Explore and Enjoy: Thoughtful, Sustainable Gift Giving

Thoughtful gift giving with an eye toward environmentally sustainable choices is a great option this holiday season, even at the last minute. Here are a few suggestions to consider finding at local markets, craft fairs, nearby farm stands or even on a bookshelf or in your closet at home.


Free to $20: 

  • Take a friend on a Michigan Sierra Club Group outing and provide the snacks and transportation. Check MeetUp listings for the Southeast Michigan Group, Crossroads Group and Huron Valley Group outings here.  
  • Turn a worn out pair of pants or wool sweater into a bag or slippers.
  • Give a treasured book or find another copy at a local used book store and include a thoughtful inscription or bookplate explaining its importance.
  • Visit local secondhand children’s stores to find games, toys or costumes.
  • Give homemade jams or jellies, baked goods or dehydrated fruits and vegetables. Include recipes so the recipient can make these themselves. 
  • Gardeners can share seeds, or use a card to promise delivery of homegrown seedlings when it is time to plant them outdoors, as well as offer to do the gardening work for those who need help. 
  • Give an IOU to do some cleaning or cooking for overwhelmed young parents, seniors or others who can use some help.

$20 to $50: 

$50 to $100: 

Variable prices: 

And plan to wrap presents in an environmentally sound way, with newspaper comics, reused wrapping paper or in reusable cloth bags. The gift recipients will get both a thoughtful gift showing a commitment to protect the future and a lesson in sustainable giving.

 


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