Eco-friendly gift giving ideas and green tips for the entire family

The holiday season is an opportunity to be thoughtful about the gifts we give our loved ones and just as importantly what we give back to nurture a healthy and sustainable planet. Why not choose the perfect green gifts for your loved ones and the planet this year? 

Consider gifting sustainable products and every day necessities that will reduce plastic and waste and instead will be easy to reuse and recycle — for example visit sites like Grove Collaborative for cleaning, wellness and gifting essentials or ECOlunchbox for a wide selection of zero waste portable meal solutions. How about the gift of less food waste? Food in the trash that gets burned at incinerators contributes to 40% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Opt instead for composting in your own backyard or signing a friend or family member up for a weekly food scraps pick up service, depending on location, from companies like Curbside Compost, Action Waste Solutions or Blue Earth Composting. Your food waste will be returned back to the planet in the form of healthy composted soil.  

Looking for an in-person green shopping experience? Join Wilton Go Green and Eco Evolution at their Norwalk retail store at 135 Washington Street on Saturday, December 11th from 1 pm to 5 pm for a wide selection of local and sustainable gifts. Save 10% off all low-waste products while supporting a local business and Wilton Go Green!  10% of gross sales will go back to Wilton Go Green. 

Or just go online — there are thousands of eco-friendly gifts out there just waiting to be gifted to the planet starting with 25 Amazing Sustainable Gifts for an Eco-Friendly Holiday Season. For even more ideas, search for green holiday gifts or eco-friendly holiday gifts.

To bring green home for the holidays, we’ve shared a few holiday tips that can be small steps with outsized benefits for the planet. 

Home Decor

• Where feasible, use LED lights for trees and decorations, they contain no toxic substances, use less materials and last longer than regular light bulbs and are 100% recyclable
• Get crafty and use common household items or thrift store finds to create your own decorations
• Give the gift of nature to your kids and have them source seed pods, pine cones and needles for homemade wreaths

Reduce Food Waste

•  Make a meal plan for the holidays to reduce food waste and visits to the grocery store
• Take inventory of leftover canned goods/food products from the holidays and give to your local food bank like the Wilton Food Pantry
• Learn how to turn food scraps into enriched soil for the planet  
• Want to learn how to compost in your own backyard? Send us an email and we’ll help you out info@wiltongogreen.org 
• Sign up for private food scrap collection for weekly pick up of ALL your food scraps

Chose Reuse and Recycle Over Plastic and Paper

• When in doubt choose glass over plastic — glass is one of the easiest and cleanest materials to recycle and we now have a specific glass area for recycling at Wilton’s Transfer Station 
• Eliminate one time use items like paper/plastic plates, cups, utensils and napkins
• Reusable eco-friendly containers are great gift items for leftovers, meals on the road or for guests as parting gifts
• Get the kids involved in decorating brown paper wrapping for gifts — foil, metallic and heavily laminated wrapping paper as well as plastic coating, ribbon, bows and glitter are not recyclable 

Community Green Giving

• Shop Local. Head to your local shops and farms when looking for gifts for family and friends
• Donate on behalf of loved ones to your favorite charities or give the gifts of membership to local museums, animal shelters and nature centers 

From Wilton Go Green’s Family to yours, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season. Connect with us at info@wiltongogreen.org if we can provide more tips and gift ideas for a season of sustainable giving.