What to put under the tree: 12 eco-friendly gifts so that the new year will not be the last
Before the New Year, many of us promise to get a good habit for yourself: finally start exercising regularly, stop smoking, review food patterns and so on. One of these undertakings is to take a more conscious approach to how we influence the environment. So if your friends and family would like to reconsider their relations with the environment in the coming year, take a look at our list.
Do not forget that the way you give gifts also matters. For example, it’s definitely worth thinking about packaging and if you don’t give it up completely (remember that it increases the amount of garbage after the holidays), then at least try to make it more environmentally friendly. You can, for example, use scraps of old wrapping paper or trash scattered at home. And you can pack a gift into something that a person uses repeatedly: a special pouch, box or scarf, folded in the Japanese traditional way of furoshiki.
ALEXANDRA SAVINA
Bamboobrush Bamboo Toothbrush
A plastic toothbrush, of course, causes less harm to nature than plastic packaging of products (at least because we change toothbrushes less often) - but the changes also start with trifles. Bamboo toothbrush is much easier to dispose of - and thanks to not the highest price, if you want, you can give your friends at least a year's supply.
325 rub.
Zeero product bags
Each trip to the supermarket also means a huge amount of plastic - remember how many disposable bags you take to pack vegetables and fruits. An ecologically conscious friend can be presented with a set of special bags for weighing vegetables and fruits (in theory, you can take the usual cute bags for washing, the main thing is to make sure that they are strong enough and will survive frequent use). Remember that the bags are very different - for cereals by weight and bread, for example, dense linen will be useful. There is even an alternative to the “package bag” - a bag for bags.
480 rub.
Hard Lush Shower Gel
Cosmetics can also be an ethical and environmentally friendly gift - the main thing is to choose brands that are responsibly suitable for production. Look, for example, at Lush - a significant part of their funds is sold without packaging, and in other cases recycled materials are used. In addition, the brand accepts cans from its used products for recycling - so you can remind the person you congratulate, do not forget to hand them over in the new year.
950 rub.
Menstrual Cup Fun Cup
We do not get tired to praise menstrual bowls - an eco-friendly and convenient alternative to gaskets and tampons. We think that you already understand that it is hardly worth giving such a gift to a friend, but it is quite possible for a close friend. The choice of a suitable bowl is always an individual question, so a Fun Cup set of two different-sized bowls will have to be most welcome.
3500 rub.
Bee's Wrap Wipes
Wax napkins are a great alternative to plastic wrap. You can wrap products in them (cheese, bread, vegetables, fruits - whatever), or you can, for example, cover the plates with the remnants of dinner. Napkins come in a wide variety of colors and sizes, should live for about a year with frequent use, and they can be easily washed and composted when they become unusable. If you do not have the opportunity to wait for the delivery of the famous Bee's Wrap, look at the more economical Russian counterparts.
$17,50
Monbento Cutlery
If you already have a lunchbox for someone you are giving a gift to (if not, see below), look at the devices that you can take with you - they will be useful in a variety of situations and will help you not to use plastic spoons, knives and forks. This set is built into the Monbento lunchbox, but nothing prevents you from using it separately.
1200 rub.
Lunchbox Lunch pot
Lunchbox is not only useful, but also a practical gift. It helps to treat food consciously - not to buy meals with you (which also implies a huge amount of all the same plastic), but to take food from home and carefully plan the menu. This lunchbox is not quite normal: the sandwich in it hardly fits, but the soup, nourishing salad or crumbly hot is quite (the volume of the upper tank is 550 milliliters). In addition, the kit includes a convenient "spork" - a hybrid of a spoon and fork.
2590 rub.
Reusable cocktail tubes
The cocktail tubes, to put it mildly, are not the most useful thing for nature: their life span is very short, and they can decompose for hundreds of years (just imagine that all the plastic tubes that you have ever used still lie somewhere on dump). If your friends do not imagine cocktails without tubes, give them an eco-friendly reusable option - made of metal or bamboo. Remember that you need to clean them with a special brush.
1100 rub.
Thermos Eva Solo
Unfortunately, in Russia, unlike in some other countries, there are very few publicly available food fountains or coolers where you can fill your own bottle for free. Nevertheless, this is not a reason to abandon a healthy habit, especially since ordinary tap water is often drinkable - just everyone may not like the taste. In any case, you can give your friends a cool water bottle or a thermocup, but we offer a thermos - this is especially true in cold winters.
3290 rub.
Subscribe to electronic or audiobooks
Many people appreciate paper books primarily for a special tactile experience: pleasant to the touch paper, the ability to take a weighty volume in hand. But, alas, for the production of books requires resources, and in the first place a huge amount of wood. Offer your loved ones to go to e-books: you can donate a reader (if, of course, the budget allows), or you can subscribe to Bookmate e-books or Storytel audio books.
from 399 rub.
Tea strainer Umbra
With all the convenience tea bags are not the most eco-friendly product - not all of them decompose completely. To help your friends give up the bags, give them a sieve - this one also has a flexible silicone handle, so you can conveniently hang it on the edge of the cup while the drink is brewing. For inspiration, a gift can be supplemented with good tea.
990 rub.
Mayer & Boch Silicone Baking Mat
Baking paper is very convenient, but not very environmentally friendly: it will not work to recycle it after cooking. Fortunately, there is a convenient alternative: the silicone mat is much easier to clean than a metal baking tray, and it will last longer than a paper roll. A good gift for friends who love to bake.
389 rub.
PHOTO: Zeero, Ozon (1, 2), Fun Cup, Lush, Bee's Wrap, Story Store, Designboom (1, 2), Ecoloft, Pich Shop, Bookmate