providing jobs in developing countries.
https://www.tentree.ca/pages/company All Birds is a New Zealand based company that uses ethical Merino Wool for their running shoes. While the rest of the shoe uses recycled bottles to create shoe laces, Tencel, Sugar Cane and Eucalyptus.
Whew! you made it through the post! I hope this can help you find more environmentally friendly companies this Christmas! :)
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