In the lead-up to Christmas, we here at Her want to make those sustainable, Earth-loving gifts, known to all. We'll have sustainable beauty and more gifting ideas on the way too. If you think there's something worth adding to our list below, please do get in touch.
Let's bring sustainability mainstream.
To some, it's just a trend, however, we feel it has far more lasting power than that. For the sake of our planet and the health of all the beings on it, adapting to a clean and green lifestyle is indeed the way forward.
And fear not, friends. This Christmas is set to be more magical than ever with gifting made a whole lot easier and fulfilling! The days of senselessly throwing away money and those plastic Kris Kindle gifts just seconds into Christmas Day will soon be in the past.
So, here's a whole bunch of sustainable gifts and where to find 'em:
1. Christmas Tree, My Christmas Treeee...
No, not the Nordmann fir so many of us buy at our local shopping centres to perch inside of our living rooms but rather, a native tree you can plant, and gift, to someone special right here at home, thanks to
GROWN ethical and organic clothing.
If you're in need of a new piece of clothing, grab a tee from these guys and girls and they'll
plant a native Irish tree at Lackamore Co. Clare, one that will not be felled or sold for profit, but a tree that will revitalise our soils, provide oxygen and clean our air. It's a fantastic initiative — one that helps our ecosystem and our wardrobe.
For a friend who's trying desperately to make a go of being green, you can also purchase reusable and plastic-free coffee cups made from coffee grounds (entirely hipster and we love it!), a stainless steel water bottle, a pack of four stainless steel straws, an organic tote bag and one indigenous Irish tree
gift card — all included in the
GROWN Earth Pack for €65.
2. Reusables from places like Reuzi
This little piece of eco-shopping heaven is located on Brighton Road, Foxrock, Dublin, and was set up by mum Pat Kane who, upon becoming a mum for the first time, was horrified by the amount of waste the household would go through.
Well, next time you need environmentally friendly soaps, tampons, shampoos — you name it — this is your one-stop-shop.
Pick up some recycled
Christmas wrapping paper (around €1.60) or grab a special
Plantable Wildflower Card (€5.50) made from 100 per cent recycled materials and embedded with 12 varieties of wildflower and grass seed. So once the receiver has read your Christmas message, they can plant the card and we (including the bees) will reap the rewards soon to come.
Gift ideas include a
soapbox gift set (€16),
patchouli essential oil (€9), a
rosewood and ylang ylang eco soy wax candle (€15.80) or a
winter warmer room spray (€15).
3. Soulful experiences
The best gift
ever is arguably the gift of an experience. Think of workshops, classes and the likes.
If you're having to go super cheap and cheerful, use the
Hiiker app to find the most beautiful hiking trails, here or abroad, and make a picnic out of it. Seriously, you'll find yourself on a wild escapade and totally in awe of our landscape right here at home.
If you do venture off, Cork company
Sundrift makes vibrant coloured backpacks (€170) that are made from recycled water bottles and they're designed for female curves. The backpacks are eco-friendly, they have built-in rain cover and they're only gorgeous.
Consider gifting cooking classes, art classes and all kinds of workshops too.
Get creative and gift a furniture revamping sesh for an interiors-mad friend, a fashion design course for the sustainable fashionista or a painting masterclass, all at the
Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun, Dublin (around €100). It's
always a good idea to get those creative juices flowing.
Get to the
Burren Farm Experience to run around 500 acres, hop on board a tractor ride, hike through the national park and treat you or the receiver of this most precious gift to lunch and tea.
Design your very own ring with Carve ring making workshops around the country. Check their
website for dates and if the dates don't suit you, round up the troops and they'll come to you.
4. New gear? Go here.
We're all trying to break the habit of turning to the high street each and every time we need to replace an item of clothing.
So, when you really do need something new or indeed, if you're gifting clothes this Christmas, make a visit to the sustainable fashion hot spots about town —
Siopaella,
Nine Crows,
Fresh Cuts Clothing,
Designer Exchange,
Om Diva (you'll find sustainable clothing and Irish designers too),
Dublin Vintage Factory,
The Harlequin,
Lucy's Lounge,
Tola Vintage,
SPICE in Limerick or
Carousel in Dublin and Cork who offer ethically made slow fashion.
And of course, there's always the option to host your very own swap shop and swap an item in exchange for a beautiful gift for a friend instead.
5. Sunnies for the hunnies
Hail, rain or snow, we all have a friend who adores wearing sunglasses year-round and there are plenty more who are accessories mad.
Irish brand
CRANN makes eco-friendly sunglasses and watches for both men and women with their watches and sunnies arriving in a beautiful bamboo case (bamboo being a very quick-growing plant and therefore more sustainable than plenty of options out there). For each purchase, €2 is donated to the Native Woodland Trust too — YAY! You can also get watches engraved for a special touch (€19.99).
6. Adopt an animal
For true animal lovers, it's perhaps the holy grail of all gifts and it's not just for Christmas.
For as little as €30 a year you can sponsor and contribute to the care of an animal at the
DSPCA, make a single or regular donation to the
ISPCA or donate to
The Irish Blue Cross.
You can also make a donation on behalf of your animal-loving friend to the likes of the
Irish Wildlife Trust who champion Ireland's rich natural heritage and wildlife, plus
Seal Rescue Ireland where you can adopt a seal who has fallen ill or lost his/her mum.
7. Wholesome home gifting
For the green goddess, head to
TheKind.co and
Green Outlook for the most natural and beautiful of gifts. Whether you're after those that could sit pretty in a living room, practical presents for the bathroom, kitchen and so on, you'll find them here.
TheKind.co offers a whole host of books and stationery (of the eco-friendly kind) plus home bits anyone would adore like
Luxury Uplifting Incense (€15),
copper lights (€140) for a pinch of home decor,
Essential Oil Diffuser (€49.99), 100 per cent
Irish Linen Lavender Eye Pillow (€25),
Bamboo Baby Suction Bowl & Spoon for €25 (should you be gifting any little ones) and
WayCap Reusable Coffee Pods (€38) that are compatible with the likes of Nespresso coffee machines.
If you're about Dublin town, be sure to pop into The Conscious Christmas Store on Fade Street. Here, TheKind.co has joined forces with eco toy brand
Jiminy and Plastic-Free Santa to create something truly magical and fun!
Online at
Green Outlook, you'll find the perfect gifts for the kids, your sustainable vegan friends and even your darling pets.
The likes of
Hannah's Vegan Wraps, which are made in Cork using 100 per cent cotton material, eco soy wax, candelilla wax, organic jojoba oil and pine resin, will mean you and your mates will never need to wrap a lunch or dish in cling film ever again (€18).
Then there's the
Colloidal Oatmeal Bath Soak by Three Hills Soap that nourishes and soothes skin (€7). There's also shampoo for dogs, horses and livestock by
Janni Bars (€12) will help treat mud rash, ringworm, cuts and fleas (a gift that keeps on giving, you might say).
So, friends, we're really only hitting the surface here, but know that there are countless businesses out there (many of them Irish) well worth championing and whose sustainable ripple effect we look forward to seeing the effects of very soon.
Whatever you do this Christmas, make it the most sustainable and eco-friendly one yet!
